stringstream help

i'm struggling with understanding how to use stringstream objects

i'm working on creating a program to calculate gross and net pay and i'm supposed to calculate both the pays in a function and return it in a stringstream to the main where it is displayed

Code:

#include <iostream>
#include <string>
#include <iomanip>
#include <sstream>


using namespace std;


string AskForName();
double AskForRate(string name);
double AskForHours(string name);
stringstream CalculatePay(double rate, double hours);

int main()
{
	cout.setf(ios::fixed);
	cout.precision(2);

	float rate, hours;
	string name;
	stringstream pay;


	name = AskForName();
	rate = AskForRate(name);
	hours = AskForHours(name);
	pay = CalculatePay(rate, hours);

	cout << pay;

	system("pause");
	return 0;
}


string AskForName()
{
	string name;

	cout << "\nWhat is your name, good person? \n";
	getline (cin, name);

	return name;
}

double AskForRate(string name)
{
	double rate;

	cout << "\nWhat is your hourly rate " << name << "? \n";
	cin >> rate;

	return rate;
}

double AskForHours(string name)
{
	double hours;

	cout << "\nHow many hours a week do you work " << name << "? \n";
	cin >> hours;

	return hours;
}

stringstream CalculatePay(double rate, double hours)
{
	double gpay, npay;
	stringstream pay (stringstream::in | stringstream::out);

	

	if (hours <= 40)
	{
		gpay = rate*hours;
	}
	
	else if(hours > 40)
	{
		gpay = ((hours - 40.0)*rate*1.5) + (rate*40.0);
	}

	if (gpay < 250)
	{
		npay = gpay;
	}
	
	else if( 250 <= gpay <= 500)
	{
		npay = gpay*.90;
	}

	else if(gpay > 500)
	{
		npay = gpay*.80;
	}

	?????
	


	return pay;
}

i'm not sure how to set up the CalculatePay function to return the stringstream

any help to either that subject or the program in general would be appreciated

Well pay is a stringstream, which is a stream, so you can do:

Code:

pay << npay;

However, you can't return a stringstream by value because that requires copying, and stringstreams can't be copied. You'd have to do something like this instead:

Code:

std::auto_ptr<stringstream> CalculatePay(double rate, double hours);

or if you can use boost, this may be better as auto_ptr is deprecated:

Code:

boost::shared_ptr<stringstream> CalculatePay(double rate, double hours);

Originally Posted by Airick92

i'm working on creating a program to calculate gross and net pay and i'm supposed to calculate both the pays in a function and return it in a stringstream to the main where it is displayed

I think you misunderstood. You probably are supposed to output to a stringstream, or more likely a std::ostream. For example:

Code:

void CalculatePay(std::ostream& out, double rate, double hours)
{
    double gpay, npay;

    // Your calculations
    // ...

    out << gpay << ' ' << npay;
}

Now in the main function you would call:

Code:

CalculatePay(cout, rate, hours);

Mozza314 makes a good point in that you cannot pass/return such a stream by value, but the typical solution is to use references, not (smart) pointers.

here is the description of the problem

Your program should use these functions:
AskFor Name asks the user for his full name.
AskForRate asks the user for his hourly rate in dollars
AskForHours asks the user for the total number of hours he worked this week.
CalculatePay is passed the name, rate, and hours value. It calculates the gross
pay and net pay, and, using a stringstream object, returns a formatted string to main()
where it is displayed to the screen. Show the hours worked and rate too.
All functions are called and the resultant pay data is displayed from main().

Oh, then in fact you are supposed to return a string. The stringstream would be a local variable whose purpose is to help you format the string to return.

By the way, name those variables gross_pay and net_pay, not gpay and npay.

Originally Posted by laserlight

Oh, then in fact you are supposed to return a string. The stringstream would be a local variable whose purpose is to help you format the string to return.

By the way, name those variables gross_pay and net_pay, not gpay and npay.

Or grossPay, netPay :-)

Originally Posted by Mozza314

Or grossPay, netPay :-)

Or GrossPay, NetPay.