Thread: Malfunctioning Getch

Would anyone here know why, when calling getch() from the conio library to pause the program until the user hits enter, that that line of code would not work?

For some reason, in my program the getch has done just that - I can't think of any reason why it shouldn't work, and neither can my teacher. We are both baffled as to why the getch isn't functioning normally.

I hesitate to post the code, because, I am not sure how much of the code would be required, and to put it all into a single post would be a bit much.

Thanks to anyone for help!

Well, for the compiler we're using Borland C++ version 5.02. The getch I found in one of the graphics sections of our book (Fundamentals of C++: Understanding programming and problem solving, Kenneth A. Lambert & Douglas W. Nance) and turned out to be a more practical use to stop and display data as opposed to the only other method we know - stopping for input

In the book (just in case anyone knows it), it's pg. 488 #8 that we're doing. The sorting of the array was taken from another program; I know that code works fine, there should be nothing wrong with it.

So here are the two other functions that might be of some use; where the data is displayed and the input function (someone said something about that might be the cause)

Code:

void input(double scores[], int length)
{  cout << "Welcome to the judge's auto-scorer!" << endl;
	cout << "When prompted, please enter each score." << endl << endl;

	for (int lcv = 0; lcv <= length; ++lcv)
	{	cout << "Please enter score #" << (lcv + 1) << endl;
   	cin >> scores[lcv];
   }
}

Code:

void average_scores(double scores[], int length)
{  double sum, average;

	scores[0] = 0;
	scores[length] = 0;
   sum = 0;

   for(int m = 0; m <= length; ++m)
   	sum = sum + scores[m];

   average = sum / (length - 1);

   cout << endl << "The average score given is: " <<
   	setiosflags(ios::showpoint|ios::fixed) << setprecision(2) << average << endl;
   getch();
}

Tried switching the getch out of the function to the int main after calling the function, but still nothing. I'm so confused...

So... then, if I had declared the array as such:

const int MAX_LIST_SIZE = 7;

typedef double list_scores[MAX_LIST_SIZE];
list_scores scores;

then set int length = MAX_LIST_SIZE, it would still be running off, wouldn't it?

Ok, so now I enter that, and get the input to work like it should - except it only reads in seven numbers, where I want eight, but then on the next run it gives me the following error: Error writing output file. WTF?

I'm just going to put the entire program, because I have NO clue which part of it is going wrong and how the other parts could affect it.

Code:

#include <iostream.h>
#include <iomanip.h>
#include <conio.h>

const int MAX_LIST_SIZE = 7;

typedef double list_scores[MAX_LIST_SIZE];
list_scores scores;

void input(double scores[], int length);
void sort(double scores[], int length);
void average_scores(double scores[], int length);
int find_minimum(double scores[], int first, int length );
void swap(double &X, double &Y);

int main()
{  int length = MAX_LIST_SIZE;

 	input(scores, length);
   sort(scores, length);
   average_scores(scores, length);
	return 0;
}

void sort(double scores[], int length)
{	int min_index = 1;

	for (int j = 0; j < length - 1; ++j)
   {	min_index = find_minimum(scores, j, length);
   	if (min_index != j)
      	swap(scores[j], scores[min_index]);
   }
}

void input(double scores[], int length)
{  cout << "Welcome to the judge's auto-scorer!" << endl;
	cout << "When prompted, please enter each score." << endl << endl;

	for (int lcv = 0; lcv < length; ++lcv)
	{	cout << "Please enter score #" << (lcv + 1) << endl;
   	cin >> scores[lcv];
   }
}

void average_scores(double scores[], int length)
{  double sum, average;

	scores[0] = 0;
	scores[length] = 0;
   sum = 0;

   for(int m = 0; m < length; ++m)
   	sum = sum + scores[m];

   average = sum / (length - 1);

   cout << endl << "The average score given is: " <<
   	setiosflags(ios::showpoint|ios::fixed) << setprecision(2) << average << endl;
   getch();
}

int find_minimum(double scores[], int first, int length)
{ 	int min_index = first;

	for (int k =  first + 1; k < length; ++k)
   	if (scores[k] < scores[min_index])
      	min_index = k;

   return min_index;
}

void swap(double &x, double &y)
{  double temp = x;
	x = y;
   y = temp;
}

The Error writing output File happens at the end of the code, after the swap function.

Apparently, programs have chosen to hate me as of yesterday...

Please change your headers to something standardized where you can.

Code:

#include <iostream>
#include <iomanip>
#include <conio.h>

If you take the time to use stuff in the standard namespace, people will thank you for it later. Now your program actually uses well documented libraries.

Ok, so I use 8 for the array size and almost every problem goes away - except it still doesn't pause for the getch.

At least we're back to square one! It was doing some wierd things to me on Friday :/

So then, other than cin, is there any other functions that could pause the program for me? Having to stop it with cin seems, I don't know, kind of primitive... lol