Thread: Primary Expression Error Makes me Doubt my Grasp of Functions

So I've been working through the C++ tutorial on this site by trying to slowly add the concepts I'm learning into a text adventure. I had previously made a series of if statements that allowed the player to check their stats and environment, and rather than copy it out into the main function again and again, I thought it would be neat to turn it into a function so I could just call it up whenever the player had the option to look at their stats. What I brewed up for my function was this (I plan to add more options for the variable in the if statement as I go on so the result changes as the variables change through player actions):

Code:

//
//
void breathedeep (int weapon, int room, int healthstat, int spiritstat, int strengthstat, int dexteritystat)
{
            cout << "You take a deep breath, close your eyes and look inward. You have a brief moment of deep awareness. \n Health: "<< healthstat << "\n Spirit:" << spiritstat << "\n Strength: " << strengthstat << "\n Dexterity: " << dexteritystat << "\n";
            if (weapon == 0)
            {
                cout << "You're completely unshod, and unarmed.";
            }
            if (room == 1)
            {
                cout << "You are in some sort of clinic. It is tidy and neat, but doesn't appear to have much in the way of medical supplies. Everything is worn down, but obvious efforts have been made to maintain what little is there. A mare in an orange vest resides here, looking watchful.";

            }
        }
//
//

I inserted it into main when the option to look at your inventory came up like so:

Code:

//
//
if (tutorialchoiceone == 1)
    {
        cout << int breathedee (weapon, room, healthstat, spiritstat, strengthstat, dexteritystat) << "\n"; // I get two error messages on this line, one that says that the program expected a primary-expression before 'int' and another that says that it expected a ; before 'int'.
    } 
//
//

It seems to fit with what the tutorial on this site described, and I have tried several modifications to the line, but nothing seems to let my program compile. I also tried googling what a primary-expression was in C++ terminology, but I couldn't seem to find a straight answer to that either.

Would any of you more experienced and (I can only presume) mind bogglingly intelligent programmers be able to help a poor newbie out?

Edit: I noticed the missing "p" at the end of my variable in the function call, but I still got the same issue.

programmer does not mean intelligent really haha, means ' good at programming!'

You dont need to write your return type when you call the function, so leave off int;

Code:

//
cout <<  breatheDeep(..) << "\n"; 
//

Hmm... I got rid of the return type like this:

Code:

//
//
if (tutorialchoiceone == 1)
    {
        cout << breathedeep (weapon, room, healthstat, spiritstat, strengthstat, dexteritystat) << "\n"; // I get two error messages on this line, one that says that the program expected a primary-expression before 'int' and another that says that it expected a ; before 'int'.
    } 
//
//

But then I just got a different error message that read: C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Desktop\program\First Prince Text Adventure\main.cpp|100|error: no match for 'operator<<' in 'std::cout << breathedeep(weapon, room, healthstat, spiritstat, strengthstat, dexteritystat)'|

Then I thought the (...) you typed might have been more significant, so I tried it again with:

Code:

 
//
//
if (tutorialchoiceone == 1)
    {
        cout << breathedeep (...) << "\n"; // I get two error messages on this line, one that says that the program expected a primary-expression before 'int' and another that says that it expected a ; before 'int'.
    } 
//
//

But then I just get an error that says: C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Desktop\program\First Prince Text Adventure\main.cpp|100|error: expected primary-expression before '...' token|

I'm very confused.

no its not more significant sorry.. it just means 'put your stuff here' you will get used to that type of shorthand, it is not always neccesary to write out every detail for explanation, though i hear you.
Your code bits are hard to read, they come out really narrow, throw some comment symbols at the top and bottom or something to exapnd the block a bit.

You should try this as an example, not sure i would put the function call into the output statement myself though, not for my own functions anyway, its just a preference thing, I would rather spend another line of code perhaps and say ' x = ReturnValue(...); and then put x directly into the cout statement. : you can see from your own code how unwieldly it could become, imagine you wanted to output the breathedeep return value several times in a sentence? plus the other text and values , blah..

Code:

int FooTest(int n)
{
    return n * 10;
}
int main()
{
    int x = 5;
    cout << FooTest(x) << "\n";

    return 0;
}

Why are you trying to chain a call to a void function through the cout stream?

When making a function call, you specify the function's name. You do not add its return type.
The second problem you are facing is that your function is returning void (ie nothing). It is very hard to print out "nothing", so the compiler complains. Perhaps you were simply trying to call the function? In such case, you should get rid of the whole cout << bit to the left and right of the function call.

Perhaps you were simply trying to call the function? In such case, you should get rid of the whole cout << bit to the left and right of the function call.

thats a good observation - were you looking to call it or output a return value? Plus like i say was a bit fiddly reading for me, so never saw your function declared void! take note of your other messages above, and good luck.