Thread: cin.getline not pausing function so user can enter input???

when i ask user to input name number 1 it pauses like it is supposed to and allows the user to input their name. when it asks the user to input name #2 it skips right into the loop and displays "enter test score 1" before the user has a chance to enter their name. why isnt cin.getline pausing the program like its supposed to and like it did with name 1?

Code:

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main()
{
	char names[5][50];
	char grades[5];
	double set1[4];
	double set2[4];
	double set3[4];
	double set4[4];
	double set5[4];
	double total1 = 0;
	double total2 = 0;
	double total3 = 0;
	double total4 = 0;
	double total5 = 0;


		cout << "Enter student #1 name: ";
		cin.getline(names[0], 50);

		for (int j = 0; j < 4; j++)
		{
			cout << "Enter test score #" << j+1 << ": ";
			cin >> set1[j];
			total1 += set1[j];
		}

		cout << "Enter student #2 name: ";
		cin.getline(names[1], 50);

		for (int j = 0; j < 4; j++)
		{
			cout << "Enter test score #" << j+1 << ": ";
			cin >> set2[j];
			total2 += set2[j];
		}

		cout << "Enter student #3 name: ";
		cin.getline(names[2], 50);

		for (int j = 0; j < 4; j++)
		{
			cout << "Enter test score #" << j+1 << ": ";
			cin >> set3[j];
			total3 += set3[j];
		}

		cout << "Enter student #4 name: ";
		cin.getline(names[3], 50);

		for (int j = 0; j < 4; j++)
		{
			cout << "Enter test score #" << j+1 << ": ";
			cin >> set4[j];
			total4 += set4[j];
		}

		cout << "Enter student #5 name: ";
		cin.getline(names[4], 50);

		for (int j = 0; j < 4; j++)
		{
			cout << "Enter test score #" << j+1 << ": ";
			cin >> set5[j];
			total5 += set5[j];
		}


	return 0;
}

See Hirosh's thread, just a few lines down, for enlightenment.

There is a common issue when mixing cin >> with getline. When you request input with cin >>, it reads until it fills the variable and stops. The user types in a test score and hits <enter>. After the last test score is read, the newline character from the <enter> is still in the input stream. The next call to getline reads until it finds a newline, but the newline from the previous call to cin >> is still there so it stops immediately.

The simple solution is to add cin.ignore() after all calls to cin >> to ignore the trailing newline. Do not put cin.ignore() after a call to getline because getline automatically ignores that newline.

ahhh thanks so much guys. never new newline stays in input stream after cin>>. nice to know.