Number or Alphabet

Hi All . I am new here and also new to C++
I need help with this program , I have no clue how to make it
I am using Turbo C++

Write a program that prompts the user to enter the initial of his name. your program should check whether the entered character is a number or alphabet. If the entered value is a number than print an error message on the screen otherwise print: “YOUR NAME STARTS FROM : ”INITIAL CHARACTER.

Look at isalpha function.

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Originally Posted by Ahmed29

I am using Turbo C++

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With all the good free compilers out there, why do so many people use garbage like Turbo C++?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ahmed29

Hi All . I am new here and also new to C++
I need help with this program , I have no clue how to make it
I am using Turbo C++

Write a program that prompts the user to enter the initial of his name. your program should check whether the entered character is a number or alphabet. If the entered value is a number than print an error message on the screen otherwise print: “YOUR NAME STARTS FROM : ”INITIAL CHARACTER.

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And if it neither a number nor a alphabet, like an underscore? Then what? Probably you should just check if it is a number. If not give an error message.
Another way, except using isalpha() is do something like this:

Code:

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char initial;
//get character from user
if (initial < 'a' || initial > 'z' || initial > 'A' || initial < 'Z')
  printf("ERROR\n");

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Generally in the ASCII you will have 'a', 'b', 'c', ... , 'z' so everything between 'a' and 'z' is a letter. On another point in the table you have 'A', 'B', ..., 'Z' so everything between 'A' and 'Z' is a capital letter. The same goes for numbers.

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Originally Posted by C_ntua

And if it neither a number nor a alphabet, like an underscore? Then what? Probably you should just check if it is a number. If not give an error message.
Another way, except using isalpha() is do something like this:

Code:

---

char initial;
//get character from user
if (initial < 'a' || initial > 'z' || initial > 'A' || initial < 'Z')
  printf("ERROR\n");

---

Generally in the ASCII you will have 'a', 'b', 'c', ... , 'z' so everything between 'a' and 'z' is a letter. On another point in the table you have 'A', 'B', ..., 'Z' so everything between 'A' and 'Z' is a capital letter. The same goes for numbers.

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Don't do that. It makes the assumption that your code is running on an ASCII system. If you tried to run it on a mainframe, you'd be in trouble. That's what isalpha() was made for, so you don't need to care what platform you're on.

Alternatively he could use isdigit() to just check if the user entered a number. Albeit either method will have the same outcome.

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Originally Posted by MeTh0Dz

Alternatively he could use isdigit() to just check if the user entered a number. Albeit either method will have the same outcome.

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No, isdigit() would tell you if it's a digit. But if isdigit() returns false, you still can't be sure that it's a letter.
isalpha() is the right function to use here, since you only want the user to enter letters.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ahmed29

Hi All . I am new here and also new to C++
I need help with this program , I have no clue how to make it
I am using Turbo C++

Write a program that prompts the user to enter the initial of his name. your program should check whether the entered character is a number or alphabet. If the entered value is a number than print an error message on the screen otherwise print: “YOUR NAME STARTS FROM : ”INITIAL CHARACTER.

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cpjust maybe you should read what he initially wrote.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MeTh0Dz

cpjust maybe you should read what he initially wrote.

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Ah, well in that case, I'd say there is a problem with the requirements. The user is supposed to enter their initials (which are obviously only letters), so it should say "if the user entered anything other than a letter, print an error message".

Otherwise I could enter my initials as "#%" and the program wouldn't give me any errors.

Agreed (I was simply going by what the original poster prescribed).

Thanks all :) problem solved i used ctype so it worked