variables problem

[zeeky]

ok before you post laughing just know that i am extreamly bad at c++ at the moment so dont laugh TOO hard

anyway...

i am trying a simple text base variable program in c++ and for some resone it only remembers numbers and not letters(allways says 2 when i type in letters)

heres the code(note this is being compiled in dev c++)

#include <cstdlib>
#include <iostream>

using namespace std;

int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
    int name;
    cout << "what is your username?";
    cin >> name;
    cout << "hello " << name << ".";
    cout << endl;
    system("PAUSE");
    return EXIT_SUCCESS;
}

any help?

[DanC]

would changing "int name;" to "char name;" work?

[zeeky]

ok now it remembers letters but only one >_<(i.e. i type in "zeeky" and it says "hello z."[altho that dose work for nicknames XD])

[SlyMaelstrom]

That's because a character (char) is just that. A single character. "zeeky" is a string. If you're up for it, (and if you asked me, you're not quite there) you should look into std::strings. But before that you should continue with more basic programming like conditional statements and loops and what have you.

Just don't criticize yourself by saying you're new and bad at programming. By the level of your program, it's obvious that you're new to programming and you're not bad at all. You're just simply new. Keep working and learning and you'll be fine.

[zeeky]

ok thanks

right now i'm trying to make a program thats a simple text based "computer" that can do a few things

heres a layout pic(note that this was made in ms paint quickly so it looks horrible)

http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/6...mlayout3se.jpg

one last question...

how whold i go about the menu stull like

if you type in (so and so here) then it gose to this part

how whold i do that?

[DanC]

well, do you know how to make functions? the way i would od it was to have something that looks like this:

A..............1
B..............2
C..............3

Enter Choice: (cin>>choice)

then ask some questions with loops...something like...

if(choice=1)
load the function a

then do the loop for choices 2 and 3 and so on...

[zeeky]

ok i whold be able to do the same thing with strings too right?

[DanC]

i dont have too much expreience with strings, but i guess it would work...

[zeeky]

cool

let me try somthing.....

[7stud]

if(choice=1)

Be careful about doing that--it's an error. That assigns 1 to choice instead of checking if choice is equal to 1. So, if choice equaled 3 prior to that line, choice would now equal 1. If you want to check if choice is equal to one, you have to use '==':

if(choice == 1)

If you use '=' by accident, then choice will be assigned the value on the right. When you use '==', choice will be compared to the value on the right, and choice's value won't change. REMEMBER THIS. You will make that error many times.

ok i whold be able to do the same thing with strings too right?

If you use the C++ string type, you can treat strings similar to the way you treat numbers. For instance, you can assign a string to a string variable with '=', just like you can do with a numeric variable and a number. You can also add strings together with '+', and you can compare strings with '=='. Here is an example:

#include <iostream>
#include <string>
using namespace std;

int main()
{
	
	string str = "hello";
	str = str + " world";
	cout<<str<<endl;

	str = "goodbye";
	cout<<str<<endl;

	if(str == "goodbye")
	{
		cout<<"see ya"<<endl;
	}
		
	return 0;
}

[zeeky]

oh what i have to do in dev c++ is replace return 0; with

system("PAUSE");
    return EXIT_SUCCESS;

to get it to stay open

oh and aint you sposed to say "goodbye" to get it to say "see ya" instead of the progy saying both?

[7stud]

oh and aint you sposed to say "goodbye" to get it to say "see ya" instead of the progy saying both?

It's just an example. You can make the program do whatever you want.

[zeeky]

ok

how whold i get it to do that?

[7stud]

#include <iostream>
#include <string>
using namespace std;

int main()
{
	
	cout<<"Type in 'hello' or 'goodbye': ";


	string answer;
	cin>>answer;
	
	if(answer == "hello")
	{
		cout<<"hi, pal"<<endl;
	}
	else if(answer == "goodbye")
	{
		cout<<"see, ya"<<endl;
	}
	else
	{
		cout<<"idiot!"<<endl;
	}
		
	return 0;
}

[Bench82]

You will make that error many times.

That's so true. I would add that if you want to minimise the number of times you make this mistake, get yourself into a habit of typing this instead (Requires a bit of reverse-logical thinking, which is why its a "habit" )

 if (1 == choice)

While this won't actually stop you typing '=' by accident, it will mean that the compiler screams at you for assignment to a constant - debugging the error becomes much easier.
(It also helps if you can remember to use the 'const' keyword as often as possible, since in reality, "magic numbers" don't get used so often)

const int selection = 1;
if ( selection == choice) {...}