noob calling value in func help

[Sinamp]

Hi, I am a complete noob at programming and thought I would combine 2 lessons that I have learnt.
1. assigning a number/value to a letter.
2. function returning a value.

I am trying to call the function testing which holds 'y' declared as the number '2', but all that comes up on the 2nd line is the number '35'.
I am using bloodshed dev-c++.

Thanks for any info you can give me.... usually I find the problem after a while.

#include <iostream.h>
using namespace std;

void testing();

int main()
{
    int x;
    x = 1023;
    
    cout << "this program prints the value of x: ";
    cout << x;
    cout << "\n";
    
    testing();
    cout << "This line will print the value of y:";
    cout << y;
    cout << "\n";
    
    system("PAUSE");
    
    return 0;
}

int testing()
    {
    int y;
    y = 2;       
}

Edit: I would really like to call the value from the other func... not the main() if possible.

[syneii]

You declared 'y' within the scope of a function, when the function scope ends the variable is destroyed. You'll want to declare 'y' in the global scope and remove the declaration within the function testing() to make it work that way. Preferably you should pass it by reference or as a pointer to the function testing(int &y) and then assign a value to it within the function.

Learn about variable scope here; http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial/variables/
(Scroll down to the heading 'Scope of variables' and read.)

Learn about pointers and references here; http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial/pointers/

... read the information at those links. >:]

[Sinamp]

oh cool, thanks heaps dude!
I'll check it out.

[Sinamp]

Thanks for the 'Variables' website, I was able to declare 'y = 2' globally and call a modification of the variable from another function, from what I read.

For any other noobs who might be interested, this it how it worked.

#include <iostream.h>
using namespace std;


int y = 2;

void myfunc();

int main()
{
    int x;
    x = 1023;
    
    
    cout << "this program prints the value of x: ";
    cout << x;
    cout << "\n";
    
    
    cout << "This line will print the value of y: ";
    cout << y;
    cout << "\n";
    
    myfunc();
    cout << "\n";
    
    system("PAUSE");
    
    return 0;
}


void myfunc()
{
     cout << "This line will print out the value of line y+1: ";
     cout << y + 1;
     }

this program prints the value of x: 1023
This line will print the value of y: 2
This line will print out the value of line y+1: 3
Press any key to continue...

Thanks again dude.

[laserlight]

Sinamp, avoid the use of global variables. For example, your program could be written as:

#include <iostream>

using namespace std;

int myfunc(int y);

int main()
{
    int y = 2;
    int x = 1023;

    cout << "this program prints the value of x: " << x << "\n";
    cout << "This line will print the value of y: " << y << "\n";
    cout << "This line will print out the value of line y+1: " << myfunc(y) << "\n";

    system("PAUSE");

    return 0;
}

int myfunc(int y)
{
    return y + 1;
}

[Sinamp]

Ah, I see what you mean.
Using global variables in programming like that could run me into a lot of problems later on.
Looks like the 'main()' function is supposed to carry the important details like the variables (eg. core code), and the other function's only jobs are to set derivations from the core code.... from what I can gather.
Thanks Laserlight

P.S. I am up to local, formal and global parameters in the book I'm using.