Read a text file using command line arguments doesn't work

Question

So I've got a directory called temp

temp

It contains:

assets bin src include Makefile

The assets directory contains a "file.txt" file, which is filled with some keyboard alphabetic characters.

My src folder also includes the file "file.c" which is

#include "file.h"

int main(int argc, char * argv[] )
{
    initscr();
    noecho();
    cbreak();

    char ch;
    FILE * ptr;

    if(strcmp(argv[1],"file.txt") == 0)
    {
        ptr = fopen("file.txt","r");

        if(ptr == NULL)
        {
            mvprintw(0,0,"Error reading the file\n");
            refresh();
            exit(1);
        }
        else
        {
            while( ( ch =fgetc(ptr) ) != EOF)
                mvprintw(0,0,"%c",ch);
                refresh();
        }
    }
    else
    {
        mvprintw(0,0,"you didn't specify the right .txt file");
        exit(1);
    }
    endwin();

    fclose(ptr);
    return 0;
}

The makefile contains:

all:
        gcc -Wall -pedantic -std=c99 -Iinclude src/file.c -o bin/runMe -lncurses

However after successful compilation, going to the bin directory and typing ./runMe file.txt ends up printing nothing new on the screen (doesn't print the characters "abc" which are in the text file (located in the assets directory).

What's going wrong?

Answer 1

If you're running your executable from within the bin directory, then you are trying to open your file in the bin directory, where it isn't.

Run the file from temp, as ./bin/runMe file.txt where the fopen line reads "assets/file.txt"

You have to be explicit where you run a program and where a file is.

Answer 2

You are reading one character at a time and printing these characters at the same location (0, 0). I assume you should see the last character containd in your file at location 0, 0 of your window. Why not using printf?

[EDIT] As you print characters, increment the x location.

int x= 0;
while( ( ch =fgetc(ptr) ) != EOF) {
            mvprintw(x,0,"%c",ch);
            x++;
}