Find element in SET container

I am not sure how to find an element in a SET and report back that it was found. Using the code below, it always returns false.

Specialty.h

Code:

---

#include <set>

using namespace std;

class Specialty        {

private:
        set<char*> SpecialtySet;
        set<char*>::iterator it;
        void SetSpecialty();

public:
        bool VerifySpecialty(char *);
};

---

Specialty.cpp

Code:

---

#include "Specialty.h"
#include <set>
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

void Specialty::SetSpecialty ()        {
        SpecialtySet.insert("CARD");        // Cardiology
        SpecialtySet.insert("DERM");        // Dermatology
        SpecialtySet.insert("GP");        // General Practice
                      :
                      :
        SpecialtySet.insert("PSY");        // Psychiatry
        SpecialtySet.insert("SUR");        // Surgeon
}

bool Specialty::VerifySpecialty(char *spec) {
        bool result;

        it = SpecialtySet.find(spec);
        cout << "Test: ";
        cout << *it << endl;
        system ("pause");
        if (it == SpecialtySet.end())
                                result = false;
        else
                result = true;
        return result;
}

---

Main.cpp, If I enter "DERM" or any other code then "GP" gets set every time.

Code:

---

                Specialty Spec;
        char *sCode = new char [5];
                        :
                        :

        cout << "\n Enter Specialty Code: ";
        cin >> sCode;

        if (Spec.VerifySpecialty(sCode))
                room[number-1].SetCode(sCode);
        else
                room[number-1].SetCode("GP");

---

Your set contains pointers. This way the set is ordered just by comparing pointers.
You insert just string literals into that set but you call the find function with a char *. An element that has the same address will never be found.

Use a set of std::string instead.
Kurt

To do it your way, you would have to move through the set container from beginning to end and do a strcmp until you found what you were looking for (return true) or reached the end (return false). This negates the benefits of the container's normally quick lookup functionality. You would not be able to use the find member. I second the use of a set<string> instead.

Well, you could define a custom comparator ...

Nah, just use std::string.