Thread: Help with a Class

you will probably also want to pass to your constructor the four pointers to fill the array. also the array needs a name.And you will need a forward declaration of class Course.

Umm.. I think you should actually have a variable for the array.

Code:

private:

   string firstName;
   string lastName;
   string middleInitial;
   string employeeID;
   Course *ptr_Courses[4];

There's nothing wrong with that code.

>>How could i use the array of 4 pointers to store information about a course.

Include a variable to hold the number of courses that the instructor is giving.

Code:

int noOfCourses;
//Set this value to 0 in the constructor

Then, whenever you need to, just allocate memory to the appropriate element.

Code:

BOOL Instructor::addCourse()
{
     if( noOfCourses == 4)
          return FALSE;

     ptr_Courses[noOfCourses] = new Course;
     noOfCourses++;
}

And don't forget to delete the allocated memory.

>> but im not sure im doing it right
This is when you write your driver code to test it out. That's the fun part!

ok here is the driver file but im gettin these weird syntax error

Code:

#include "lab1InstructorCL.cpp"

void printCourses(Instructor *);
void printData(Instructor *[]);
void printSpaces(int num_spaces_to_print);
void printInstructor(Instructor *);
void readCourses(ifstream &I, Instructor *[]);
void readData(ifstream &, Instructor *[]);

int main()
 {
  cout << "This is line number " << __LINE__ << " of the file " << 
__FILE__
       << " which was\ncompiled on " << __DATE__ << " at time " << 
__TIME__
       << ".\n";


  ifstream inFile("input.dat", ios::in);

  if(!inFile)
   {
    cerr << "Could not open the file "
         << "for input.\n";
    exit(ABNORMAL_EXIT);
   }
  else
   cout << "The file input.dat is open for 
input.\n\n";

  Instructor *S[MAX_INSTRUCTORS] = {NULL_POINTER};

  readData(inFile, S);

  cout << "\n\nThe instructors hired at XYZ are:\n\n";
  //printData(S);

  //readCourses(inFile, S);

  cout << "\n\nThe XYZ instructors and their teaching assignments 
are:\n\n";
  //printData(S);

  cout << "The retirement ceremony has begun:\n\n";
  for(int index = LOOP_BASE; index < MAX_INSTRUCTORS; index++)
   {
    delete S[index];
    S[index] = NULL_POINTER;
   }
 }

/******************************************************************************
 FUNCTION NAME : printCourses
 CLASS         : (global)
 QUALIFIERS    : none
 INPUTS        : a non-consant pointer to a non-constant object of 
class
                  Instructor
 RETURNS       : nothing
 PURPOSE       : print the courses taught by this instructor, to the 
screen,
                  in columnar format
******************************************************************************/

/******************************************************************************
 FUNCTION NAME : printData
 CLASS         : (global)
 QUALIFIERS    : none
 INPUTS        : a nonconstant array of pointers to nonconstant objects 
of
                  class Instructor
 RETURNS       : nothing
 PURPOSE       : for every non-null pointer in the incoming argument, 
pass
                  pointer to printInstructor().
******************************************************************************/
void printData(Instructor *S[])
 {
  for(int index = LOOP_BASE; index < MAX_INSTRUCTORS; index++)
   {
    if(S[index] != NULL_POINTER)
     printInstructor(S[index]);
   }
 }

/******************************************************************************
 FUNCTION NAME : printSpaces
 CLASS         : global
 QUALIFIERS    : none
 INPUTS        : an integer
 RETURNS       : nothing
 PURPOSE       : print to the screen a number of blank spaces equal to 
the
                  value of the incoming argument
******************************************************************************/
void printSpaces(int num_spaces_to_print)
 {
  for(int index = LOOP_BASE; index < num_spaces_to_print; index++)
   {
    cout << ' ';
   }
 }

/******************************************************************************
 FUNCTION NAME : printInstructor
 CLASS         : global
 QUALIFIERS    : none
 INPUTS        : a non-constant pointer to a non-constant object of 
class
                  Insructor
 RETURNS       : nothing
 PURPOSE       : print to the screen the data concerning this 
instructor,
                  in columnar format, using the printCourses() function
                  as appropriate
******************************************************************************/
void printInstructor(Instructor *S)
 {
  cout << "Instructor " << S->getLastName() << ',';
  printSpaces(LAST_NAME_FIELD_WIDTH - S->getLastName().length());

  cout << S->getFirstName();
  printSpaces(FIRST_NAME_FIELD_WIDTH - S->getFirstName().length());

  cout << ' ' << S->getMiddleInitial()
       << ' ' << S->getEmployeeID();

  if(S->Courses[INDEX_BASE].courseDepartment.size() != 
EMPTY_STRING_SIZE)
   {
    printCourses(S);
   }
  else
   cout << '\n';
 }

/******************************************************************************
 FUNCTION NAME : readCourses
 CLASS         : none
 QUALIFIERS    : none
 INPUTS        : an ifstream object, by reference using a reference 
parameter
                 an array of non-constant pointers to non-constant 
objects of
                  class Instructor
 RETURNS       : nothing
 PURPOSE       : for all instructors pointed to by the second argument, 
read
                  from the stream referred to by the first argument the
                  courses to be taught by that instructor and store 
those
                  values in the appopriate fields in the object
******************************************************************************/
void readCourses(ifstream &I, Instructor *S[])
 {
  string courseDepartment;
  int numStudents;
  string courseNumber;
  string employeeID;

  while(!I.eof())
   {
    I >> employeeID >> courseDepartment >> courseNumber >> numStudents;

    if(I.eof())
     break;

    for(int instructorIndex = LOOP_BASE;
            instructorIndex < MAX_INSTRUCTORS;
            instructorIndex++)
     {
      if(S[instructorIndex]->getEmployeeID() == employeeID)
       {
        for(int courseIndex = LOOP_BASE;
                courseIndex < MAX_COURSES;
                courseIndex++)
         {
          
if(S[instructorIndex]->Courses[courseIndex].courseDepartment.size() ==
             EMPTY_STRING_SIZE)
           {
            S[instructorIndex]->Courses[courseIndex].courseDepartment =
              courseDepartment;
            S[instructorIndex]->Courses[courseIndex].courseNumber = 
courseNumber;
            S[instructorIndex]->Courses[courseIndex].numStudents = 
numStudents;
            break;
           }
         }
       }
     }
   }
 }

/******************************************************************************
 FUNCTION NAME : readData
 CLASS         : none
 QUALIFIERS    : none
 INPUTS        : a reference to an ifstream object
                 an array of non-constant pointers to non-constant 
objects of
                  class Instructor
 RETURNS       : nothing
 PURPOSE       : read from the stream referred to by the first argument 
the
                  values necessary to instantiate an Instructor object
                 instantiate the Instructor object with those values 
and
                  assign the address of the object to the next 
available
                  pointer in the second argument
******************************************************************************/
void readData(ifstream &I, Instructor *S[])
 {
  string firstName;
  string lastName;
  string middleInitial;
  string employeeID;
  string bmn;  // Birth Month
  string bdy;  // Birth Day
  string byr   // Birth Year
  string hmn;  // Hire Month
  string hdy;  // Hire Day
  string hyr;  // Hire Year
  

  for(int index = 0; index < 3; index++)
   {
    inFile >> firstName >> middleInitial >> lastName >> employeeID>>bmn
		>>bdy>>byr>>hmn>>hdy>>hyr;
	S[index] = new Instructor(firstName, lastName, middleInitial, 
	employeeID);
    
   }

}

Compiling...
lab1Driver.cpp
c:\documents and settings\massa\lab1instructorcl.cpp(9) : error C2629: unexpected 'class Instructor ('
c:\documents and settings\massa\lab1instructorcl.cpp(9) : error C2238: unexpected token(s) preceding ';'
c:\documents and settings\massa\lab1instructorcl.cpp(17) : error C2146: syntax error : missing ';' before identifier 'getFirstName'
c:\documents and settings\massa\lab1instructorcl.cpp(17) : error C2501: 'string' : missing storage-class or type specifiers
c:\documents and settings\massa\lab1instructorcl.cpp(18) : error C2146: syntax error : missing ';' before identifier 'getLastName'
c:\documents and settings\massa\lab1instructorcl.cpp(18) : error C2501: 'string' : missing storage-class or type specifiers
c:\documents and settings\massa\lab1instructorcl.cpp(19) : error C2146: syntax error : missing ';' before identifier 'getMiddleInitial'
c:\documents and settings\massa\lab1instructorcl.cpp(19) : error C2501: 'string' : missing storage-class or type specifiers
c:\documents and settings\massa\lab1instructorcl.cpp(20) : error C2146: syntax error : missing ';' before identifier 'getEmployeeID'
c:\documents and settings\massa\lab1instructorcl.cpp(20) : error C2501: 'string' : missing storage-class or type specifiers
c:\documents and settings\massa\lab1instructorcl.cpp(22) : error C2061: syntax error : identifier 'string'
c:\documents and settings\massa\lab1instructorcl.cpp(23) : error C2061: syntax error : identifier 'string'
c:\documents and settings\massa\lab1instructorcl.cpp(24) : error C2061: syntax error : identifier 'string'
c:\documents and settings\massa\lab1instructorcl.cpp(25) : error C2061: syntax error : identifier 'string'
c:\documents and settings\massa\lab1instructorcl.cpp(29) : error C2146: syntax error : missing ';' before identifier 'firstName'
c:\documents and settings\massa\lab1instructorcl.cpp(29) : error C2501: 'string' : missing storage-class or type specifiers
c:\documents and settings\massa\lab1instructorcl.cpp(29) : error C2501: 'firstName' : missing storage-class or type specifiers
c:\documents and settings\massa\lab1instructorcl.cpp(30) : error C2146: syntax error : missing ';' before identifier 'lastName'
c:\documents and settings\massa\lab1instructorcl.cpp(30) : error C2501: 'string' : missing storage-class or type specifiers
c:\documents and settings\massa\lab1instructorcl.cpp(30) : error C2501: 'lastName' : missing storage-class or type specifiers
c:\documents and settings\massa\lab1instructorcl.cpp(31) : error C2146: syntax error : missing ';' before identifier 'middleInitial'
c:\documents and settings\massa\lab1instructorcl.cpp(31) : error C2501: 'string' : missing storage-class or type specifiers
c:\documents and settings\massa\lab1instructorcl.cpp(31) : error C2501: 'middleInitial' : missing storage-class or type specifiers
c:\documents and settings\massa\lab1instructorcl.cpp(32) : error C2146: syntax error : missing ';' before identifier 'employeeID'
c:\documents and settings\massa\lab1instructorcl.cpp(32) : error C2501: 'string' : missing storage-class or type specifiers
c:\documents and settings\massa\lab1instructorcl.cpp(32) : error C2501: 'employeeID' : missing storage-class or type specifiers
c:\documents and settings\massa\lab1instructorcl.cpp(37) : fatal error C1020: unexpected #endif
Error executing cl.exe.

lab1Driver.exe - 27 error(s), 0 warning(s)

In future if you need to post that amount of code attach it as a zipfile instead. It also helps especially with visual c if you include the project/workspace files.Its a real pain to trawl through that amount of code on a webpage when it could so easily be downloaded and put thru the compiler.

Why on earth are you #include-ing .cpp files? Sure you can, but just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should.

You shouldn't include .cpp files. .cpp files are meant to be compiled, not included.

You include header files. Typically (read: never) people don't include .cpp files. That's just backwards.

Quzah.

Originally posted by maloy
because the other files are classes i have three different classes and then their member function files

You don't include class source files. You include headers to them. Or rather, it's Bad Form(TM) to include .cpp files.

A much better way to do this, is to create a header file for you class, and include that.

Quzah.