Help with program?

Hi all,

i was wondering if anyone could please help me out as i'm am struggling with programming. Our Lecturer has given us this assignment and i need help getting started. I'm asking on here because our lecturer isn't very helpful and doesn't explain things very well. (By the way i'm am a real novice at programming)

The start of the assignement is as follows:

Create a base class named ‘Quadrilateral’ that contains 4 float attributes (with a ‘protected’ access specifier) called side1, side2, side3, side4. The member functions (methods) must consist only of the following:

1. a four-argument constructor with default values of 1.0 for all attributes
2. a function area( ) to return a float value of ‘-1’ since the area is indeterminate.
3. a function perimeter( ) to return a float value, the sum of all four attributes.
4. a function getSide1( ) to return side1.
5. a function name( ) to return a char pointer (char*) initialized to “Quadrilateral”.
6. a destructor function.

Create a derived class named ‘Rectangle’ with public inheritance from Quadrilateral. The member functions (methods) must consist only of the following:

1. a two-argument constructor with default values of 1.0. The first argument is assigned to ‘side1’ and ‘side3’, the second argument is assigned to ‘side2’ and ‘side4’.
2. a function area( ) to return a type float from the product of size1 and size2.
3. a function name( ) to return a char pointer (char*) initialized to “Rectangle”.
4. a destructor function.

If any could please help i would really appreciate it
Thanks for your time

Mark.

Give it a try on your own. We are here to guide and help you, not think for you. Show some effort and we'll be glad to help you.

One of your countrymen wrote a very good book on C++. It's called Ivor Horton's Beginning C++. Read the chapter on classes and the chapter on inheritance, and you'll be able to do that program in a snap. Good luck.

this is what i've done so far, could anyone please tell me if i'm on the right lines?
Cheers Mark.

Code:

---

// Mark Gaskell
// Module: Prog1B LCT 1006
// Filename: Part1

#include <iostream.h>

int main()

class Quadrilateral

{
  protected:
      // Constructor definition
  Quadrilateral(float side1, float side2, float side3, float side4)
       


public:
        char* name();
        float getSide1();
        float perimeter();
        float area();
        ~Quadrilateral();
}


float Quadrilateral::area()
{

}

float Quadrilateral::perimeter()
{

}

float Quadrilateral::getSide1()
{

}

char* Quadrilateral::name()
{

}

---

Boy, thats a big favor you r asking for buddy!
I have something that might help u.
( U r very lucky I'm in a good mood right now,or else I would have copied and pasted RoD's reply )

Just sayin thanks a lot for that mate, you've been a great help
I just needed something to get me on way that's all

Cheers Mark