Newbie with a dynamic problem

[Popplewell]

I am just starting a computing course and have been doing an assignment on dynamic arrays. I have some code but i don't see where I am going wrong, if someone could show me the error of my ways i would be really greatful. Any advice will be much appreciated.
It's a phone book entry system that needs a number of entry's then be able to search for a name and present its phone number or an unavailable message.

//Data Strucures Assignment 1

#include <iostream.h>
#include <cstring.h>
#include <conio.h>


struct contact{
 string name;
 string number;
              };

 void main(){
 struct contact *entry;
 int i,number;
 char namesearch;
 char c;
 cout<<"How many entrys? ";
 cin>>number;
 cin.get(c);
 entry = new struct contact[number];

 for(i=1;i<number;i++){
 cout<<"Name ";
 getline(cin, entry[i].name);
 cout<<"Phone number ";
 cin>>entry[i].number;
 cin.get(c);
                           };
 clrscr();
 for (i=1;i<number;i++);
 cout<<entry[i].name<<" "<<entry[i].number<<endl;

 cout<<"Search for a contact: "<<endl;
 cout<<"(Press Z to stop) Contact Name: ";
 cin.getline(namesearch);
 while (char(namesearch, "Z")<0);{
 clrscr();
 string(entry[0].name = namesearch);
 i = number;
 while (char(entry[i].name = namesearch) !=0)
 i--;
 if (i==0)
 cout<<"Not available"<<endl;
 cout<<"Press enter to search again";
 cin.get(c);
 }
 else
 {
 cout<<"Conatact Name: "<<entry[i].name<<endl;
 cout<<"Phone Number: "<<entry[i].number<<endl;
 cout<<"Press enter to search again";
 cin.get(c);
 }
 clrscr();
 cout<<"Search for a contact "<<endl;
 cout<<"(Press Z to stop) Contact Name: "<<endl;
 cin.getline(namesearch);
 }

Thanks for your time x

[Popplewell]

Am I posting in th wrong place??? I am not a seasoned poster.

[Valmont]

Originally Posted by Popplewell

Am I posting in th wrong place??? I am not a seasoned poster.

No, but you should use the [code] tags.
Read the sticky topic on rules and such.
About the Standard C++ Forum

[Valmont]

Wait a minute. What do you want to use?
C or C++?

[Valmont]

In the mean time, here is a starter. See if it is any use to you.

#include <iostream>
#include <cstring>
#include <conio.h>
#include <cstdlib>

//--
using std::cout;
using std::cin;
using std::endl;
using std::getline;
using std::string;
//--

struct Contact
{
  string name;
  string number;
};

int main()
{  
  std::size_t RecordSize = 3;
  /*cout<<"Enter number of Contact entries: ";
  cin>>RecordSize;
  cin.get();*/

  Contact* ContactRecord = new Contact[RecordSize];
  
  /*for(std::size_t i = 0; i < RecordSize; ++i)
  {
    cout<<"Enter Name: ";
    getline(cin, ContactRecord[i].name);
    cout<<"Phone number ";
    cin>>ContactRecord[i].number;
    cin.get();
  }*/
  ContactRecord[0].name = "Val"; ContactRecord[0].number = "123";
  ContactRecord[1].name = "Alex"; ContactRecord[1].number = "456";
  ContactRecord[2].name = "Val"; ContactRecord[2].number = "789";
  
  system("cls");  
  
  //Let's review all Contact Records.
  cout<<"Current Contact Records:"<<endl;
  for (std::size_t i = 0; i < RecordSize; ++i)
  {
    cout<<ContactRecord[i].name<<" "<<ContactRecord[i].number<<endl;
  }
  
  char MenuController ;
  string ContactName;
  bool FoundContacts(false);
  //Contact lookup menu loop.
  while(true)
  {
    cout<<endl;
    cout<<"Would you like to lookup a contact (y = yes, other = no)?"<<endl;
    cin.get(MenuController); 
    cin.get();
    system("cls");

    if(MenuController != 'y')
    {
      //User does not want to lookup contacts: exit contact lookup menu loop.
      break;
    }
    //User wants to lookup contacts.
    cout<<"Enter the name of the contact."<<endl;
    getline(cin, ContactName);
    for(std::size_t i = 0; i < RecordSize; ++i)
    {
      if(ContactRecord[i].name == ContactName)
      {
        FoundContacts = true;
        cout<<"Found match in record "<<i+1<<": "<<ContactName<<" - "
          <<ContactRecord[i].number<<endl;
      }
    }  
      if(FoundContacts == false)
      {
        cout<<"No contacts found with the specified name."<<endl;
      }
      FoundContacts = false;
  }
  //Free the memory resources. Observe square brackets in delete[].
  delete[] ContactRecord;
  return 0;
}

[Popplewell]

Many thanks! You're a star! I'm going to try it out later today

[Popplewell]

I got home to look at it properly, and it's too complicated for me! Rats! Thanks again for your time though

[Valmont]

Originally Posted by Popplewell

I got home to look at it properly, and it's too complicated for me! Rats! Thanks again for your time though

Take it step by step. Grow in it. C++ code is hard to understand in general.

[redhead]

Originally Posted by Valmont

C++ code is hard to understand in general.

Any programming language is hard to understand, untill you get some grasp of it.

[Valmont]

I've never seen such tricky languages as C and C++.
In fact, when I encountered C for the first time (pre ansi stuff), I was so horryfied, I skipped it and stayed with Pascal. Then I did VB. And muuch later I finally did C++ for reasons of design and it was the only language I could promote to my boss. Otherwise I would have taken Ruby.

The final result is that I am still a C newb. LOL.

[redhead]

Thats funny, I have the exact opposite.. (If I don't count ML and Lisp) C/C++ was the easiest to get used to, but that could be the fact that I started out with ML/Lisp then C/C++ and then came the other languages, so some of the knowledge from C was transfered and compared with everything that came after C/C++.
So my angle on it could have been, Why can't I do it like I normaly would in C....

[Valmont]

Well, it's where your priorities are. If your employer gives you a hint, then suddenly you can C++ too .
Same goes for me with C. Luckily that won't happen where I am now, but I don't know what's coming up.

[Popplewell]

Thanks for the words of wisdom!!