Clearing Buffer

ok im trying to write a program using 2 Char Arrays of about size 10, and i want the first to be a users first name and the 2nd to be their last

once they enter both first and last i want it to desplay like this:

BUCKET #0 = A
BUCKET #1 = N
BUCKET #2 = D
BUCKET #3 = Y

BUCKET #0 = B
BUCKET #1 = O
BUCKET #2 = M
BUCKET #3 = S
BUCKET #4 = T
BUCKET #5 = A
BUCKET #6 = D

i do NOT want it to show up like this :

BUCKET #0 = A
BUCKET #1 = N
BUCKET #2 = D
BUCKET #3 = Y
BUCKET #4 =
BUCKET #5 =
BUCKET #6 =
BUCKET #7 =
BUCKET #8 =
BUCKET #9 =

BUCKET #0 = B
BUCKET #1 = O
BUCKET #2 = M
BUCKET #3 = S
BUCKET #4 = T
BUCKET #5 = A
BUCKET #6 = D
BUCKET #7 =
BUCKET #8 =
BUCKET #9 =


the following code will display this :

BUCKET #0 = A
BUCKET #1 = N
BUCKET #2 = D
BUCKET #3 = Y
BUCKET #4 =
BUCKET #5 =
BUCKET #6 =
BUCKET #7 =
BUCKET #8 =
BUCKET #9 =
press any key to continue....

And Nothing more, it doesnt even show the last name....

Code:

---

#include<iostream>
using namespace std;

int main()
{
    char first[10];
    char last[10];
    int i = 0 ;
    cout<<"Please Enter Your First Name: ";
    cin>>first;
    cout<<"Please Enter Your Last Name: ";
    cin>>last;
    while(i <= 9)
    {
           
            cout<<endl<<"Bucket #"<<i<<" = "<<first[i]<<endl;
            i++;
    }
    while(i <= 9)
    {
           
            cout<<endl<<"Bucket #"<<i<<" = "<<last[i]<<endl;
            i++;             
    }
    system("pause");
}

---

and i know its somthing with the input buffer or checking to see if it found the EOF, but i dont know how to go about doing this

the reason your second loop does nothing is becuase you don't reset i

also, look into strlen() instead of always comparing <= 9

Code:

---

const int maxlen = 10;
char first[maxlen];
char last[maxlen];
...
while(i < maxlen && first[i ] != '\0')
{
    ...
}
i = 0;
while(i < maxlen && last[i ] != '\0')
{
    ...
}

---

You might also want to consider using cin's get member function to limit how many characters the user can enter so you don't accidentaly overwrite some memory.

You can avoid printing empty spots if you changed your while loop to something like this:

Code:

---

  while(first[i]!='\0')

---

Enjoy

Code:

---

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

int main()
{
    char first[10];
    char last[10];
    int i = 0 ;
    int j=0;
    cout<<"Please Enter Your First Name: ";
    cin>>first;
    int size_first=strlen(first);
    cout<<"Please Enter Your Last Name: ";
    cin>>last;
    int size_last=strlen(last);
    while(i < size_first)
    {
           
            cout<<endl<<"Bucket #"<<i<<" = "<<first[i]<<endl;
            i++;
    }
    while(j < size_last)
    {
           
            cout<<endl<<"Bucket #"<<j<<" = "<<last[j]<<endl;
            j++;             
    }
    system("pause");
}

---

:confused:

Hi,

When you create an array like this:

char first[10];

it's filled with junk characters. The fact that you got blank output after the name that was stored in that array was luck--the chars in the array after the name could have been anything.

In addition, strlen() won't necessarily work on an array like that. All <cstring> functions like strlen() rely on a '\0' character marking the end of the letters in the char array. If strlen() works, it's because there just happened to be a '\0' character at the end of the name, but you can't count on that.

Instead, when you are getting input from the user and you want to put it into a char array, you can do this:

char last[10];
cout<<"Please Enter Your First Name: ";

cin.ignore(1);
cin.getline(last, 10);


In that statement, getline() will read in input up to a maximum of 9 characters. It then automatically puts a '\0' after the last char read in. If getline() only reads in 4 chars, then the 5th char will be a '\0'. If the user inputs 20 chars, then getline() will only read in 9 chars, and it will enter a '\0' in the last spot in the array. Subsequently, you will be able to use all the <cstring> functions like strlen() on the array. strlen() will give you the number of chars that were stored in the array, which you can use in your loop.

Code:

---

#include <iostream>
#include <conio.h> // getch()

using namespace std;

int safeGet(char *buffer, unsigned short len)
{
        const char BACKSPACE        = 0x08;
        const char ENTER        = 0x0D;

        char keyPressed = NULL;
        unsigned short idx = 0;

        memset(buffer, '\0', sizeof(buffer));

        do
        {
                keyPressed = getch();

                switch (keyPressed)
                {
                case BACKSPACE:
                        {
                                if (idx > 0)
                                {
                                        buffer[idx - 1] = '\0';
                                        cout << "\b" << ends << "\b" << flush;

                                        idx -= 1;
                                }
                                break;
                        }
                case ENTER:
                        {
                               
                                buffer[idx] = '\0';
                                break;
                        }
                default:
                        {
                                if (idx < (len-1))
                                {
                                        buffer[idx] = keyPressed;
                                        putchar(buffer[idx]);

                                        idx += 1;
                                }
                                break;
                        }
                }

        }
        while (keyPressed != ENTER);

        cout << endl;

        return idx; // if your paranoid
}

///

int main()
{
        const unsigned short MAX = 10;

        char* fname = new char[MAX];
        char* lname = new char[MAX];

        cout << "FNAME:" << ends;
        safeGet(fname, MAX);

        cout << "LNAME:" << ends;
        safeGet(lname, MAX);

        cout << endl; // seperate

        for (int idx = 0; idx < strlen(fname); idx++)
                cout << " fname[" << idx << "] \t= " << fname[idx] << endl;

        cout << endl; // seperate

        for (idx = 0; idx < strlen(lname); idx++)
                cout << " lname[" << idx << "] \t= " << lname[idx] << endl;

        delete[] fname;
        delete[] lname;

        return 0;
}

---

> memset(buffer, '\0', sizeof(buffer));
Oh dear,
Go read a book on how sizeof works on pointers.

Quote:

---

> memset(buffer, '\0', sizeof(buffer));
Oh dear,
Go read a book on how sizeof works on pointers.

---

sizeof on a pointer will only return 4 bytes on an x86 (depends). Because its just a "pointer."

Thus,

Code:

---

{
        ...
        memset(buffer, '\0', sizeof(buffer));
        ...
}

---

would not work they way I intended it to. It was a mistake.

You could...
Create a for loop based on 'len' in safeGet() to assign the element n of buffer = '\0';

///

Quote:

---

> memset(buffer, '\0', sizeof(buffer));
Oh dear,
Go read a book on how sizeof works on pointers.

---

This sounds like a semi-flame, because of what little you said.(?) You could have elaborated on why sizeof(a_pointer) is incorrect. Your post is equivalent to "Look, I'm smarter than knave!" Spare "us" from your "oh dear," sarcasm.

If it was a flame. Then, Salem... ***k you.

>Your post is equivalent to "Look, I'm smarter than knave!"
And your code contains some other mistakes besides the one Salem pointed out.

Well since there are perfectly usable standard ways of reading a line (which are also safe), your post seemed entirely pointless.

Hi,

Quote:

---

Instead, when you are getting input from the user and you want to put it into a char array, you can do this:

Code:

---

char last[10];
cout<<"Please Enter Your First Name: ";

cin.ignore(1);
cin.getline(last, 10);

---

---

I just wanted to point out an error in my code. I debated about whether to put that line in there because the reason involves a lengthy explantaion of how cin>> and getline() interact in the same program, which can cause errors. But, if there is no line with cin>> on it before the cin.getline(), then ignore(1) will skip the first letter of the user's input. Hopefully, you will be replacing all your cin>> lines with cin.getline(), and in that case ignore(1) wouldn't be needed. :)