Array, Function, and Loop - In Sync, not the boy band

[joel++]

Hi DevX community,

This is my first post!

I'm a beginner programmer in C++ and I'm having trouble with integrating a struct array and loop with a function - by the way, this is a lab project for school. The objective is to create a small contact database for a class and includes the following:
(1) create an array for 3 records
(2) create a function using a loop to prompt user console input for the 3 records
(3) create a function to output the three records

I first developed the program with out functions, and it ran fine. I then was able to get the output into a function; however, I ran into trouble when putting the user input into a function.

I understand array values may be initialized like so:

Student a = {"George Washington", 7065 lancaster ct, Dublin...};

My idea, which isn't working, was to call a function from a loop, put the function input into a struct variable, x, and then return it to the array initialization in the loop. Here is the basic idea behind my failing trial:

struct arrayExample
{
  string name;
  string address;
  int zip;
}

arrayExample getRecords(arrayExample& x)
{
  cout << "Name: ";
  getline(cin, x.name);

  cout << "Address: ";
  getline(cin, x.address);

  cout << "Zip: ";
  cin >> x.zip;
  cin.ignore(1000, 10);

  return x;
}

int main()
{
  const int SIZE = 3;
  Student a[SIZE];
  int i;
  
  cout << "==== Student Data Entery ====" << endl;
  for (i = 0; i < SIZE; i++)
  {
    cout << endl;
    cout << "//Student " << i + 1 << "/3" << endl;
    Student s = getRecords();
    a[i] = {s};
  }

  return 0;
}

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Compiler: GNU through console on Mac OS X
Errors given:
students.cpp:16: error: too few arguments to function ‘Student getRecords(Student&)’
students.cpp:69: error: at this point in file
students.cpp:70: error: expected primary-expression before ‘{’ token
students.cpp:70: error: expected `;' before ‘{’ token

Here is the complete code:

#include <string>
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

struct Student
{
  string name;
  string address;
  string city;
  int zip;
  char gender;
  int id;
  float gpa;
}; // Student

Student getRecords(Student& x)
{
    cout << "Name: ";
    getline(cin, x.name);

    cout << "Address: ";
    getline(cin, x.address);

    cout << "City: ";
    getline(cin, x.city);

    cout << "Zip: ";
    cin >> x.zip;
    cin.ignore(1000, 10);

    cout << "Gender [m/f]: ";
    cin >> x.gender;
    cin.ignore(1000, 10);

    cout << "ID: ";
    cin >> x.id;
    cin.ignore(1000, 10);

    cout << "GPA: ";
    cin >> x.gpa;
    cin.ignore(1000, 10);

    return x;
}

void printRecords(Student& t)
{
  cout << endl;
  cout << "#Name: " << t.name << endl;
  cout << "#Address: " << t.address << endl;
  cout << "#City: " << t.city << endl;
  cout << "#Zip: " << t.zip << endl;
  cout << "#Gender: " << t.gender << endl;
  cout << "#ID: " << t.id << endl;
  cout << "#GPA: " << t.gpa << endl;
}

int main()
{
  const int SIZE = 3;
  Student a[SIZE];
  int i;
  
  cout << "==== Student Data Entery ====" << endl;
  for (i = 0; i < SIZE; i++)
  {
    cout << endl;
    cout << "//Student " << i + 1 << "/3" << endl;
    Student s = getRecords();
    a[i] = {s};
  }

  cout << endl;
  
  cout << "==== Student Records ====" << endl;
  for (i = 0; i < SIZE; i++)
  {
    Student outPrint = {a[i].name, a[i].address, a[i].city, a[i].zip, a[i].gender, a[i].id, a[i].gpa};
    printRecords(outPrint);
  }
  cout << endl;

  return 0;
}

[Nicky2k8]

Ok firstly your first mistake is here ...

Student getRecords(Student &x)

Because you are then using the function like "GetRecord()" but its expecting the struc to be put inside it. What you could do though is this ...

struct Student
{
  string name;
  string address;
  string city;
  int zip;
  char gender;
  int id;
  float gpa;
} x; // Student

Student getRecords()
{

    cout << "Name: ";
    getline(cin, x.name);

    cout << "Address: ";
    getline(cin, x.address);

    cout << "City: ";
    getline(cin, x.city);

    cout << "Zip: ";
    cin >> x.zip;
    cin.ignore(1000, 10);

    cout << "Gender [m/f]: ";
    cin >> x.gender;
    cin.ignore(1000, 10);

    cout << "ID: ";
    cin >> x.id;
    cin.ignore(1000, 10);

    cout << "GPA: ";
    cin >> x.gpa;
    cin.ignore(1000, 10);

    return x;
}

And your second program is let me check ...

Haha!

Here ...

a[i] = {s};

You don't put {s} you just put "s". Heres the full working code.

#include <string>
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

struct Student
{
  string name;
  string address;
  string city;
  int zip;
  char gender;
  int id;
  float gpa;
} x; // Student

Student getRecords()
{

    cout << "Name: ";
    getline(cin, x.name);

    cout << "Address: ";
    getline(cin, x.address);

    cout << "City: ";
    getline(cin, x.city);

    cout << "Zip: ";
    cin >> x.zip;
    cin.ignore(1000, 10);

    cout << "Gender [m/f]: ";
    cin >> x.gender;
    cin.ignore(1000, 10);

    cout << "ID: ";
    cin >> x.id;
    cin.ignore(1000, 10);

    cout << "GPA: ";
    cin >> x.gpa;
    cin.ignore(1000, 10);

    return x;
}

void printRecords(Student& t)
{
  cout << endl;
  cout << "#Name: " << t.name << endl;
  cout << "#Address: " << t.address << endl;
  cout << "#City: " << t.city << endl;
  cout << "#Zip: " << t.zip << endl;
  cout << "#Gender: " << t.gender << endl;
  cout << "#ID: " << t.id << endl;
  cout << "#GPA: " << t.gpa << endl;
}

int main()
{
  const int SIZE = 3;
  Student a[SIZE];
  int i;

  cout << "==== Student Data Entery ====" << endl;
  for (i = 0; i < SIZE; i++)
  {
    cout << endl;
    cout << "//Student " << i + 1 << "/3" << endl;
    Student s = getRecords();
    a[i] = s;
  }

  cout << endl;

  cout << "==== Student Records ====" << endl;
  for (i = 0; i < SIZE; i++)
  {
    Student outPrint = {a[i].name, a[i].address, a[i].city, a[i].zip, a[i].gender, a[i].id, a[i].gpa};
    printRecords(outPrint);
  }
  cout << endl;

  return 0;
}

- Nicky

[joel++]

Nicky, thank you so much for the reply. Yes, it works!

Though, I have several questions. I noticed you placed an x after the struct, i.e.:

struct Student
{
  string name;
  string address;
  string city;
  int zip;
  char gender;
  int id;
  float gpa;
} x; // Student

This is something I haven't seen before; again, I'm new to this. I also noticed it works when declaring an array (is that the correct terminology?) within the getRecords function.

Student getRecords()
{
  Student x;

  cout << "Name: ";
  getline(cin, x.name);

  cout << "Address: ";
  getline(cin, x.address);
  ...
  ...
}

I'm still trying to grasp this. I assume placing the x after the struct is another efficient way of creating an array?

Thanks again!

[Nicky2k8]

I'm not sure what you mean. Doing this ...

struct Student
{
  string name;
  string address;
  string city;
  int zip;
  char gender;
  int id;
  float gpa;
} x; // Student

is the same as ...

struct Student
{
  string name;
  string address;
  string city;
  int zip;
  char gender;
  int id;
  float gpa;
}; // Student

Student x;

It just looks cleaner thats all. You can also do mutiple ones ...

struct Student
{

  int zip;
  char gender;
  int id;
  float gpa;
} x, y, b[1], etc; // Student

Does that help?

[joel++]

It certainly helps - thank you so much!

[jonnin]

I will say that IMO it is cleaner to do

student x;
than to lump it onto the class/struct creation. There is a reason you rarely see

class cl
{
...
} x,y,z;

No one does this, but somehow its ok when its a struct (and, the difference between class and struct is small).


I would stick to making your structs look like classes so the style is more consistent.