function and input problems

I am using a g++ compiler. The program will read from keyboard input or a given file. It will read in numbers and put them in the array for sorting later.

Here is part of my int main (argc, argv[])

int useFile = 0; // the state of using a given file
double array[numEle};
iftream in;
...

if (usefile)
read_file (in, array, numEle, act_read);
else
read_keyboard (array, numEle, act_read);

-------------------------------------
function prototype

void read_file (ifstream& infile, double hold[], numEle, num_read)
{
for (int i=0; i <numEle, i++)
{infile >> hold[i];
num_read++
}

void read_keyboard (double hold[], numEle, num_read)
{ ...cin >>...
}

--------------------------------------
Questions:
Do I need 2 functions? one for reading files, one for reading keyboard input? I am struggling between ifstream and istream...

Can two different functions in the same file share the same variable name?

If I define numEle in main.h as a constant (to regulate the maximam numbers of array items), can I use it in other source files? Is this a Global varialbe? If Global variable is not allowed, how can I pass the array to do input and output in other source files?

Thank you for your time and helping me through these questions!

Quote:

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Do I need 2 functions? one for reading files, one for reading keyboard input? I am struggling between ifstream and istream...

---

No, you could do something like this

istream* in;

if(usefile)
in=new ifstream("filename");
else
in=&cin;

and then you could use 'in' for either file or keyboard input. When the read was finished you'd have to check what in pointed to and if it's the ifstream then delete it.

Quote:

---

If I define numEle in main.h as a constant (to regulate the maximam numbers of array items), can I use it in other source files? Is this a Global varialbe? If Global variable is not allowed, how can I pass the array to do input and output in other source files?

---

I think consts default to static in c++, so you'd have to explicitly declare it as extern in both files it's used in.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention that if you want to use this method for establishing the input type you'll have to de-reference 'in' before using it -

*in >>yourVar;

in->getline();

etc.

Thank you for your help. I have not used pointer in my programs, and I will learn it soon. I still came out with two functions to do the input. So far, it seems to be working at the point.

Since I gave the size of the array, say 5, if I entered three numbers, the other two spots will be given as "0". Is there anyway I can ask the compiler to just proceed what it got?
Do I need something like dynamic allocation (which is another new topic)? or I missed some very basic concepts of array processing?

Have users tell how many items they have may be an idea, but how about in the case that no prompt is given?

Thank you.

If your reading from a file you can test for the end of the file and ilmit the input this way with something like

int i=0;
while(in>>hold[i++]&& i<numEle)
num_read++ ;

but with keyboard input you can test like this but you could take a specific value entered by the user to mean end of input.