How do I get a computer to detect its own name and hardware?

Hello all. I'm still learning the basics of C++ and at the moment I'm working on a nice little program that lets the user 'have a conversation' with the computer. The computer asks the user various questions and saves the answers as variables etc.

I was wondering if there is a way to get the computer name? For example, my computer is called KING (named it after my xbox - did you know every xbox has a name?). If the program was running on my computer it should go like this:

(computer) Hi there, what's your name?
(me) Edd.
(computer) Hello Edd, my name's KING.

etc etc, you get the picture. Is it possible to get C++ to read the name of the machine it is running on? It'd be quite a nice program if the computer can tell the user about itself. It's like 2 people getting to know each other, only one is a machine.

At the end of the program it tells the user that if they learned C++ then they could have a much more in-depth conversation, as it doesn't know English too well.

The whole idea is inspired by me learning C++, I was thinking how it is a language, a way to communicate with a computer to get it to do what you want. Writing this program will hopefully inspire more people to start learning C++.

Also, if anyone has any suggestions of things to include that'd be good too. I can get the program to ask the user whatever I want it to, but I don't really know how to get the computer to tell the user about itself. I don't suppose a machine knows how old it is? Or how long ago the OS was installed or something? How to I get it to detect what hardware it has? It'd be nice for the computer to be able to say things like "I have a 256 megabyte graphics card" or stuff.

Also, I leave my PC on 24/7 and reboot it about once a week, does my computer know this? Does it know how long it's been 'awake'?

Basically I'd like to know what sort of things the computer knows about itself and what I could easily get it to say. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

Hi there!

I am reading your post and was facinated by your idea of interactive dialogue with your computer. I have no answers for you at present but will look for some amongst my geek friends. :-)

ttyl

hehe, thanks, glad you like the idea.
ill quite happily host the exe and the source once its done.
its only a simple program but its a nice idea and would hopefully inspire others to code.

edit: hmm... this is starting to look like a much more complicated task that i thought it wouldve been, i cant seem to find anything on it.

Hi.
It is not hard to find it but you just have to get used to MSDN.
You probably would have more result on the windows forum, this is a windows function, anyway:

PHP Code:

---

#include <iostream>
#include <windows.h>

using namespace std;

string Name;

char Computer_Name [ 256 ];

DWORD Size = sizeof ( Computer_Name );

int main()
{

    GetComputerName ( Computer_Name, & Size );

    cout<< "Hi, what is your name?: ";
    cin>> Name;
    cout<< "Hello "<< Name<< ", my name is "<< Computer_Name;
    cin.ignore();
    cin.get();
} 


---

-Yuri

On Windows 95-Vista, you might consider GetComputerName.

:: Edit
Meh...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by eddwills

It's like 2 people getting to know each other, only one is a machine.

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uhh yeah...

Quote:

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edit: hmm... this is starting to look like a much more complicated task that i thought it wouldve been, i cant seem to find anything on it.

---

Yes, it's easy enough to create a program that knows how to respond to a specific user input but there are many ways to ask the same question. Natural language processing is quite complicated if you want to learn some more try googleing "turing test"

thanks guys, i was just coming back to say i found this example...

Code:

---

#include <windows.h>
#include <stdio.h>

int main()
{
  char buffer[MAX_COMPUTERNAME_LENGTH + 1];
 
  DWORD size = MAX_COMPUTERNAME_LENGTH + 1 ;
 
  GetComputerName( buffer, &size );
 
  printf( "Computer name = %s\n", buffer );
  printf( "Characters copied = %d\n", size );
 
  getchar();
}

---

...for GetComputerName.

Cheers for the MSDN link, I'll have to remember to look there again in future. Oh, and yeah I forgot to say I'm running windows xp, sorry about that. Any ideas on what else the computer knows about itself?

edit:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Quantum1024

Yes, it's easy enough to create a program that knows how to respond to a specific user input but there are many ways to ask the same question. Natural language processing is quite complicated if you want to learn some more try googleing "turing test"

---

im fine with the user input and whatnot, its just finding out computer specs that's baffling me. im still a total beginner at this, although i do know a fair bit of basic.

wow, msdn is pretty good! theres loads of stuff!
GetKeyboardType, GetSystemInfo, GetUserName, GetVersion, loads of stuff! Thanks for showing me bud ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by eddwills

Also, I leave my PC on 24/7 and reboot it about once a week, does my computer know this? Does it know how long it's been 'awake'?

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Here's code I've found and used for calculating uptime.

Code:

---

//time.h
class TIME
{
public:
        char szUptime[128];

        DWORD ticks;

        DWORD days;
        DWORD hours;
        DWORD minutes;
        DWORD seconds;
        DWORD millisecs;

        DWORD thours;
        DWORD tminutes;
        DWORD tseconds;
        DWORD tmillisecs;

        DWORD udays;
        DWORD uhours;
        DWORD uminutes;
        DWORD useconds;
        DWORD umillisecs;

        TIME();
        void GetUptime();
};

TIME::TIME()
{
        ZeroMemory(szUptime, 128);

        ticks = 0;

        days = 0;
        hours = 0;
        minutes = 0;
        seconds = 0;
        millisecs = 0;

        thours = 0;
        tminutes = 0;
        tseconds = 0;
        tmillisecs = 0;

        udays = 0;
        uhours = 0;
        uminutes = 0;
        useconds = 0;
        umillisecs = 0;
}

void TIME::GetUptime()
{
        DWORD tTicks = 0;

        ticks = GetTickCount();
        tTicks = ticks;

        udays = tTicks/(1000*60*60*24);
        tTicks -= udays*(1000*60*60*24);

        uhours = tTicks/(1000*60*60);
        thours = uhours + (udays*24);
        tTicks -= uhours*(1000*60*60);

        uminutes = tTicks/(1000*60);
        tminutes = uminutes + (thours*60);
        tTicks -= uminutes*(1000*60);

        useconds = tTicks/(1000);
        tseconds = useconds + (tminutes*60);
        tTicks -= useconds*(1000);

        umillisecs = tTicks;
        tmillisecs = ticks;
}

---

Code:

---

//main.cpp

#include <windows.h>
#include "time.h"

int WinMain(HINSTANCE hInst, HINSTANCE hPInst, LPSTR CmdLine, int nCmdShow)
{
        char uptime[100];
        TIME crUptime;
        crUptime.GetUptime();
        wsprintf(uptime, "%d days %d hours %d minutes %d seconds %d milliseconds",
 crUptime.udays, crUptime.uhours, crUptime.uminutes, crUptime.useconds, crUptime.umillisecs);
        MessageBox(NULL, uptime, "UPTIME", MB_OK);
        return 0;
}

---

GetTickCount() is supposed to give you the milliseconds since system launch, but it wraps around every once in a while. There might be a better function.

neandrake, that works a treat, thanks! Now to figure out how to incorporate it into my existing code :)
It's hard to believe that 2 days ago i had no knowledge of C++ and already im making this, I love it!
Thanks again for everyone's help.

It turns out my PC has been on for 3 days and 4 hours now :D

Oh, and neandrake, before you posted that I hadn't learned how to use one file in another, but it was completely self explanatory, so thanks for that too.

edit: I managed to get the time to work now, the computer now tells the user how long it has been 'awake' in the console.
It really makes things a lot cooler, I can't thank you enough for that, I'll have to credit you or something.

Quote:

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It's hard to believe that 2 days ago i had no knowledge of C++ and already im making this, I love it!

---

You aren't learning C++. Functions like GetKeyboardType, GetSystemInfo, GetUserName, GetVersion are not C++, and you will not find them in an C++ text book.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 7stud

You aren't learning C++. Functions like GetKeyboardType, GetSystemInfo, GetUserName, GetVersion are not C++, and you will not find them in an C++ text book.

---

Well... thanks for that...

I dont really care, at the end of the day im making my own Windows application and having fun. the only functions like those that I used were GetUserName and GetComputerName.

Just because those aren't in a C++ textbook doesn't mean im 'not learning C++'. Thanks to this I have more knowledge of C++ than I did before, so as far as I'm concerned I am learning C++.
I'm quite offended to be honest.

Well, you really shouldn't be concearning yourself with non-standard Windows only code so early on...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SirCrono6

Well, you really shouldn't be concearning yourself with non-standard Windows only code so early on...

---

Yeah, I'll agree to that. I needed it for what I wanted to do though, and it all works, so its not like it's such a bad thing. I'll go back to the tutorials after this. The program's pretty much done and works, I'm just adding in lots of Sleep() to make the computer feel more human, and to make the program feel more friendly. Getting barraged with text isnt fun, and doesn't feel like a conversation. It's taking a while cause I have to keep testing and altering it, and theres a series of if, else if, and else statements with nine outcomes for one question.

I know it's probably a pile of lame compared to the sort of stuff most of you guys can probably make, but I'm happy with it, especially for a first C++ project.

I called it 'Get To Know Your Computer'.

You can download the .exe here and the source here.

As you might have guessed, it's Windows only. Sorry about that guys, Linux may be better, but I need my adobe/macromedia suites/3dmax/computer games/everything else :D

Any ideas on what else the computer knows about itself?

From what I have gathered in my Intel 80x86 Assembly class, the computer doesn't know *anything* about itself. All it knows is 2 states of existence: on or off, 1 or 0, true or false. How we interperit(sp?) the data is the key to making computers useful. The only thing the computer might "know" about itself is how to send electrical currents according to the hardware architecture. Sorry to burst your bubble. :D

What the computer "knows" is a philosophical question. It can be programed to output some information from a database in response to a query but dose it realy know that information? It knows that it is the correct response but dosen't understand the conent.

You could create a relational database with links between different facts to give the computer an "understanding" of the information it contains such that it would apear to understand things but still...

Hehe, I was only talking philosiphically anyways, so my bubble's quite intact thanks :D. The same as how I was getting the computer to 'know' how long it has been 'awake'. The computer doesn't have any sort of knowledge of when it was turned on, but that information can be forced from it be the user... sort of. I'm not as clued up as you guys but I get the picture I think.

Thats a nice little program! Very creative for a beginner. just
some minor advice though with regards to the source:

use cin.getline to read the name, as just using cin will stop
at spaces and messes with your remaining I/P if they are entered.
that cin.ignore wont fix that kind of user mistake.

Avoid using goto. You are a beginner and many people condone
it for beginners, but i've personally always thought that its a bad
idea to get into bad habits at the start as they tend to be harder
to drop than pick up. i've never once used a goto, there is always
a way of avoiding it. since your label and the statement are so
close in the code, it should be no trouble to use a while loop.
although there is nothing wrong with your goto, people tend to
be very aggressive towards it as it makes the code a little more
vague than a while loop with a good condition.

also, you went to the trouble of using the correct return type for
main but you never return 0! Compilers fill this in but you
wouldn't do it in your own functions! :D

lastly, time.h is already a C header file, probably a good idea to
name your header file something slightly different.

all of these are fairly minor issues, i'm just trying to point them out
in case you encounter them from someone else who might be a
bit crueller! Overall, an excellent program for someone so new
to C++, I look forward to your next project

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SirCrono6

Well, you really shouldn't be concearning yourself with non-standard Windows only code so early on...

---

I think this is true as well, however he is learning. All of his jumping in is also getting him familiar with files, programming environment, how functions work, (even an intro to Windows enviornment), etc; things which sometimes are overlooked, while books and classes jump right in to code (usually), and he can always get to that later.

I originally started programming(VB) because a friend and I needed a custom program to periodically call (harass) my friend's dad; go figure.

Besides, the best way to learn is experience, and this definately counts.

Thanks for the advice, I'm only at home briefly at the moment but I'll amend the code later. I don't like using goto either but there was only the one result that needed a loop so I figured there would've been less code doing it that way that having a while loop.

I downloaded the source for Quake 1 and 2, and whoah! It's pretty confusig stuff, I'm looking forward to being able to write that kinda stuff, but it's still early days.

Also, where did i return 0 for main? I returned 0 for uptime(), but I didn't for main as far as I can see.

See you in a bit when I amend stuff.

no what i meant was you were supposed to return 0, that u
didn't do it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Richie T

no what i meant was you were supposed to return 0, that u
didn't do it.

---

According to the very first C++ tutorial on this site:

Quote:

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Upon reaching the end of main, the closing brace, our program will return the value of 0 (and integer, hence why we told main to return an int) to the operating system. This return value is important as it can be used to tell the OS whether our program succeeded or not. A return value of 0 means success and is returned automatically (but only for main, other functions require you to manually return a value), but if we wanted to return something else, such as 1, we would have to do it with a return statement

---

Here's the link too, it's the paragraph just above the 2nd example: link .

your missing my point, i already said that the compiler will return
0 automatically if you forget to put it in. Then why mention it?
i study programming as a module for a college course, and it
is a common requirement for assignments that code should
compile without errors or warnings. leaving out return 0
will result in a compiler warning. its a small nitpick to some,
but put yourself in the position of a career programmer,
the same directive applies in most, if not all jobs they undertake
for a company. the reason for this requirement is that not all
compiler warnings are this trivial, and people decide to run their
code with warnings and it results in a run time error, and they end
up having to fix the warning at some point. i leave it to you to
decide if this is meaningful or not, but i think it is...

Fair enough man, I'll remember that one. Sorry if you got a tad wound up :)
My compiler (Dev-C++) doesn't give me any warnings for not having it, but I guess you know your stuff and it can't hurt to have it. I'll get to amending everything now. Chers for the other stuff you pointed out too.

I've amended everything now, renamed "time.h" to "uptime.h", used cin.getline(name,30) for the name (whilst increasing the value from 20 to 30), got main to return 0, and i got around using a goto aswell, by using a do...while loop like this:

Code:

---

    do {
        cout<<"How old are you, "<<name<<"?\n\n";
        cin>>age;
        cin.ignore();
        Sleep(600);
        if (age<0) {
                  cout<<"\nIt doesn't take a computer to know that's not possible.\n";
                  Sleep(1000);
                  cout<<"Stop being so silly.\n";
                  Sleep(1000);
        }
    } while (age<0);

---

It's uploaded under the same names, replacing the old ones. Oh, and I also added you to the credits Richie T if you don't mind. Now to have a look at some more tutorials for a few days before I mess about with another program. Bye for now!

I love the enthusiasm put into this program.

The Possibilities are Endless!

Nice job on it however.

yeah, I like the program too, there is one thing I'd advise though eddwills, rename the title of the console like so:

Code:

---

SetConsoleTitle( "Name of console window thing" );

---

I think you need to #include <windows.h> to do it.

How long are you programming?

ahh thanks for that one, that'll come in useful. I'll amend that quickly now. I've only been learning C++ for a few days, but I did learn BASIC quite a few years back now. Some of it has come in handy, but only a bit. Oh, and I've always been a whizz at maths so that helps too.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by eddwills

I've only been learning C++ for a few days....

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well done then edd!!!! that's rather impressive even if you do have prior programming experience!

hehe, thanks a lot :flattered:

I really couldn't have gotten it anywhere near as good without all of the help from you guys though.

i didn't mean to seem narky, i was just trying to get a point
across, someone as enthusiastic as yourself has great potential,
so i was just trying to steer you well clear of possible problems
with warnings in the future.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Xterria
I love the enthusiasm put into this program.

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i think we can all echo that! well done, oh and thanks for the
credit as well!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Richie T

leaving out return 0 will result in a compiler warning.

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Bad compiler, then. The automatic return is part of the C++ standard and must not result in any diagnostic messages on a conforming compiler.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by eddwills

I know it's probably a pile of lame compared to the sort of stuff most of you guys can probably make, but I'm happy with it, especially for a first C++ project.

I called it 'Get To Know Your Computer'.

You can download the .exe here and the source here.

As you might have guessed, it's Windows only. Sorry about that guys, Linux may be better, but I need my adobe/macromedia suites/3dmax/computer games/everything else :D

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Very neat little program! Pretty nice concept I must say! Though I am sad that my computer's name is DESKTOP-1. Sort of depressing eh?