1234/SUBJECT.md

ft_str_split: String Splitting Project in C

Project Overview

This project-based learning assignment challenges you to implement a function that splits a string into an array of strings based on a specified delimiter character. The project will enhance your understanding of string manipulation, memory allocation, and pointer arithmetic in C.

Learning Objectives

• Deepen understanding of string manipulation in C
• Practice dynamic memory allocation and management
• Implement robust error handling
• Understand pointer arithmetic and array management
• Develop efficient algorithms for string processing

Function Prototype

char **ft_str_split(char const *s, char c);

Parameters

• s: The string to be split
• c: The delimiter character used to identify where the string should be split

Return Value

• An array of new strings resulting from the split
• NULL if the allocation fails

Requirements

1. Function Behavior:

   • The function must split the string s using the character c as a delimiter
   • The array must end with a NULL pointer
   • The resulting strings must not contain the delimiter character

2. Memory Management:

   • You must allocate memory for the result array and each substring
   • All allocations must be properly handled with error checking
   • No memory leaks are allowed

3. Edge Cases:

   • Handle empty strings properly
   • If c does not appear in s, the result should be an array with a single element containing the entire string
   • If s is NULL, return NULL
   • If multiple delimiters appear consecutively, they should result in empty substrings

Project Steps

Step 1: Planning the Algorithm

Begin by designing your algorithm. Consider:

• How to count the number of resulting substrings
• How to allocate the right amount of memory
• How to extract each substring efficiently

Step 2: Implementing Helper Functions

Consider implementing these helper functions:

• count_words: Count how many words will result from the split
• word_length: Calculate the length of a word until the next delimiter
• extract_word: Extract a single word from the source string

Step 3: Implementing the Main Function

Implement the ft_str_split function using your helper functions.

Step 4: Testing

Create a comprehensive test suite that covers:

• Normal cases with various delimiters
• Edge cases (empty strings, no delimiters, etc.)
• Error cases (memory allocation failures)

Example Usage

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

char **ft_str_split(char const *s, char c);

void print_result(char **result) {
     if (!result)
          return;
     
     for (int i = 0; result[i]; i++) {
          printf("'%s'\n", result[i]);
     }
}

void free_result(char **result) {
     if (!result)
          return;
     
     for (int i = 0; result[i]; i++) {
          free(result[i]);
     }
     free(result);
}

int main() {
     char *str = "Hello,world,this,is,a,test";
     char **result = ft_str_split(str, ',');
     
     printf("Original: '%s'\n", str);
     printf("Split by ',': \n");
     print_result(result);
     
     free_result(result);
     return 0;
}

Evaluation Criteria

Your implementation will be evaluated based on:

1. Correctness: Does it handle all required cases correctly?
2. Memory Management: Are there any memory leaks?
3. Code Quality: Is the code clean, well-organized, and properly commented?
4. Efficiency: Is the algorithm efficient in terms of time and space complexity?

Advanced Challenges

Once you've completed the basic implementation, consider these extensions:

1. Modify your function to handle multiple delimiter characters
2. Implement a version that uses a string as a delimiter instead of a single character
3. Create a version that keeps empty substrings as separate entries in the result array
4. Optimize your code for maximum performance with large strings

Resources

• C string manipulation functions (strlen, strcpy, etc.)
• Memory allocation functions (malloc, free)
• Pointer arithmetic in C
• String tokenization techniques

Conclusion

This project will strengthen your C programming skills, particularly in the areas of string manipulation and memory management. The ability to split strings is a fundamental operation in many programming applications, making this a valuable skill to master.

Good luck with your implementation!