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From: torek@elf.ee.lbl.gov (Chris Torek)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: help with c code
Keywords: trying to separate whole name to 1st,middle & last
Message-ID: <9880@dog.ee.lbl.gov>
Date: 14 Feb 91 06:36:48 GMT
References: <21584@netcom.UUCP>
Reply-To: torek@elf.ee.lbl.gov (Chris Torek)
Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley
Lines: 16
X-Local-Date: Wed, 13 Feb 91 22:36:48 PST

In article <21584@netcom.UUCP> bobb@netcom.UUCP (Bob Beaulieu) writes:
>I'm new to new to C and am trying to write a program to cut a name field
>into a first,middle and last fields. Problem: some names don't have middle
>names or initials, and some others have more (i.e. SR.,JR.,III,...).

These are not the only problems.  For instance, consider the name
`Maria Lupita Josefa Carantinez y Pallano de la Torre-Wallace'.
Find the last name. :-)

The usual solution to the mess is to have the user mark the beginning of
the last name.  Modern name databases are now getting better at handling
things other than `First Name, Middle Initial, Last Name' sequences,
which is a good thing for those who use something else.
-- 
In-Real-Life: Chris Torek, Lawrence Berkeley Lab EE div (+1 415 486 5427)
Berkeley, CA		Domain:	torek@ee.lbl.gov