How to Create a Valid Word Check Function in C+ + for Your Binary Search Tree

Learn how to improve your C+ + function for checking valid words in a binary search tree. Simplify your code with regex for effective input validation.
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This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/63387740/ asked by the user 'Kujinn' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/8674939/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/63392695/ provided by the user 'A M' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/9666018/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

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Creating a Valid Word Check Function in C+ +

If you're working on a binary search tree (BST) that processes words from a text file, you might encounter challenges in validating the words before storing them. The core of the issue often lies in ensuring that your input is strictly lowercase and free from digits and punctuation. This post will guide you through refining your word validation function in C+ + , allowing your BST to function correctly and only store valid entries.

Understanding the Problem

In your initial approach, you implemented a function called isValidWord() to check the validity of the word based on several conditions. However, despite your best efforts, the function allows invalid words to be inserted into the binary search tree. Here’s the original function for reference:

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The premise is sound, but the implementation is somewhat convoluted.

Streamlining the Validation Logic

Using Regular Expressions

One of the best ways to simplify your validation checks is by utilizing std::regex in C+ + . This allows you to check for patterns in the string easily. Replace your long conditional checks with a concise regular expression, like so:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Here, "[a-z]+ " ensures that the word consists solely of lowercase characters. This single line effectively replaces the entire structure of the original isValidWord() function.

Simplifying Punctuation Removal

In addition to validating the words, you need to ensure that punctuation is stripped from your input. The code you currently have for this is:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

However, this can be made far more elegant with another line of regex:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

In this example, you can adjust the characters within the brackets to include any punctuation marks you wish to eliminate.

Implementing the Improved Functions

Now that you have streamlined both your validation and punctuation removal, let’s integrate these changes into your existing BST insertion logic:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Conclusion

By replacing clunky checks with the power of regular expressions, you're not only making your code cleaner but also more efficient. If you follow these recommendations and integrate regex into your validation functions, you will likely find that your BST behaves as expected, storing only valid words.

If you have any further questions or need assistance with additional features, feel free to reach out!