how to loop a program from the start

could somebody please give me an idea of how i should loop my progam ive looked through the tutorials and when i try to get my program to loop it gives error messages here is my code

Code:

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// PROGRAM TO WORK MATERIALS OUT FOR A CEILING

#include <iostream>
 
using namespace std;

int main()
{
char option;
float long_wall;
float short_wall;
int atile, btile, totaltile;
float runnersinglerow, rowsofrunner,totalrunner;
float a1200, b1200, total1200;
float a600, b600, total600;
 
cout<< "please enter the the length of the longest wall if the\n";
cout<<" sofit is concerete otherwise enter the length of the wall\n";
cout<<"opposite the joists.please note always round up\n";
cin>>long_wall;
cin.ignore();

cout<< "now enter the lenght of the other wall.\n";
cin>>short_wall;
cin.ignore();

runnersinglerow=long_wall/3600;
rowsofrunner=short_wall/1200;
totalrunner=runnersinglerow*rowsofrunner;
cout<<"you will need... "<<totalrunner<<" runners\n";
a1200=(long_wall/600)+0.5;
b1200=(short_wall/1200);
total1200=a1200*b1200;
cout<<"you will need... "<<total1200<<" 1200 bars\n";
a600=long_wall/1200;
b600=short_wall/1200+0.5;
total600=a600*b600*2;
cout<<"you will need... "<<total600<<" 600 bars\n";
atile=long_wall/600+1;
btile=short_wall/600+1;
totaltile=atile*btile;
cout<<"you will need... "<<totaltile<<" tiles\n";
cout<<"dont forget to round the numbers up as i cant do it yet\n";
cin.get();
cout<<"do you want to try another?\n";
cout<<"y\n";

}

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its a program to make my work easier but it will be more ecconomic if i can keep it open and ready to accept a new job.
the char option is left over from when i tried to get a yes/no loop. thank you in advance

http://www.cprogramming.com/tutorial/lesson3.html

ahh ill try that i used a do while loop for some strange reason thank you :)

You can use a 'while' loop. For example:

Code:

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while(true)
{
    cout << "Enter your name:"
    cin >> blah;

    if(blah=="exit")
    {
            break;
    }
}

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You can use the 'break' keyword to break the loop.

Code:

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while(true)
{
    cout << "Enter your name:"
    cin >> blah;

    if(blah=="exit")
    {
            break;
    }
}

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Why wasting while loop condition?

It should be like this:

Code:

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do
{
    cout << "Enter your name:"
    cin >> blah;

 
}while(!blah); //Note the ;

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[EDIT]
A better way can be:

Code:

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bool YesNo(char* prompt)
{
      cout << prompt;
      char yesno;
      cin.ignore(cin.rdbuf()->in_avail());
      yesno = cin.get();
      cin.ignore(cin.rdbuf()->in_avail());
      return(yesno == 'Y' || yesno == 'y');
}
int main(){
      do{

            //Your program

      }while(YesNo("Restart? (Y / Any key) "));
     
      return 0;
}

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Well, there are many ways to go about doing this, that was just my way. Don't bash it by saying it's wrong, because it's not.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by siavoshkc

Code:

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while(true)
{
    cout << "Enter your name:"
    cin >> blah;

    if(blah=="exit")
    {
            break;
    }
}

---

Why wasting while loop condition?

It should be like this:

Code:

---

do
{
    cout << "Enter your name:"
    cin >> blah;

 
}while(!blah); //Note the ;

---

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SiavoshKC, I don't see any reason, why it's better than while loop.

Quote:

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I don't see any reason, why it's better than while loop.

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It's shorter, more understandable, doesn't make a warning in MSVC 2005 (v8.0) and not bug prone. You should exit a loop by its own condition and try not using break inside it where possible.

[I edited last post]

They both work, and get the job done, nothing more to talk about. Who cares if it's .000001 second faster, if it does what you want it to do, then be happy! :)

Maxorator, the two given methods are identical once compiled. Either method is perfectly valid and it comes down to the situation in which you require the specified loop. In your case it would be a much wiser idea to use siavoshkc's do...while loop as it logically fits the program better.

The thing to remember is do...while loops are always executed at least once. At the end of the loop the while statement is tested and returns if necessary to the top of the loop. This is different from a while loop which first checks its condition and then executes its code (Sentral's example). Siavoshkc points out that Sentral's example doesn't make sense in this case purely because of the redundancy of checking while(true) at the beginning of the loop.

Also, while it is good to avoid breaks if not necessary, they do have their places so do not completely shun them away. Break statements (along with the continue statement) are especially useful for error-checking conditions inside of a loop so as to avoid execution of any further instructions.

Quote:

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They both work, and get the job done, nothing more to talk about. Who cares if it's .000001 second faster, if it does what you want it to do, then be happy!

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So you say it is not important how to write the code, it should just get the job done. Right?
It is a small problem for small projects and a big trouble in big projects.

Quote:

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So you say it is not important how to write the code, it should just get the job done. Right?

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Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying. Sure there are better ways, but finding a way that works is half the fun (and the most important).

hey guys thank you for your help.
i tried the do while loop but an error happend said expected a while before the second cout? i will try again with the ways you have told me and thank you again :)

Quote:

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i tried the do while loop but an error happend said expected a while before the second cout? i will try again with the ways you have told me and thank you again

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Post your code.