Dev C++ question

I have been trying to learn C via self-study. I have been reading this forum for a couple months now and have purchased a couple books on C, as well as a training course on CD. I have Dev C++ version 4.9.9.2 and have a question pertaining to the use of comments in the IDE.

I thought that the C++ style comment style (//) was adopted in the latest ANSI C standards, in place of the traditional (/*) commenting symbols. However when I try this the compiler does not like it...what I am doing wrong? What setting in the 'Tools' menu do I need to enable to allow this style of commenting; if it is indeed possible?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

TCB

Works for me in a newly created C console project.
Can you post your program?

Code:

---

//
 /*      Course_Project.c
 *
 *      Program to maintain a database of CDs for a record store.
 *      This is the Course Project for the C Programming Course
 *
 *
 *    by snidely whiplash, 2006.
 */
 //
#include <stdio.h>
#include <ctype.h>

main()
{
    char    title[100][61];
    char    artist[100][61];
    int    tracks[100];        /* number of tracks on the CD */
    char    type;                /* used to read in album/single info */
    int    album[100];          /* boolean - is the CD an ALBUM? */
    float  price[100];
    int    i, j;
    int    records = 0;
    int    count = 0;

    printf("Welcome to the CD database.\n\n");
    printf("How many CDs do you want to enter? ");
    fflush(stdin);
    scanf("%d", &records);
    printf("\nPlease enter the details of the CD...\n");

    for (i = 0; i < records; i++)
    {
        /*Get the artist*/
        printf("Artist? ");
        fflush(stdin);  /*this means to flush anything from...*/
        scanf("%[^\n]", artist[count]);    /*The [^\n] means "read...*/

        /*Get the title*/
        printf("Title? ");
        fflush(stdin);
        scanf("%[^\n]", title[count]);  /*must use the [^\n]...*/

        /*Get the number of tracks*/

        printf("Number of tracks? ");
        fflush(stdin);
        scanf("%d", &tracks[count]); /*Need the '&' now...*/
        if (isdigit(tracks[count]))
           
           
        /*else
                printf("Error!\n");*/
             
               
        /*Is this an Album (a) or Single (s)?*/
        for ( ; ; ) /*forever loop--continues until the user...*/
            { 
                printf("Album or single ('a' for album, 's' for single)? ");
                fflush(stdin);
                scanf("%c", &type);
                if (type == 'a' || type == 's') /* If type == 'a' or type...*/
                    break;
                else
                    printf("Error!\n");
            }
        album[count] = type == 'a';
       
        /*Get the price*/
        printf("Retail price (e.g. 4.65)? ");
        fflush(stdin);
        scanf("%f", &price);
       
        /*increment the counter for the record count*/
        count = count + 1;
  }   
 
        /*Output the CD details*/
        for (i = 0; i < count; i++)
        {   
            printf("\nThe CD details you entered are:\n");
            printf("==============================\n");
            printf("Artist: %s\n", artist[i]);
            printf("Title: %s\n", title[i]);
            printf("Number of tracks: %d\n", tracks[i]);
            if (album[i])
                printf("Album\n");
            else
                printf("Single\n");
            printf("Price: %.2f\n", price[i]); /*Print the price with two decimal places*/
            printf("The value of 'i' is: %d\n", i);
            printf("==============================\n");
        }
       
    /*A user-friendly exit of the program*/
    printf("\nPress ENTER to exit the program: ");
    fflush(stdin);
    getchar();
}

---

This is one of the programs I have been working on for the CD course in C I have been learning from. But it does not compile for me with the '//' in the file header; though it did with the '/*...*/'

But I did not use a console application to create it. After reading your post, I *did* try to open a console application and try to compile with the C++ commenting symbols...and it worked. But why?

Thanks for the help.

TCB

The problem isn't the assumed lack of the compiler's ability to parse // comments.

Code:

---

*/      by Tom Betka, 2006.

---

Your signature is outside the block comment.

No, that's not the problem...lol.

I edited the above code incorrectly, and forgot to close the comments. My mistake. I assure you, it was correct in my source code before I posted it, then I changed it for clarity (helped a lot, didn't it?). But the compiler 'errored' the very first line with the '//'.

I will try to edit the above code to what I *meant* to say.

Apologies for the confusion. That will teach me to try to simplify things!

TB

EDIT: Here you go. This will not compile using my current configuration of Dev C++ 4.9.9.2. (I included only a short segment for brevity.)

Code:

---

//

/*      Course_Project.c
 *
 *      Program to maintain a database of CDs for a record store.
 *      This is the Course Project for the C Programming Course
 *
 *      by snidely whiplash, 2006.
 */
#include <stdio.h>
#include <ctype.h>

main()
{
    char    title[100][61];
    char    artist[100][61];
    int    tracks[100];        /* number of tracks on the CD */
    char    type;                /* used to read in album/single info */
    int    album[100];          /* boolean - is the CD an ALBUM? */
    float  price[100];
    int    i, j;
    int    records = 0;
    int    count = 0;
}

---

Well C++ style comments were introduced to C in the C99 standarnd which is not widely supported but the most compilers usually allows you to use them anyways. As for Dev-C++ I tried compiling your code with MinGW (which is the compiler Dev-C++ uses) and got no errors, however, if the -ansi flag is given then you'll get errors. Check if Dev-C++ uses it.

As Dante mentioned above, if you open a console project and use them, it works just fine. But I wasn't using the console project until now. So I guess I need to go investigate the different project types in Dev C++...

Is there a tutorial on that IDE around here somewhere? I have looked a bit but haven't found one yet.

Thanks.

TB

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by OnionKnight

As for Dev-C++ I tried compiling your code with MinGW (which is the compiler Dev-C++ uses) and got no errors, however, if the -ansi flag is given then you'll get errors. Check if Dev-C++ uses it.

---

Dev-C++ doesn't use -ansi by default for either C or C++ console projects.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TCB

But I wasn't using the console project until now. So I guess I need to go investigate the different project types in Dev C++...

---

Can you replicate the error? If you can, tell us

1) Which project type you use AND
2) What language you're using AND
3) Source code you used

I used the C source code above; neither example compiles. And I think the file I used was simply in the file path File:New:Source File (Ctrl+N). I don't think I actually created a project because I only have a single file.

The way I read the Dev C++ 'help' section on project types, you can use the Ctrl+N command to open a new file suitable for source code. And since it works just fine for everything else (*except* the C++ style comment symbols that is), I guess I figured that it was the right one to use.

Maybe I just need to open a console project from here on out, as it seems to work just fine?

TB

Code:

---

//      File:
//
//      Program Details:
//   
//      Author:
//
//      Date:
//


#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
     
  system("PAUSE");       
  return 0;
}

---

OK, I created the above file template to do the course "assignments" that are on the CD. I used a console application and it compiles just fine. So I guess I will just use this from now on--in place of the new source file option I described above.

I don't understand the parameters listed for the main() though--I understand that it returns an int type, and that it accepts both an int and a char. But the course I am working through hasn't discussed the argc or *argv[] parameters. Hopefully it will make sense soon enough; but it will sure be nice to use the C++ commenting characters.

Thanks for all the replies folks.

TB

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TCB

I don't understand the parameters listed for the main() though--I understand that it returns an int type, and that it accepts both an int and a char.

---

It actually accepts an int, and an array of pointer-to-null-terminated strings.

Arguments to main

Thank you Dante...nice link!

TB