using fstream and char arrays, reading junk from file

[nixius]

I have done some searching but because of the broad searching terms I have come accross countless websites that don't really deal with what it is I wish to know.

here is my code:

char currString[25];

	ifstream levelFile("./Media/levels/level1.txt",std::ios::in);

	while(!levelFile.eof()){
		levelFile >> currString;
		//levelFile.getline(currString,25);
		if (currString=="##"){
			//Ommited
		} else if (currString=="Room_01"){
			//Ommited
		}
		
	}
	levelFile.close();

What I am trying to do is basically read some parameters from a .txt file to instantiate some objects later on.

I have multiple objects I want to instantiate from this one file, and I was planning on using "##" as a break between the objects. When I am debugging I also see garbage often before my actual text, such as instead of "Room_01" I might see something like "€@Room_01....".

Another problem I am having is that I have some parameters such as "-5" and then I may have paramater that is "matBoxMaterial", so if I load matBoxmaterial into currString first, when it comes to -5 I get

"-5xMatMaterial..."

and then all the other junk from the rest of the array. I guess my general question is, how can I read in just what is on that line? Or perhaps how can I clear the char array of garbage. I have contemplated using a terminator (like -5/0) but it just seems like I am missing something really obvious!

Any advice is always muchly appreciated.

nixius~

[Philip Nicoletti]

Without seeing a sample input file, it is difficult to see why you are
getting garbage, but the following is not correct:

if (currString=="##")
{
   //Ommited
} 
else if (currString=="Room_01")
{
   //Ommited
}

That would be OK if currString was a std::string, but for char arrays
you should use strcmp()

[nixius]

The .txt is as follows:

Room_01
#
-250,45,0
8,100,500
box.mesh
Examples/HeatNoise
mat_boxMaterial
Box
#
-150,45,0
8,100,500
box.mesh
Examples/HeatNoise
mat_boxMaterial
Box
#
-50,45,250
408,100,8
box.mesh
Examples/HeatNoise
mat_boxMaterial
Box
#
-50,45,-250
408,100,8
box.mesh
Examples/HeatNoise
mat_boxMaterial
Box
#
-100,20,100
50,50,50
box.mesh
Examples/HeatNoise
mat_boxMaterial
Box
##

I am now using this:

if (strcmp(currString,"##")){

I attached a small screenshot, something doesn't look right at all!

Any more details you need let me know!

[Philip Nicoletti]

Are you sure that it is not the debugger that is giving you problems ?
What happens if you just output what you read in:

while(levelFile >> currString)
{
   cout << currString << "\n";
}
levelFile.close();

Also, it would be safer to use a std::string instead of a char array.
That way you do not need to worry about going past the bounds
of the array.

[nixius]

yeah that seems to work!

I finished up with this code:

	string currString;
	currString="";
	while(levelFile >> currString){
		 cout << currString << "\n";
		 if (currString=="Room_01"){
			i=50;
		 } else if (currString=="box.mesh"){
			i=66;
		 } else if (currString=="#"){
			 i = 90;
		 }
	}

in debug it adds some junk when I mouse over, but the if comparissons work so I will just ignore it.

Thanks alot for your help!