about private class variables

I need to be able to use a private class variable in several cout statements. I need to do something like this..

Code:

cout <<"Hello " <<Person.displayName() <<"how are you today" <<endl;

but that obviously gives me errors.

Here is the class, the code isn't perfect and I actually typed it out in wordpad. None of it has been compiled so please disreguard all the obvious errors.

Code:

class Persons {
public:
        void setName(string); 
	string getName();
	void displayName();
private:
         string PersonName;
};

void Person::setName(string name){
	PersonName = Name;
}

string Person::getPName() {
	return PersonName;
	}
void Person::displayPName() {
	cout <<getName();
}

Now, I can use it the way I want but I have to do it in a rather messy way.

Code:

cout <<"Hello ";
Person.displayName();
cout <<" how are you today?" <<endl;

Is there a better way to do this so I don't have to break up the cout statments?

Instead of using cout in your class return the String.

Code:

string Person:: displayName()
{
    return PersonName;
}

.....

cout << Person.displayName();

Do you see anything in "your code" that might return the name instead of printing it? Try to use that instead.

Classes are objects and thus do not print anything to the screen.

cool thanks

I removed displayname() and just used getname() and it worked great when I plugged it into my compiler.

(WARNING: Uncompiled code follows)

Make the class print itself:

Code:

class Person {
    string Name;
public:
    friend ostream & operator<<(ostream & os, const Person & p)
    {
        os << p.Name;
        return os;
    }
};

...

Person p;

cout << p << endl;