How to add/subtract from array element...

*/

// Includes

#include<iostream.h> // for << and >>
#include<iomanip.h> // for setw and setf
#include<fstream.h> // for file I/O
#include"apstring.h" // for apstring identifiers
// Function Prototypes



//~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
//~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Main Program ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
//~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



int main ()
{

cout.setf(ios::fixed, ios::floatfield); // Set up floating point
cout.setf(ios::showpoint); // output format

// Declaration and initialization of variables

apstring prices[5]; // array of grades
apstring items[5]; // array of grades
apstring quantities[5]; // array of grades
ifstream old; // Holds the figures

// Open the files

old.open("A:old.txt");

// Get data // Main Function statements

for (int i = 0; i <= 4; i++)
{
old >> items[i];
old >> prices[i];
old >> quantities[i];
}

cout << " item" << " price" << " quantity" << endl;

for (i = 0; i <= 4; i++)
{
cout << i << " " << setw(6) << items[i] << " " << prices[i] << " " << quantities[i] << ' ' << endl;
}
cout << endl;

cout << "Please enter a position value for the price array: ";
cin >> i;
cout << prices[i] << endl;

cout << "Please enter a position value for the quantity array: ";
cin >> i;
cout << quantities[i];

return 0;

}// end main

HERE'S THE PROB.

cout << "Please enter a position value for the quantity array: ";
cin >> i;
cout << quantities[i];

how do i subtract one from the value of quantites[i]?

say quantities[i] = 20
how do i make it equal 19??

quantities[i] -= 1; // subtract 1 from the value held at this position in the array.

i tried that before i asked this question but it didn't work...
hmmmm.....i'll try it again at school (in an hour)

cout << "Please enter a position value for the quantity array: ";
cin >> i;
cout <<(quantities[i] -1);
return 0;

}// end main

not working

"illegal structure operation in function main"

quantities is declared as an array of apstrings, not an array of ints. I suspect the - operator is not overloaded for apstrings, hence the error message. If the apstrings are holding a string like 20, then I suspect you will need to convert the string value to an int value and do the subtraction. The apstring class may or may not have such a conversion function built in. I don't use apstrings so I don't know. Other string classes I am familiar do have such a function, so I suspect apstring will too. If it doesn't I would convert the apstring to a c-style string and then pass it to atoi(), which should work too.

You haven't really been clear about whether you want the position of the array element or the value contained within the array.

Your attempt at implementing my suggestion was missing the most important element: =-

Quote:

---

you wrote:
cin >> i;
cout <<(quantities[i] -1);

---

it should be cout << quantities[i] -=1;

Make sure the array has been created first and also been filled with values. The tip I gave was for the value inside the array.

It seems you want the position index of the array - make sure you've declared
int i;
int quantities[20];
NOW you can fill a certain array element with a value

cin >> i;
cout << quantities[i]; //retreive the value at this array position

If using cout >> quantities[i] - 1 bothers you, first set quantities[i] to quantities[i] - 1, then cout quantities[i].

yeah had to make the quantities array an int....thanx