Need help understanding what my assignment is wanting me to do

I have a c++ assignment that I need to start working on. I'm not asking for anyone to do it for me or anything. Rather, asking if someone could please explain what the assignment is asking and maybe a tip or two on how to accomplish it. Here is what the assignment says:

"Write a c++ function named getareal() that uses exception handling to continiuosly accept an input string until a string that can be converted to a real number is entered. The function should return a double value corresponding to the string value entered by the user."

I don't need help on how to write the function or anything, or on how to do the exception handling, I just don't know what it means by having the user countinousely enter a string until the string can be converted to a real number? And maybe a tip or 2 on how I'd go about that. Thanks!

I guess it means that you ask the user to enter a number and check if it really is a number, so say that:

Quote:

---

Please enter a number:
abdaba I'm not a number
Please enter a VALID number:

3a

Please enter a VALID number:
3.13
Okay.

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But I could be misinterpreting... Though I don't get the name of the function... Note that it must accept a double!

I got the program to accept integers, now I just need it to accept only one decimal and one slash. I need help making it accept a decimal or a slash

Code:

---

#include <iostream>
#include <string>
#include <cctype>

using namespace std;

int main()
{
   
    bool getAreal(string);
    string value;
    float number;
   
    cout << "Enter a real number\n";
    getline(cin, value);
   
    if(!getAreal(value))
    cout << "The number you entered is not valid\n";
    else
    {
        number = atoi(value.c_str());
        cout << "The number you entered is " << value << endl;
        }
       
        system("pause");
       
        return 0;
        }
       
        bool getAreal(string str)
        {
            int start = 0;
            int i;
            bool valid = true;
            bool sign = false;
           
            if (str.length() == 0) valid = false;
           
            if(str.at(0) == '-' || str.at(0) == '+')
            {
                          sign = true;
                          start = 1;
                          }
                         
              if (str.at(1) == '.') valid == true;
                         
            if (sign && str.length() == 1) valid = false;
           
            i = start;
            while(valid && i < str.length())
            {
                        if(!isdigit(str.at(i))) valid = false;
                        i++;
                        }
           
           
                       
                        return valid;
                        }

---

atoi should never be used for input validation – Especially not in a C++ program. The proper way to do it in C would be to use strtol, strtod etc. I'm not sure how good the formatted input operator is in C++ (if it detects numeric overflows etc like strtol), but a C++ alternative to atoi would be to simply use the >> operator from a stringstream object.

You need to indent your code properly. This is not acceptable for any code.
After that, e can continue discussing the assignment.

Quote:

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You need to indent your code properly. This is not acceptable for any code.

---

I completely agree with that. Correct indention will help you find your own mistakes ALOT easier, and in turn it will help anyone else you ask for help to see your mistakes ALOT easier.

Also some logic notes

Code:

---

if (str.at(1) == '.') valid == true;

---

why would that be needed if.

Code:

---

bool valid = true;

---

Wouldn't it be safe to assume that if something was already true then you only need arguments that prove it false? Anything that proves something true that is already true could be considered a waste of time.. or a waste of arguments. Also did you really mean to state valid == true?
= assigns value
== compares two values
Furthermore

Code:

---

if (str.length() == 0) valid = false;

---

doesn't stop you from accessing other data points of the string such as position 1 which you check for in the code above. If you proved that the string has no length why would you continue to check positions within that length when you already proved the length doesn't exist? I'm not positive, but I think you are allowing for undefined behavior here. Aka... you already proved that length = 0 then you try to access point 1 which has no value because there is no length, so there is no garauntee that anything will work right.

I have made a new program. Now the problem is that it always tells me the number is invalid no matter what. Can you please try and help me find the error? Thanks!

Code:

---

#include <iostream>
#include <string>
using namespace std;

int main()

{
        double getAreal();
        double value;

        cout << "Enter a real number\n";

        value = getAreal();

        cout << "The real number just entered is " << value << endl;

        system ("pause");

        return 0;
}

                double getAreal()
        {
                bool isvalidreal(string);
                bool notAreal = true;
                string svalue;

                while(notAreal)
                {
                        try
                        {
                                cin >> svalue;
                                if(!isvalidreal(svalue)) throw svalue;
                        }
                        catch (string e)
                        {
                                cout << "invalid real number, please re enter\n";
                                continue;
                        }

                        notAreal = false;
                }

                return atof (svalue.c_str());
        }

                bool isvalidreal(string str)
                {
                        int start = 0;
                        int i = 0;
                        bool valid = true;
                        char period = '.';
                        char slash = '/';
                       
                        if (str.length() == 0) valid = false;

                        if(period > 1) valid = false;

                        if(slash > 1) valid = false;

                        while(valid && i < str.length())
                        {
                                if(isalpha(str.at(i))) valid = false;
                                i++;
                        }

                        return valid;
                }

---

in isvalidreal(), you have the line:

Code:

---

char period = '.';

---

then, before you change it's value, you have:

Code:

---

if(period > 1) valid = false;

---

So, as '.' has the value 46 (ASCII value of '.'), valid is set to false here.

I only looked at the 10 last lines. Don't you think that it will return false if you never effectively look for '/' or '.' in the string? You're basically comparing the ASCII values of those two chars to an integer...

If you wanted to search for a . or / in the string, and reject it if one is found, then I'd use something like:

Code:

---

if (strchr(str, period) != NULL) valid = false;

---

But, that's for C - not sure what the equivalent qould be in C++

Here's my most recent code, it works almost right. I Don't know the proper way to search for more than 1 period and slash. Also, when I enter a fraction, it prints only the numerator when i return the value. I'm still searching on how to go about searching for more than one period or slash but I'm not finding much. Thanks

Code:

---

#include <iostream>
#include <string>
using namespace std;

int main()

{
        double getAreal();
        double value;

        cout << "Enter a real number\n";

        value = getAreal();

        cout << "The real number just entered is " << value << endl;

        system ("pause");

        return 0;
}

                double getAreal()
        {
                bool isvalidreal(string);
                bool notAreal = true;
                string svalue;

                while(notAreal)
                {
                        try
                        {
                                cin >> svalue;
                                if(!isvalidreal(svalue)) throw svalue;
                        }
                        catch (string e)
                        {
                                cout << "invalid real number, please re enter\n";
                                continue;
                        }

                        notAreal = false;
                }

                return atof (svalue.c_str());
        }

                bool isvalidreal(string str)
                {
                        int start = 0;
                        int i = 0;
                        bool valid = true;
                        char period = '.';
                        char slash = '/';
                       
                        if (str.length() == 0) valid = false;

                       

                       

                        while(valid && i < str.length())
                        {
                                if(isalpha(str.at(i))) valid = false;
                                if(str.at(i)== period) valid = true;

                                if(str.at(i)== slash) valid = true;

                                i++;
                        }

                        return valid;
                }

---

No one else has any input?