A Very Basic Question... I think.

Ok, well hello everyone! I just created my account this morning, so you are honored with reading my first ever post on this forum! I bet you are all excited! My name is Colin, and I'm a poor speller, for that I apologize.

I used to program back in High School, 6 or so years ago. Turing, and Visual Basic. For whatever reason, I got interested in trying to learn C++ a couple days ago, so I found the tutorial on cprogramming.com, grabbed Bloodshed dev-c++ 4 and I hit the ground running!

Here is the program I'm working on right now, just to entertain me.

Code:

---

#include <iostream>

using namespace std;

char usrName;      // stores the users name
int usrAge;        // stores the users age

int main()          // the main important bit
{
 
  cout<<"Hello!  My name is CompColin!\n";                                     
  cout<<"I am a computer based personality designed by Colin Gilbert\n";
  cout<<"to entertain the really bored and/or lonely.\n";                       
  cout<<"Also I demonstrate my creatores superior intelect!\n\n";               

  cout<<"Obviously I will need to get to know you better in order to\n";
  cout<<"entertain you good and proper like I said I would!\n";                 
  cout<<"Please, tell me your name!\n";

  cin>> usrName;        // gets the users name and stores it
  cin.ignore();          // ignores there enter press

  cout<<"Ahh!  Well thats an alright name!  Hello "<< usrName <<" Its nice\n";
  cout<<"to meet you!\n";

 cin.get();
}

---

The program is still in its beginnings, but anyway. The problem is this. when I run the program it runs fine. All the dialog shows up and it asks for your name. you then enter your name and when you press enter, it flashes the text after but then promptly closes the program. I just don't understand why the line cin.get(); doesn't catch the program and make it wait. I was under the impression that, that is what it did.

Anyway, I've looked into some of the FAQ's and what not and it seems like there are some ways around this, using different technics that I don't fully understand yet. but! the part I truely don't understand is that this program.

Code:

---

#include <iostream>

using namespace std;

int main()
{
  int thisisanumber;

  cout<<"Please enter a number: ";
  cin>> thisisanumber;
  cin.ignore();
  cout<<"You entered: "<< thisisanumber <<"\n";
  cin.get();
}

---

Is taken directly from the tutorial on cprogramming.com and it works just fine when I compile it. And to be honest with you guys, it looks pretty much exactly the same as the one I wrote.

So why does cin.get(); catch the tutorials program, but not my program?

Thanks a lot for any help, and I'm sorry if its a really obvious answer, but I've been looking at it for a few hours now, and its not jumping out at me.

Code:

---

char usrName;      // stores the users name
// ...
  cin>> usrName;        // gets the users name and stores it
  cin.ignore();          // ignores there enter press

---

You're reading in a single character, and then ignoring a single character. Type "C<enter>" and it should work.

If you want to fix it, make usrName an array (and possibly put it in main(), too):

Code:

---

char usrName[100];      // stores the users name (put at the beginning of main())
// ...
  cin>> usrName;        // gets the users name and stores it
  cin.ignore();          // ignores there enter press
  cout << "Hello, " << usrName << ". Good day.\n";  // print the user's name

---

As you are just learning might as well start off with good habits and use the std::string type. #include<string> and change char usrName to string usrName.

Interesting!
I missunderstood the use of 'char' then. The totorials I've read so far have only delt with variables that were integers. I assumed that 'char' worked the same as other programs I've used. It makes good sence now.

Thanks for your help dwks

Code:

---

#include <iostream>

using namespace std;

char usrName[81];      // stores the users name
int usrAge;            // stores the users age

int main()          // the main important bit
{
 
  cout<<"Hello!  My name is CompColin!\n";                                     
  cout<<"I am a computer based personality designed by Colin Gilbert\n";
  cout<<"to entertain the really bored and/or lonely.\n";                       
  cout<<"Also I demonstrate my creatores superior intelect!\n\n";               

  cout<<"Obviously I will need to get to know you better in order to\n";
  cout<<"entertain you good and proper like I said I would!\n";                 
  cout<<"Please, tell me your name!\n";

  cin>> usrName;        // gets the users name and stores it
  //cin.ignore();          ignores there enter press

  cout<<"Ahh!  Well thats an alright name!  Hello "<< usrName <<" Its nice\n";
  cout<<"to meet you!\n";

  cin.get();
  cin.get();
 
}

---

As stoned_coder said, learn the C++ string class for strings:

Code:

---

#include <iostream>
#include <string>

using namespace std;

string usrName;      // stores the users name
int usrAge;        // stores the users age

int main()          // the main important bit
{
  cout<<"Hello!  My name is CompColin!\n";                                     
  cout<<"I am a computer based personality designed by Colin Gilbert\n";
  cout<<"to entertain the really bored and/or lonely.\n";                       
  cout<<"Also I demonstrate my creatores superior intelect!\n\n";               

  cout<<"Obviously I will need to get to know you better in order to\n";
  cout<<"entertain you good and proper like I said I would!\n";                 
  cout<<"Please, tell me your name!\n";

  cin>> usrName;        // gets the users name and stores it
  cin.ignore();          // ignores there enter press

  cout<<"Ahh!  Well thats an alright name!  Hello "<< usrName <<" Its nice\n";
  cout<<"to meet you!\n";

  cin.get();
}

---

And you should put a return 0; at the end of main(), although it isn't required.

I prefer this.

Code:

---


#include <iostream>
#include<string.h>  //not needed if using DEV C++ IDE
using namespace std;

string usrName;      // stores the users name

int main()          // the main important bit
{
 
  cout<<"Hello!  My name is CompColin!\n";                                     
  cout<<"I am a computer based personality designed by Colin Gilbert\n";
  cout<<"to entertain the really bored and/or lonely.\n";                       
  cout<<"Also I demonstrate my creatores superior intelect!\n\n";               

  cout<<"Obviously I will need to get to know you better in order to\n";
  cout<<"entertain you good and proper like I said I would!\n";                 
  cout<<"Please, tell me your name!\n";

  cin>> usrName;        // gets the users name and stores it
//The ignore is not necessary. it is used often only after a getline()

  cout<<"Ahh!  Well thats an alright name!  Hello "<< usrName <<" Its nice\n";
  cout<<"to meet you!\n";

  cin.get();
  //cin.get(); Only one is needed. otherwise, it is a pain for the user

return 0;
}

---

>> I prefer this.
Your version has mistakes.

It should be <string>, not <string.h> if you are using the string class, and it is needed no matter what your IDE, since you should always include the headers that declare what you're using. Don't count on getting lucky with the includes.

The cin.ignore() is required before a call to getline() if operator>> was called before it. It is perfectly safe to just always call ignore() after using cin >>, and you should not use it after getline() unless you want the user to hit enter twice.

In this case, to keep the console from closing you either need to leave the ignore(), or you need two calls to cin.get(). You have neither, so the lone cin.get() will get the newline from after the user enters the name and the console will close before the output can be read (for those who have the console closing problem).

I'd also prefer to make the usrName string local to the main function and declare it just before it was used, but I didn't change that since the point was that the string class is better than C style strings.