Thread: help please!!

i am doing a roman numeral program and i easily got it to convert from regular #s to roman numerals but im having a problem w/ making roman numerals to regular numbers could some one help me please
<code>
#include "stdafx.h"
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int rtoa( char value[]){
static char number[40];
unsigned int newnum=value;
//string[0]=(char)0;
// int newnum; const int M=1000;
// static char number[]=value;
for(int i=0;i<3000;i++){
while(number == "M"){
newnum+=1000;
}
if(number=="CM"){
newnum+=900;
}
if(number == "D"){
newnum+=500;
}
if(number == "CD"){
newnum+=400;
}
while(number == "C"){
newnum+=100;
}
if(number == "XC"){
newnum+=90;
}
if(number == "L"){
newnum+=50;
}
if(number == "XL"){
newnum+=40;
}
while(number == "X"){
newnum+=10;
}
if(number == "IX"){
newnum=+9;
}
if(number == "V"){
newnum+=5;
}
if(number == "IV"){
newnum+=4;
}
while(number=="I"){
newnum+=1;
}}
cout<<newnum;
return newnum;}
char * ator(const unsigned int value){
static char string[40];
unsigned int number=value;
string[0]=(char)0;
while(number >= 1000){
strcat(string,"M");
number-=1000;
}
if(number >= 900){
strcat(string,"CM");
number-=900;
}
if(number >= 500){
strcat(string,"D");
number-=500;
}
if(number >= 400){
strcat(string,"CD");
number-=400;
}
while(number >= 100){
strcat(string,"C");
number-=100;
}
if(number >= 90){
strcat(string,"XC");
number-=90;
}
if(number >= 50){
strcat(string,"L");
number-=50;
}
if(number >= 40){
strcat(string,"XL");
number-=40;
}
while(number >= 10){
strcat(string,"X");
number-=10;
}
if(number >= 9){
strcat(string,"IX");
number-=9;
}
if(number >= 5){
strcat(string,"V");
number-=5;
}
if(number >= 4){
strcat(string,"IV");
number-=4;
}
while(number>0){
strcat(string,"I");
number-=1;
}
cout<<string<<endl;
return string;
}



void main(){
unsigned int val; int pick=0;
char valu[40];
while (pick==1||2){
cout<<"Would you like to either: "<<endl;
cout<<" (1) Convert Regular Numbers to Roman Numerals\n";
cout<<" (2) Convert Roman Numerals to Regular Numbers\n";
cout<<" (3) Exit\n";
cin>>pick;
if (pick==1){
cout<<"Enter a regular number: ";
cin>>val;
ator(val);

}
else if(pick==2){
cout<<"Enter a roman numeral: ";
cin>>valu;
rtoa(valu);
}
else{
exit(0);}}


} </code>

The quality of message topics has really gone downhill recently

Some points to ponder
<code>
Code tags use [], not <>

> for(int i=0;i<3000;i++){
What are you trying to do here?
I would have thought that a single pass of the roman numeral string would be enough

> while(number == "M"){
1. number isn't initialised
2. number isn't changed by this loop, so if it gets into the loop, it will never get out
3. use strcmp for comparing strings

> void main(){
main returns an int, as in
int main ( ) {

> while (pick==1||2){
This should be
while ( pick==1 || pick == 2 ){

I tried to do what Salem told me and i have one error that says that
D:\Microsoft Visual Studio\Work\roman\roman.cpp(9) : error C2440: 'initializing' : cannot convert from 'char' to 'char [40]'
There are no conversions to array types, although there are conversions to references or pointers to arrays
Error executing cl.exe.

i know it should be easy to fix but im stumped

Code:

int rtoa(  char value[], const int size){
  static char number[40];
 char newnum[40]=value[size];
   number[0]=(char)0;
		int regnum=0;  
   while(newnum == "M"){
	       strcmp(number, "M");
		   regnum+=1000;
	   }
       if(newnum=="CM"){
	       strcmp(number, "CM");
		   regnum+=900;
	   }
       if(newnum == "D"){  
	       strcmp(number, "D");
		   regnum+=500;
	   }
       if(newnum == "CD"){
	       strcmp(number, "CD");
		   regnum+=400;
	   }
       while(newnum == "C"){
          strcmp(number, "C");
		   regnum+=100;
	   }
       if(newnum == "XC"){
	      strcmp(number, "XC");
		   regnum+=90;
	   }
       if(newnum == "L"){
	      strcmp(number, "L");
		   regnum+=50;
	   }
       if(newnum == "XL"){
	      strcmp(number, "XL");
		   regnum+=40;
	   }
       while(newnum == "X"){
          strcmp(number, "X");
		   regnum+=10;
	   }
       if(newnum == "IX"){
		   strcmp(number, "IX");
		   regnum=+9;
	   }
       if(newnum == "V"){
	      strcmp(number, "V");
		   regnum+=5;  
	   }
       if(newnum == "IV"){
	      strcmp(number, "IV");
		   regnum+=4;
	   }
       while(newnum=="I"){
          strcmp(number, "I");
		   regnum+=1;
   }//}
cout<<regnum;
return regnum;}

char newnum[40]=value[size];

not sure this is the error call listed, but suspect it might be, and is an error even if it isn't the currently referenced one. You cannot assign one char array to another. You must use strcpy(), strcat() or one of their variants to accomplish this or use objects of the string class of STL or some other appropriately implemented string class.

Also, if you use zero as a char it is interpretted as the NULL char via the ASCII character set conversion. There is no need to cast it to a char. You could be more explicit by doing this if you wish, so you realize you aren't trying to assign capital oh to the first element of whatever it was.

char ch = NULL; //is same as
char ch = 0; //is same as
char ch = '\0';

Yes, what Sebastiani said is true. Using arrays would be much better to do, especially if you later added new segments to the array later on.

The one with words.

you knew what he meant yet you gave him a smart answer
shame on you. really. what if he went out and actually bought it?