Simple program I made - Question about code

Hello
I was messing around with Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Express.
I am new to programming and am trying to learn C++
So here is a simple program I made:

Code:

---

#include <iostream>

using namespace std;

int main()
{
        int HottestGirl=1;

        cout << "Who is the hottest girl?\n";
        cout << "1)Claudia Lynx\n";
        cout << "2)Megan Fox\n";
        cout << "3)Audrina Patridge\n";
        cout << "\n";
        while(HottestGirl=1)
        {

                cout << "Selection:";
                cin >> HottestGirl;
                switch (HottestGirl)
                {
                        case 1:
                                cout << "Claudia Lynx is the hottest girl!\n\n";
                                break;
                        case 2:
                                cout << "Megan Fox is the hottest girl!\n\n";
                                break;
                        case 3:
                                cout << "Audrina Patridge is the hottest girl!\n\n";
                                break;
                        default:
                                cout << "Invalid Selection\n\n";
                                HottestGirl=4;
                                break;
                }
        }
        cin.ignore();
        cin.get();
}

---

At first, I had the 14th line say: while(HottestGirl=1||2||3||4)
Therefore, no matter what number the user enters, it will still go in a loop and ask for Selection again.

But then I changed it to: while(HottestGirl=1)
Just to see what happens
The problem is, it still goes in a loop and asks for the selection! Why is this?
Shouldn't it only loop when the user enters 1 for the variable HottestGirl?


I also have another minor question if anyone would like to help
I was going along with the tutorial and it tells me to put cin.ignore(); after having the user input a value and to also have cin.get(); at the end of the program so i can see the results of the program. Could someone explain this a little bit more for me please. I mean I kinda understand how the cin.ignore(); removes the enter and the cin.get(); waits for the user to press enter, but its still kinda bothering me, I don't really get it.
Also, are there any other ways to be able to see the results of the program without it just running the code then auto closing. I think I saw someone you can do like System Pause or something a long time ago.

Thanks for any help in advance!

Can you tell the difference between this:

Code:

---

HottestGirl=1

---

and this:

Code:

---

HottestGirl=1

---

? Neither can the compiler. So presumably they mean the same thing, right? Assigning one to the variable HottestGirl, regardless of whether it appears here

Code:

---

int HottestGirl=1

---

or here

Code:

---

while (HottestGirl=1)

---

And yes, you will want to do things like assign to variables inside the (parens) of a while loop -- it's a common idiom for reading everything from a file, for instance.

So when I put:

Code:

---

while(HottestGirl=1)

---

It is assigning 1 to the variable HottestGirl?

How would I make then so it is like if the variable HottestGirl equals 1, then go through the loop?

Comparison is "==".

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tabstop

Comparison is "==".

---

ooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooOOOooo ahhaha I feel so stupid for forgetting that
Thanks!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PersianStyle

So when I put:

Code:

---

while(HottestGirl=1)

---

It is assigning 1 to the variable HottestGirl?

How would I make then so it is like if the variable HottestGirl equals 1, then go through the loop?

---

= assigns; == compares

also,

Quote:

---

while(HottestGirl=1||2||3||4)

---

because 1 is not zero the statement 1||2||3||4 will be evaluated to a Boolean "true" which will be converted to a non zero integer (usually 1) and assigned to the variable HottestGirl, even if you used == it wouldn't do what you seem to want it to do

you would need

Code:

---

while(HottestGirl == 1 || HottestGirl == 2 || HottestGirl == 3 || HottestGirl == 4)

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ಠ_ಠ

because 1 is not zero the statement 1||2||3||4 will be evaluated to a Boolean "true" which will be converted to a non zero integer (usually 1) and assigned to the variable HottestGirl, even if you used == it wouldn't do what you seem to want it to do

you would need

Code:

---

while(HottestGirl == 1 || HottestGirl == 2 || HottestGirl == 3 || HottestGirl == 4)

---

---

I don't understand.
I have:

Code:

---

while(HottestGirl==1||2||3||4)

---

And it does what I want it to do, which is keep asking for the selection no matter what the user enters.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PersianStyle

I don't understand.
I have:

Code:

---

while(HottestGirl==1||2||3||4)

---

And it does what I want it to do, which is keep asking for the selection no matter what the user enters.

---

then just do while(1), your statement will evaluate to that anyway because 2, 3, and 4 are non zero and therefor "true"

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PersianStyle

I don't understand.
I have:

Code:

---

while(HottestGirl==1||2||3||4)

---

And it does what I want it to do, which is keep asking for the selection no matter what the user enters.

---

She does what you meant, but not what you said.

For logic operators, both operands must be of type bool, if they are not - typecasting happens.

What you said was:

Code:

---

while (HottestGirl == 1 || true || true || true) {
    // will always execute
}

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PersianStyle

I also have another minor question if anyone would like to help
I was going along with the tutorial and it tells me to put cin.ignore(); after having the user input a value and to also have cin.get(); at the end of the program so i can see the results of the program. Could someone explain this a little bit more for me please. I mean I kinda understand how the cin.ignore(); removes the enter and the cin.get(); waits for the user to press enter, but its still kinda bothering me, I don't really get it.

---

operator>> performs formatted input. That is, it interprets the data read in context of its right-hand operand. It skips over and discards whitespaces and stops at newline but leaves it in the input buffer where it [newline] waits to be read. The next read from input buffer with operator>> will discard the newline left in there, but other member functions of cin that perform unformatted input will read it, resulting in unexpected behavior.

Try:

Code:

---

#include <iostream>

int main(int argc, char** argv)
{
        char name[256];
        int age;
       
        std::cout << "Enter your age: ";
        std::cin >> age;
       
        std::cout << "Enter your name: ";
        std::cin.getline(name, 256); //default delimiter is '\n', so this will result in a null string
       
        std::cout << "Your name is " << name << ", your age is "
                          << age << ".\n";
       
        return 0;
}

---

Adding std::cin.ignore() after std::cin >> age; will read and discard the next character from the input buffer, '\n' in this case, getline() will have nothing to read and will wait for input from user.

I personally prefer std::cin.sync(), but that might have side-effects I'm not aware of - I'm but a newbie myself, and if just said something incredibly stupid I expect someone to come along and smack me around.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by msh

I personally prefer std::cin.sync(), but that might have side-effects I'm not aware of

---

Refer to Prelude's comments concerning std::istream::sync() in Simple C++ help for a beginer?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by laserlight

Refer to Prelude's comments concerning std::istream::sync() in Simple C++ help for a beginer?

---

Thanks!

Code:

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cin.ignore(numeric_limits<streamsize>::max(), '\n');

---

So what that does is: "from input buffer, extract and discard the number of characters that correspond to the maximum possible value of type streamsize, e.g. the maximum number of characters that can be placed in the buffer, OR extract and discard all character up until and including the first '\n' that is encountered, whichever comes first". Did I get that about right? :)

Elegant!

Thanks, laserlight!

May I suggest using a do while loop?

Code:

---

#include <iostream>

using namespace std;

int main()
{
        int HottestGirl = 0;

        cout << "Who is the hottest girl?\n";
        cout << "1)Claudia Lynx\n";
        cout << "2)Megan Fox\n";
        cout << "3)Audrina Patridge\n";
        cout << "\n";

//------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------// START  //
    do {                                                                                                                  // Do While -
        cin >> HottestGirl;                                                                                              // Input
        if (HottestGirl == 1) {                                                                                          // Set Case If
            cout << "\nClaudia Lynx is the hottest girl!\n\n";
        }
        else if (HottestGirl == 2) {                                                                                      // Set Case If
            cout << "\nMegan Fox is the hottest girl!\n\n";
        }
        else if (HottestGirl == 3) {                                                                                      // Set Case If
            cout << "\nAudrina Patridge is the hottest girl!\n\n";
        }
        else {                                                                                                            // If none above then do
            cout << "Invalid Selection\n\n";
        }
    } while (HottestGirl == 0);                                                                                          // Do the above while HottestGirl equals 0


}

---

That would be fine but HottestGirl isn't going to be zero for very long. Either reset the variable to zero when something goes wrong, or use a better loop condition.

Yeah most probably, I was just using his conditions.

Well there's your mistake. The op had a big problem with his conditions earlier, so if I was going to post an answer in code, I would do my best to make sure the conditions worked. Yours don't, so I made a comment.

Or you could refactor away all the junk and just go with:

Code:

---

#include <iostream>

int main() {
    std::cout<<"Megan Fox is the hottest girl!"<<std::endl;
}

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Tux0r

Or you could refactor away all the junk and just go with:

Code:

---

#include <iostream>

int main() {
    std::cout<<"Megan Fox is the hottest girl!"<<std::endl;
}

---

---

you forgot to return 0

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ಠ_ಠ

you forgot to return 0

---

No he didn't.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bithub

No he didn't.

---

prove it

C++ does not require an explicit return statement from main.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by c++ standard

3.6.1 Main function

A return statement in main has the effect of leaving the main function
(destroying any objects with automatic storage duration) and calling
exit with the return value as the argument. If control reaches the
end of main without encountering a return statement, the effect is
that of executing
return 0;

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Aliaks

May I suggest using a do while loop?

Code:

---

#include <iostream>

using namespace std;

int main()
{
        int HottestGirl = 0;

        cout << "Who is the hottest girl?\n";
        cout << "1)Claudia Lynx\n";
        cout << "2)Megan Fox\n";
        cout << "3)Audrina Patridge\n";
        cout << "\n";

//------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------// START  //
    do {                                                                                                                  // Do While -
        cin >> HottestGirl;                                                                                              // Input
        if (HottestGirl == 1) {                                                                                          // Set Case If
            cout << "\nClaudia Lynx is the hottest girl!\n\n";
        }
        else if (HottestGirl == 2) {                                                                                      // Set Case If
            cout << "\nMegan Fox is the hottest girl!\n\n";
        }
        else if (HottestGirl == 3) {                                                                                      // Set Case If
            cout << "\nAudrina Patridge is the hottest girl!\n\n";
        }
        else {                                                                                                            // If none above then do
            cout << "Invalid Selection\n\n";
        }
    } while (HottestGirl == 0);                                                                                          // Do the above while HottestGirl equals 0


}

---

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hmm... I understand that except for the last part where it says:

Code:

---

    } while (HottestGirl == 0);

---

What is this there for?
Also, one thing this doesn't do is display "Selection: " before the user inputting the selection. Is there a way to fix this or no? It's not that it's so important, the program means nothing, I am just trying to learn

You need to put effort into getting a book, because loops is one basic thing all programmers must know.
If you don't have one, I would recommend getting Accelerated C++.
This loop simply says: loop WHILE HottestGirl equal 0.