Bash Script Binary Search

Question

Write a bash script to do a binary search. Read student names and grades from a file into an array. Prompt the user for a student name. Find the name in the array and display the grade. The data in the file is below:

Ann:A
Bob:C
Cindy:B
Dean:F
Emily:A
Frank:C
Ginger:D
Hal:B
Ivy:A
Justin:F
Karen:D

I have done the following but I am stuck on what to do next

#!/bin/bash
 echo "please enter students Name: "
 read student
 echo "$student + $Grade"
 ((i=0))
 while read students[$i] ; do
 ((i++))

 done < students.dat
 first=0
 last=$(students[@])


 ((mid=0))
 Name=`echo ${students[$mid]} | cut -d: -f1`
 Grade=`echo ${students[$mid]} | cut -d: -f2`
 echo $Name
 echo $Grade

Answer 1

A binary search needs the max and min boundaries of the search. Starting at zero is great, but your last variable is a little off. Try: last=$(($#students[@]} - 1)) the - 1 will put your array at the correct size (arrays start at zero and go to one less of their size.)

After that try the following pseudo code:

while (last is <= first) 
  middle = midway point between first and last

  // make sure that your comparing just the names "Ann",
  // not your whole string "Ann:A"
  if (students[middle] == student)
    exit loop
  else if (students[middle] < student)
    first = middle + 1
  else if (students[middle] > student)
    last = middle - 1

I'm not great at bash scripting, so I won't try and fix (if it even needs fixing) most of your syntax. The pseudo code should get you most of the way there if you figure out the syntax.