Question

I’m working of my assignment, in C, which to store 500 string into strings of 5 char by the mean of hash table with chaining method to fix the collision.

Hashing algorithm : to add up the ASCII value and apply the modulus operator to the result.

The hash table store the hash key generated and a pointer which points to a linked list. Each linked list has more than one element if there are more than one 5-char string that gives the same hash key.

So far this is my code. I compiled it (Codeblock) and it appears that there is no error. However the program crashed.

Please give some inputs on where did i do wrong.

#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>

#define SLEN 500
#define WLEN 5
#define MPRIME 73

struct Node {
    char s[WLEN+1];      // array to hold the 5-letter word
    int sindex;          // starting index of the word
    struct Node * next;  // a pointer to the next word in the list
};

int searchword(char *);
int hashfunc(char *);
void build_hashtbl();

struct Node * hashtable[MPRIME] = {NULL};

char string[SLEN+1] = "thenamewasfamiliartomeonseverallevelslookingbackitwasfatethatifoundhimihadcometopeppervillebeachtocloseonasmallhousethathadbeeninourfamilyforyearsonmywaybacktotheairportistoppedforcoffeetherewasafieldacrossthestreetwherekidsinpurpletshirtswerepitchingandhittingihadtimeiwanderedoverasistoodatthebackstopmyfingercurledinthechainlinkfenceanoldmanmaneuveredalawnmoweroverthegrasshewastannedandwrinkledwithahalfcigarinhismouthheshutthemowerwhenhesawmeandaskedifihadakidoutthereisaidnoheaskedwhatiwasdoing";

int main(void) {
    int index;
    char query[WLEN+1];
    build_hashtbl();      // prepare the hash table
    printf("Enter a 5-letter word to search: ");
    scanf("%s", query);
    index = searchword(query);
    if (index != -1)
        printf("The word %s starts at index %d.\n", query, index);
    else
        printf("The word %s is not found.\n", query);
    return 0;
}

int searchword(char * word) {
    int hashval;
    struct Node * lhead;
    hashval = hashfunc(word);
    lhead = hashtable[hashval];
    while (lhead) {
        if (strcmp(lhead->s,word) == 0)
            return lhead->sindex;
        lhead = lhead->next;
    }
    return -1;
}

int hashfunc(char *){
    int hashval = 0;
    int i = 0;
    for (i = 0; i < WLEN; i++){
        hashval += (int) string[i];
    }
    return (int) (hashval % MPRIME);
}

void build_hashtbl(){
    struct Node *hashtable[MPRIME]; //already declared. put here for ease
    struct Node * head = NULL;
    struct Node * last = NULL;

    int i = 0;
    int k = 0;
    int key = 0;
    char sElement[WLEN+1] = {0};

    for (i = 0; i <SLEN; i = i+WLEN){ //for every 5 char, find they hashtable index key
        key = hashfunc(*string[i]);

        for (k = 0; k <WLEN; k++){ //create a new string, sElement from the 5 letter word
        sElement[k] = string[i+k];
        }



    if (hashtable[key] != (NULL)){  //if the hashtable element at that index is empty, STORE it in a node
        hashtable[key] = head;
        struct Node *new_node;
        new_node = (struct Node *) malloc ( sizeof (struct Node) );
        strcpy(new_node->s, sElement); //put the new 5 letter word string into the node
        new_node->sindex = i; //put the starting index of this word
        new_node->next = NULL; //the next pointer is set to NULL
        head->next = new_node; //finally set the head node to point to this new node
        last = new_node; //set the new node as the last node
    }
    else { //if there is already a node in the array
        struct Node *new_node;
        new_node = (struct Node *) malloc ( sizeof (struct Node) );
        strcpy(new_node->s, sElement); //put the new 5 letter word string into the node
        new_node->sindex = i; //put the starting index of this word
        new_node->next = NULL; //the next pointer is set to NULL
        head->next = new_node; //finally set the head node to point to this new node
        last->next = new_node; //set the last node to point to thew new created node
        last = new_node; //set the new node as the last node
    }

    }
}

Answer 1

Your used last and head uninitialized, so head->next and friends would segfault. In fact you don’t need them at all and you don’t need your if branches – just replace hashtable[key] by new_node after setting new_node->next to hashtable[key]

void build_hashtbl(){

    int i = 0;
    int k = 0;
    int key = 0;

    char sElement[WLEN+1] = {0};

    for (i = 0; i <SLEN; i = i+WLEN){ //for every 5 char, find they hashtable index key
        key = hashfunc(string+i);

        for (k = 0; k <WLEN; k++){ //create a new string, sElement from the 5 letter word
            sElement[k] = string[i+k];
        }

        struct Node *new_node;
        new_node = (struct Node *) malloc ( sizeof (struct Node) );
        strcpy(new_node->s, sElement); //put the new 5 letter word string into the node
        new_node->next=hashtable[key];
        new_node->sindex=i;
        hashtable[key]=new_node;

    }
}

Works for me.

Edit: Also needs #include <stdlib.h> (at least here)