Problems with loops

**Tokuma** · 05-23-2005

I jsut started to learn C++, i alrady know Java and that really helped but i started making a little counting app and it prints out what look to be completly random numbers like this:

http://img207.echo.cx/img207/9397/untitled3jy.png

what am I doing wrong? Here is the code for the count segment of my app:

Code:

  else if (cho=="COU" || cho=="cou" || cho=="Cou"){
       cout<<"Enter a number to count to: ";
       cin>> c_num;
       cin.ignore();
       do{       
       x=0;
       cout<<x;
       x++;
       }
       while(x != c_num);
  }

**sean345** · 05-23-2005

You probably want to print each number on a new line. I would change your do-while loop to this:

Code:

do{       
       x=0;
       cout << x <<end;
       x++;
}  while(x < c_num);

- Sean

**The Brain** · 05-23-2005

Code:

do{       
       x=0;  //Here  you are resetting x to zero with every loop iteration
       cout<<x;
       x++;
       } while(x < c_num);

you should consider saving the value of x into another variable before entering into the loop.

**major_small** · 05-23-2005

Code:

else if (cho=="COU" || cho=="cou" || cho=="Cou"){
       cout<<"Enter a number to count to: ";
       cin>> c_num;
       cin.ignore();
       do{       
       x=0;
       cout<<x;
       x++;
       }
       while(x != c_num);
  }

well, the first thing I notice is your else if statement... you need to make sure you're not using C-style arrays. make sure you're declaring cho with the keyword string.

also, you're initializing x to zero in the loop. you want to do that outside and before the loop.

other than that, I don't see much wrong with your code. unless of course you have some other problems elsewhere in your code.

edit: one more thing. what happens if the user enters -5 when you ask for a number to count up to?

**Tokuma** · 05-24-2005

Thanks I got it fixed.

**Tokuma** · 05-24-2005

Originally Posted by major_small

edit: one more thing. what happens if the user enters -5 when you ask for a number to count up to?

It counts and counts and counts it gets stuck in a loop. Though I am not shure how to get it to count to a neg or from a neg.

**DougDbug** · 05-24-2005

Though I am not shure how to get it to count to a neg or from a neg.

Well, it depends on what you want it to do...

The way the program is structured now, you are starting at zero, so counting-up to a negative number isn't logical... But, you might actually be able to do it! Maybe you're not waiting long enough when "stuck in a loop."

In the computer's memory, there is no special place for the minus sign. The minus sign is simply the highest (leftmost) bit. This is why you can hold an unsigned int that's twice as big as a signed int. You have one "extra" bit with an unsigned number.

When you count high-enough, the integer "overflows" into the sign-bit and the number suddenly becomes negative! Assuming your system has 32-bit integers, it will overflow at about 2,147,438,647. (It does NOT overflow with a bunch of 9s, because it's a binary counter.)

You could test the user's input with an if-statement. If c_num is less than zero, you could "reject" the user's input. Or, you could count-down (by using x--) if the number input is negative .

**peking1983** · 05-25-2005

If you're going to count "down" to a number, why would u want to change it to x--?

I would suggest

Code:

if(c_num < 0 )
  c_num = Math.abs(c_num);

Your still counting the same distance, just you aren't changing the rest of your loop, or creating an entire duplicate loop

Of course thats a java command, not sure where it is in C++

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