diff --git a/src/templates_front/templator_front.org b/src/templates_front/templator_front.org
index 41faa44..c12227e 100644
--- a/src/templates_front/templator_front.org
+++ b/src/templates_front/templator_front.org
@@ -2396,8 +2396,8 @@ def has_$group_dset$(trexio_file) -> bool:
 
      #+begin_src c :tangle hrw_dset_sparse_front.h :exports none
 trexio_exit_code trexio_has_$group_sparse_dset$(trexio_t* const file);
-trexio_exit_code trexio_read_$group_sparse_dset$(trexio_t* const file, const int64_t offset_file, const int64_t offset_data, const int64_t size, int32_t* const index_sparse, double* const value_sparse);
-trexio_exit_code trexio_write_$group_sparse_dset$(trexio_t* const file, const int64_t offset_file, const int64_t offset_data, const int64_t size, const int32_t* index_sparse, const double* value_sparse);
+trexio_exit_code trexio_read_$group_sparse_dset$(trexio_t* const file, const int64_t offset_file, const int64_t size, int32_t* const index_sparse, double* const value_sparse);
+trexio_exit_code trexio_write_$group_sparse_dset$(trexio_t* const file, const int64_t offset_file, const int64_t size, const int32_t* index_sparse, const double* value_sparse);
 //trexio_exit_code trexio_read_$group_sparse_dset$_value(trexio_t* const file, const uint64_t offset, const uint_64_t size, int32_t* const value_sparse);
 //trexio_exit_code trexio_write_$group_sparse_dset$_value(trexio_t* const file, const uint64_t offset, const uint_64_t size, double* const value_sparse);
      #+end_src
@@ -2408,7 +2408,6 @@ trexio_exit_code trexio_write_$group_sparse_dset$(trexio_t* const file, const in
 trexio_exit_code
 trexio_read_$group_sparse_dset$(trexio_t* const file,
                            const int64_t offset_file,
-                           const int64_t offset_data,
                            const int64_t size,
                            int32_t* const index_sparse,
                            double* const value_sparse
@@ -2435,12 +2434,12 @@ trexio_read_$group_sparse_dset$(trexio_t* const file,
   switch (file->back_end) {
 
   case TREXIO_TEXT:
-    return trexio_text_read_$group_sparse_dset$(file, offset_file, offset_data, size, size_max, index_sparse, value_sparse);
+    return trexio_text_read_$group_sparse_dset$(file, offset_file, size, size_max, index_sparse, value_sparse);
     break;
 
   case TREXIO_HDF5:
 #ifdef HAVE_HDF5
-    return trexio_hdf5_read_$group_sparse_dset$(file, offset_file, offset_data, size, size_max, index_sparse, value_sparse);
+    return trexio_hdf5_read_$group_sparse_dset$(file, offset_file, size, size_max, index_sparse, value_sparse);
     break;
 #else
     return TREXIO_BACK_END_MISSING;
@@ -2460,7 +2459,6 @@ trexio_read_$group_sparse_dset$(trexio_t* const file,
 trexio_exit_code
 trexio_write_$group_sparse_dset$(trexio_t* const file,
                            const int64_t offset_file,
-                           const int64_t offset_data,
                            const int64_t size,
                            const int32_t* index_sparse,
                            const double* value_sparse
@@ -2487,12 +2485,12 @@ trexio_write_$group_sparse_dset$(trexio_t* const file,
   switch (file->back_end) {
 
   case TREXIO_TEXT:
-    return trexio_text_write_$group_sparse_dset$(file, offset_file, offset_data, size, size_max, index_sparse, value_sparse);
+    return trexio_text_write_$group_sparse_dset$(file, offset_file, size, size_max, index_sparse, value_sparse);
     break;
 
   case TREXIO_HDF5:
 #ifdef HAVE_HDF5
-    return trexio_hdf5_write_$group_sparse_dset$(file, offset_file, offset_data, size, size_max, index_sparse, value_sparse);
+    return trexio_hdf5_write_$group_sparse_dset$(file, offset_file, size, size_max, index_sparse, value_sparse);
     break;
 #else
     return TREXIO_BACK_END_MISSING;
diff --git a/src/templates_text/templator_text.org b/src/templates_text/templator_text.org
index a1ec0d1..f9ed7fd 100644
--- a/src/templates_text/templator_text.org
+++ b/src/templates_text/templator_text.org
@@ -1005,14 +1005,13 @@ trexio_text_has_$group_str$ (trexio_t* const file)
 
    #+begin_src c :tangle hrw_dset_sparse_text.h :exports none
 trexio_exit_code trexio_text_has_$group_sparse_dset$(trexio_t* const file);
-trexio_exit_code trexio_text_read_$group_sparse_dset$(trexio_t* const file, const int64_t offset_file, const int64_t offset_dset, const int64_t size, const int64_t size_max, int32_t* const index_sparse, double* const value_sparse);
-trexio_exit_code trexio_text_write_$group_sparse_dset$(trexio_t* const file, const int64_t offset_file, const int64_t offset_dset, const int64_t size, const int64_t size_max, const int32_t* index_sparse, const double* value_sparse);
+trexio_exit_code trexio_text_read_$group_sparse_dset$(trexio_t* const file, const int64_t offset_file, const int64_t size, const int64_t size_max, int32_t* const index_sparse, double* const value_sparse);
+trexio_exit_code trexio_text_write_$group_sparse_dset$(trexio_t* const file, const int64_t offset_file, const int64_t size, const int64_t size_max, const int32_t* index_sparse, const double* value_sparse);
    #+end_src
 
    #+begin_src c :tangle write_dset_sparse_text.c
 trexio_exit_code trexio_text_write_$group_sparse_dset$(trexio_t* const file,
                                                   const int64_t offset_file,
-                                                  const int64_t offset_dset,
                                                   const int64_t size,
                                                   const int64_t size_max,
                                                   const int32_t* index_sparse,
@@ -1042,7 +1041,7 @@ trexio_exit_code trexio_text_write_$group_sparse_dset$(trexio_t* const file,
   //fseek(f, (long) offset_file * line_length, SEEK_SET);
 
   int rc;
-  for (uint64_t i=0L+offset_dset ; i<size+offset_dset ; ++i) {
+  for (uint64_t i=0L; i<size; ++i) {
       rc = fprintf(f, "$group_sparse_dset_format_printf$\n",
          $group_sparse_dset_indices_printf$,
          value_sparse[i]);
@@ -1068,7 +1067,6 @@ trexio_exit_code trexio_text_write_$group_sparse_dset$(trexio_t* const file,
    #+begin_src c :tangle read_dset_sparse_text.c
 trexio_exit_code trexio_text_read_$group_sparse_dset$(trexio_t* const file,
                                                  const int64_t offset_file,
-                                                 const int64_t offset_dset,
                                                  const int64_t size,
                                                  const int64_t size_max,
                                                  int32_t* const index_sparse,
@@ -1098,7 +1096,7 @@ trexio_exit_code trexio_text_read_$group_sparse_dset$(trexio_t* const file,
   fseek(f, (long) offset_file * line_length, SEEK_SET);
 
   int rc;
-  for (uint64_t i=0L+offset_dset ; i<size+offset_dset ; ++i) {
+  for (uint64_t i=0L; i<size; ++i) {
       rc = fscanf(f, "$group_sparse_dset_format_scanf$",
          $group_sparse_dset_indices_scanf$,
          &value_sparse[i]);
diff --git a/tests/io_dset_sparse_text.c b/tests/io_dset_sparse_text.c
index a20d1a0..95509ef 100644
--- a/tests/io_dset_sparse_text.c
+++ b/tests/io_dset_sparse_text.c
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ int main(){
 
   // write 5 chunks using write_sparse
   for(int i=0; i<n_chunks; ++i){
-    rc = trexio_write_mo_2e_int_eri(trexio_file, offset_f, offset_f, chunk_size, index, value);
+    rc = trexio_write_mo_2e_int_eri(trexio_file, offset_f, chunk_size, &index[4*offset_f], &value[offset_f]);
     assert(rc==TREXIO_SUCCESS);
     offset_f += chunk_size;
   }
@@ -78,7 +78,8 @@ int main(){
 
   // read 1 chunk of 20 elements using offset of 40( i.e. lines No. 40--59)
   uint64_t offset_f_read = 40L;
-  rc = trexio_read_mo_2e_int_eri(trexio_file_2, offset_f_read, 0L, chunk_size, index_read, value_read);
+  int offset_data_read = 5;
+  rc = trexio_read_mo_2e_int_eri(trexio_file_2, offset_f_read, 10L, &index_read[4*offset_data_read], &value_read[offset_data_read]);
   assert(rc==TREXIO_SUCCESS);
 
   // print the data being read
diff --git a/tools/generator_tools.py b/tools/generator_tools.py
index f11b43c..f8201fb 100644
--- a/tools/generator_tools.py
+++ b/tools/generator_tools.py
@@ -681,8 +681,8 @@ def split_dset_dict_detailed (datasets: dict) -> tuple:
             tmp_dict['group_sparse_dset_format_scanf'] = "%d %d %d %d %lf"
             tmp_dict['group_sparse_dset_format_printf'] = "%10d %10d %10d %10d %24.16e"
             tmp_dict['group_sparse_dset_line_length'] = "69"
-            tmp_dict['group_sparse_dset_indices_printf'] = "index_sparse[4*i], index_sparse[4*i+1], index_sparse[4*i+2], index_sparse[4*i+3]"
-            tmp_dict['group_sparse_dset_indices_scanf']  = "&index_sparse[4*i], &index_sparse[4*i+1], &index_sparse[4*i+2], &index_sparse[4*i+3]"
+            tmp_dict['group_sparse_dset_indices_printf'] = "*(index_sparse + 4*i), *(index_sparse + 4*i+1), *(index_sparse + 4*i+2), *(index_sparse + 4*i+3)"
+            tmp_dict['group_sparse_dset_indices_scanf']  = "index_sparse + 4*i, index_sparse + 4*i+1, index_sparse + 4*i+2, index_sparse + 4*i+3"
 
         # add group name as a key-value pair to the dset dict
         tmp_dict['group'] = v[2]