For Loops (Making Stars)

I'm working on this program for school and I need the output to look like this

*
**
***
****
*****

This is the code I have so far. I can't seem to make it work and honestly I can't understand the logic of the for statement for this. Could someone please walk me through the for statement?

Code:

---

//************************
//Doug Miller
//Lab 6_1
//Shape Program
//**********************

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;


int main ()
{
        int row_Col = 0;
        int i = 0;
        int m = 0;
        int n = 0;
        bool start = 0;
        char answer;

        const char star = '*';

        cout << "Drawing hallow boxes program " << endl;
        cout << "\n\n";
       
        cout << "Do you want to start (y/n): " << endl;
        cin >> answer;
        cout << "\n\n";

       
        if (answer == 'y' || answer == 'Y')
        {
                start = true;
        }
        else if (answer == 'n' || answer == 'N')
        {       
                start = false;
        }
        else
        {
                cout << "You entered an invalid character" <<endl;
        }

        while (start == true)       
        {       

                cout << "How many rows/columns would you like to work with? " << endl;
                cin >> row_Col;
                cout << "\n\n";

                while (row_Col < 5 || row_Col > 21)
                {
                        cout << "Out of range!  Reenter: " << endl;
                        cout << "\n\n";
                        cin >> row_Col;
                }

                for (i = 1; i <= row_Col; i++)
                {
                        for(m = 0; m < row_Col; m=m++)
                        {
                                cout << star;
                        }

                }
                       

                cout << "Do you want to start (y/n): " << endl;
                cin >> answer;
                cout << "\n\n";
               
                if (answer == 'n' || answer == 'N')
                {
                        start = false;
                }
        }



        return 0;
        std::cin.get();

}// End of program!

---

The first for statement seems right, that's looping through all the rows, right? The second, for(m = 0; m < row_Col; m=m++), why do you always go from 0 to row_Col? Do you want to create a square? Every row will get equally many stars. And another thing, you got to output line breaks somewhere, else evething will be written on a single line. If you haven't noticed already.

-Kristofer

Just a suggestion - create a string and appent a '*' to it every iteration of the for loop -

Code:

---

#include <string>

/* etc */

int main( void ) {
  std::string stars; // Or you could use a char* and strcat if you can't use this type

  for ( int i=0; i<4; i++ ) {
    stars += "*";
    std::cout<< stars << "\n";
  }

  return 0;
}

---

Anyways. Consider the loop above there. What that does is it creates an integer variable called i. i is assigned the value 0 at the start and the for loop will execute while the value of i is less than four (i<4), and every time what's between the { ... }'s executes the value of i is incremented (one is added to it). You can think of it like:

for ( VALUE; CONDITION; OPERATOR )

where operator can increment, decrement or really do anything you want.

I understand how the for statement works I guess I'm just having problems because the nesting is confusing me. I can't use your solution because it has to be solved with a nested for loop. I don't think I can use that string thing. That seems too easy lol.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GCNDoug

I understand how the for statement works I guess I'm just having problems because the nesting is confusing me. I can't use your solution because it has to be solved with a nested for loop. I don't think I can use that string thing. That seems too easy lol.

---

The outer for loop runs, for each loop it does everything that is inside the loop – which is (among other when your program looks correct) running the inner for loop. And the inner for loop will loop and run until it has finished writing the current row. When it has, the the outer for loop will make a loop and the inner for loop is run again. The inner for loop writes the current row – that's why you got to make a line break after each time the inner for loop is run.

> for(m = 0; m < row_Col; m=m++)
Just m++ (like you do i++ in the other loop).
The m= will mess you up at some point.