C++ stringstream question, how can I make each line seperate - c++

I'm sorry the title may be inaccurate.I'm new to C++.
Here is my code and output...
#include <iostream>
#include <sstream>
using namespace std;
class LogLine {
private:
stringstream ss;
string message;
public:
~LogLine() {
ss << "\n";
message = ss.str();
cout << message;
message = "";
}
template <class T>
LogLine& operator<<(const T& thing) {
ss<< thing;
return *this;
}
LogLine& operator<<(std::ostream &(*manip)(std::ostream &)) {
manip(ss);
return *this;
}
};
int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
LogLine log;
cout<< "Line One"<<endl;
log << "I'm " << 25 << " years old...."<<endl;
cout<<"Line Two"<<endl;
log << "I " << "Live in " << " Houston....";
return 0;
}
Current output:
Line One
Line Two
I'm 25 years old....
I Live in Houston....
Desired output:
Line One
I'm 25 years old....
Line Two
I Live in Houston....
I hope in each line of "log" be able to detect the end of that line and print out current message, and then clean itself. I know the reason of current output, but I can't figure out how should I modify my code to get desired output.("endl" can be missing)
Thanks a lot for any comments.
As described above...

When I understand you correctly, you want to detect the end of the statement, where log is used, and then append a std::endl.
My solution is similar to that one of #MarekR, but it forces a line break, when log is not rebound:
It does not detect "\n" and flushes it to std::cout, that would be contra productive on parallel std::cout calls.
#include <iostream>
#include <sstream>
using std::cout;
using std::endl;
class LogLine {
std::stringstream ss;
public:
LogLine(LogLine&&) noexcept = default;
LogLine() = default;
~LogLine()
{
if(ss && ss.peek() != -1){
cout << ss.str() << std::endl;
}
}
template <class T>
friend LogLine operator<<(LogLine& lhs, const T& thing)
{
lhs.ss << thing;
return std::move(lhs);
}
template <class T>
friend LogLine&& operator<<(LogLine && lhs, const T& thing)
{
lhs.ss << thing;
return std::move(lhs);
}
LogLine&& operator<<(std::ostream& (*manip)(std::ostream&))
{
manip(ss);
return std::move(*this);
}
};
int main()
{
LogLine forced;
cout << "Line One" << endl;
forced << "I'm " << 25 << " years old....";
cout << "Line Two" << endl;
LogLine() << "I " << "Live in " << " Houston...." << endl << endl << endl;
forced << "forced 2";
std::cout << "End of the sausage" << std::endl;
return 0;
}
That what happens here is: every call to operator<< creates a temporary, which steals the resources of the original structure. Therefore, when it is not rebound, the destructor gets called directly after the line, flushing the stringstream.

Related

How to create a function to be used in an std::ostream or std::cout

Is there a way to create a function which you can use between two << operators in an ostream?
Let's assume the function's name is usd, and might look something like:
std::ostream& usd(std::ostream& os, int value) {
os << "$" << value << " USD";
return os;
}
Then I would like to use it like:
int a = 5;
std::cout << "You have: " << usd(a) << std::endl;
Which would print:
You have: $5 USD
I would prefer a solution without the need for a class.
If you must use a class I would prefer not to mention the class at all when using the usd function. (For example how the std::setw function works)
EDIT:
In my implementation I intend to use the std::hex function, the one described above was just a simplified example but probably shouldn't have.
std::ostream& hex(std::ostream& os, int value) {
os << "Hex: " << std::hex << value;
return os;
}
So I am not sure if a function returning a simple string is sufficient.
To obtain the usage you described:
int a = 5;
std::cout << "You have: " << usd(a) << std::endl;
You'd simply need usd(a) to return something that you have an ostream<< operator for, like a std::string, and no custom ostream<< operator is needed.
For example:
std::string usd(int amount)
{
return "$" + std::to_string(amount) + " USD";
}
You can write other functions to print in other currencies, or to convert between them, etc but if all you want to handle is USD, this would be sufficient.
If you used a class representing money, you could write an ostream<< for that class and you wouldn't need to call a function at all (given that your default ostream<< prints USD)
class Money
{
int amount;
};
std::ostream& usd(std::ostream& os, Money value) {
os << "$" << value.amount << " USD";
return os;
}
int main(int argc, char** argv)
{
Money a{5};
std::cout << "You have: " << a << std::endl; // Prints "You have: $5 USD"
return 0;
}
I don't know how to do this without a class. However, it is easy to do with a class.
struct usd {
int value;
constexpr usd(int val) noexcept : value(val) {}
};
std::ostream& operator<<(std::ostream& os, usd value) {
os << "$" << value.value << " USD";
return os;
}
for hex
struct hex {
int value;
constexpr hex(int val) noexcept : value(val) {}
};
std::ostream& operator<<(std::ostream& os, hex value) {
os << "Hex: " << std::hex << value.value;
return os;
}
usage
int a = 5;
std::cout << "You have: " << usd(a) << std::endl;
std::cout << "You have: " << hex(a) << std::endl;

How to add a custom prefix in a << operator for a custom object

Is there a way to add a custom prefix in the operator<< for an object that I implement?
Ex:
class A {
public:
std::string id;
int count;
};
std::ostream &operator<<(std::ostream &os, const A &a)
{
os << os.prefix() << "Id: " << a.id << "\n";
os << os.prefix() << "Count: " << a.count << "\n";
return os;
}
If I do something like this:
A a;
a.id = "foo";
a.count = 1;
std::cout << a << std::endl;
The output will be:
Id: foo
Count: 1
I want to do something like:
std::cout << set_prefix(" -") << a << std::endl;
std::cout << set_prefix("==>") << a << std::endl;
To get an output like this:
-Id: foo
-Count: 1
==>Id: foo
==>Count: 1
A suggestion is to use std::setfill and os.fill, but std::setfill takes a single char as an argument and I need a custom string instead.
Solution
Looking at operator<<(std::basic_ostream) documentation, I found this:
Before insertion, first, all characters are widened using
os.widen(), then padding is determined as follows: if the number of
characters to insert is less than os.width(), then enough copies of
os.fill() are added to the character sequence to make its length
equal os.width(). If (out.flags()&std::ios_base::adjustfield) ==
std::ios_base::left, the fill characters are added at the end of the
output sequence, otherwise they are added before the output sequence.
After insertion, width(0) is called to cancel the effects of
std::setw, if any.
So the solution that works for me was save the original width of stream at the beggining and than recovering them when necessary.
std::ostream &operator<<(std::ostream &os, const A &a)
{
auto w = os.width();
os << std::setw(w) << "" << "Id: " << a.id << "\n";
os << std::setw(w) << "" << "Count: " << a.count;
return os;
}
Then:
std::cout << a << std::endl;
std::cout << std::setw(4) << a << std::endl;
std::cout << std::setfill('>') << std::setw(2) << a << std::endl;
Gave the following output:
Id: foo
Count: 1
Id: foo
Count: 1
>>Id: foo
>>Count: 1
Maybe a bit of overkill, but you can use something like this:
#include <iostream>
#include <sstream>
struct line_buffered_stream {
std::ostream& out;
std::stringstream ss;
std::string prefix;
line_buffered_stream(std::ostream& out,std::string prefix) :
out(out),prefix(prefix) {}
template <typename T>
auto operator<<(const T& t) -> decltype(this->ss << t,*this) {
ss << t;
return *this;
}
~line_buffered_stream(){
std::string line;
while (std::getline(ss,line)){
out << prefix << line << "\n";
}
}
};
int main() {
line_buffered_stream(std::cout,"==>") << "a\nb\n";
line_buffered_stream(std::cout,"-->") << "a\nb\n";
}
output:
==>a
==>b
-->a
-->b
Live Demo
Note that the implementation above is not meant to be used as anything else than a temporary whose lifetime is restricted to a single line of code. If you dont like that you'd have to add some mechanism to flush the stream to std::cout not to wait till the destructor is called.
I do not know of any way to do this with a string, but if you are content with just a char, it looks like you can use std::setfill manipulator, and than in your overload use the fill character:
std::cout << std::setfill('-') << a << std::endl;
std::ostream &operator<<(std::ostream &os, const A &a)
{
os << os.fill() << "Id: " << a.id << "\n";
os << os.fill() << "Count: " << a.count << "\n";
return os;
}
I'm not a big fan of this because it uses a global variable but that does allow you to have other classes use this same method, they just have to write thier own operator << correctly. It also requires that you call set_prefix(""); when you want to clear the prefix from printing. That said it does allow you to prepend any string you want to the output.
namespace details
{
// we neeed this for tag dispatch
struct Prefix {};
// this will be used in the class(es) operator << for the line prefix
std::string prefix;
// allows set_prefix to be called in the output stream by eating it return and returning the stream as is
std::ostream& operator <<(std::ostream& os, const Prefix& prefix)
{
return os;
}
}
// set the prefix and return a type that allows this to be placed in the output stream
details::Prefix set_prefix(const std::string& prefix)
{
details::prefix = prefix;
return {};
}
class A {
public:
std::string id;
int count;
};
std::ostream &operator<<(std::ostream &os, const A &a)
{
os << details::prefix << "Id: " << a.id << "\n";
os << details::prefix << "Count: " << a.count << "\n";
return os;
}
int main()
{
A a;
a.id = "foo";
a.count = 1;
std::cout << a << std::endl;
std::cout << set_prefix(" -") << a << std::endl;
std::cout << set_prefix("==>") << a << std::endl;
}
Output:
Id: foo
Count: 1
-Id: foo
-Count: 1
==>Id: foo
==>Count: 1
There is a way to store custom data on a stream object, but it isn't pretty: the iword and pword interfaces.
stream_prefix.hpp:
#ifndef STREAM_PREFIX_HPP_
#define STREAM_PREFIX_HPP_
#include <utility>
#include <string>
#include <ostream>
namespace stream_prefix_details {
class set_prefix_helper {
public:
explicit set_prefix_helper(std::string prefix)
: m_prefix(std::move(prefix)) {}
private:
std::string m_prefix;
// These insertion operators can be found by Argument-Dependent Lookup.
friend std::ostream& operator<<(
std::ostream&, set_prefix_helper&&);
friend std::ostream& operator<<(
std::ostream&, const set_prefix_helper&);
};
}
// The set_prefix manipulator. Can be used as (os << set_prefix(str)).
inline auto set_prefix(std::string prefix)
-> stream_prefix_details::set_prefix_helper
{ return stream_prefix_details::set_prefix_helper{ std::move(prefix) }; }
// Get the prefix previously stored by (os << set_prefix(str)), or
// an empty string if none was set.
const std::string& get_prefix(std::ostream&);
#endif
stream_prefix.cpp:
#include <stream_prefix.hpp>
namespace stream_prefix_details {
int pword_index() {
static const int index = std::ios_base::xalloc();
return index;
}
void stream_callback(std::ios_base::event evt_type,
std::ios_base& ios, int)
{
if (evt_type == std::ios_base::erase_event) {
// The stream is being destroyed, or is about to copy data
// from another stream. Destroy the prefix, if it has one.
void*& pword_ptr = ios.pword(pword_index());
if (pword_ptr) {
delete static_cast<std::string*>(pword_ptr);
pword_ptr = nullptr;
}
} else if (evt_type == std::ios_base::copyfmt_event) {
// The stream just copied data from another stream.
// Make sure we don't have two streams owning the same
// prefix string.
void*& pword_ptr = ios.pword(pword_index());
if (pword_ptr)
pword_ptr =
new std::string(*static_cast<std::string*>(pword_ptr));
}
// Can ignore imbue_event events.
}
std::ostream& operator<<(std::ostream& os,
set_prefix_helper&& prefix_helper)
{
void*& pword_ptr = os.pword(pword_index());
if (pword_ptr)
*static_cast<std::string*>(pword_ptr) =
std::move(prefix_helper.m_prefix);
else {
os.register_callback(stream_callback, 0);
pword_ptr = new std::string(std::move(prefix_helper.m_prefix));
}
return os;
}
std::ostream& operator<<(std::ostream& os,
const set_prefix_helper& prefix_helper)
{
void*& pword_ptr = os.pword(pword_index());
if (pword_ptr)
*static_cast<std::string*>(pword_ptr) = prefix_helper.m_prefix;
else {
os.register_callback(stream_callback, 0);
pword_ptr = new std::string(prefix_helper.m_prefix);
}
return os;
}
}
const std::string& get_prefix(std::ostream& os)
{
void* pword_ptr = os.pword(stream_prefix_details::pword_index());
if (pword_ptr)
return *static_cast<std::string*>(pword_ptr);
else {
// This string will never be destroyed, but it's just one object.
// This avoids the Static Destruction Order Fiasco.
static const std::string* const empty_str = new const std::string;
return *empty_str;
}
}
Usage:
#include <iostream>
#include <stream_prefix.hpp>
class A {
public:
std::string id;
int count;
};
std::ostream &operator<<(std::ostream &os, const A &a)
{
os << get_prefix(os) << "Id: " << a.id << "\n";
os << get_prefix(os) << "Count: " << a.count << "\n";
return os;
}
int main() {
A a;
a.id = "foo";
a.count = 1;
std::cout << a << std::endl;
std::cout << set_prefix("==> ") << a << std::endl;
}
Full working demo here.
Note this set_prefix manipulator is "sticky", meaning the setting will remain on the stream after use, like most of the standard manipulators except for std::setw. If you want it to reset after you're done outputting an A object description, just add os << set_prefix(std::string{}); to the operator<< function.
This works, but it is very, very ugly and terrible code.
Couple of issues:
- operator<< has to be defined outside of the class, because you want to take in class A as the rhs argument, instead of invoking it like A::operator<<() - and actually taking in a second A class as an argument.
- cout cannot deal with a void output, so because you insist on chaining setting the prefix with the cout commant, it has to return an empty string object.
- If you don't want the prefix to be remembered, just do prefix.clear() at the end of the operator<< definition.
class A
{
public:
std::string id;
std::string prefix;
int count;
std::string set_prefix(const std::string& inp)
{
prefix = inp;
return std::string();
}
std::string get_prefix() const
{
return prefix;
}
};
std::ostream &operator<<(std::ostream &os, const A &input)
{
os << input.get_prefix() << "Id: " << input.id << "\n";
os << input.get_prefix() << "Count: " << input.count << "\n";
return os;
}
int main()
{
A class1;
class1.id = "test";
class1.count = 5;
std::cout << class1.set_prefix(" -") << class1; // endl removed, as your operator<< definition already has a "\n" at the end.
std::cout << class1.set_prefix("==>") << class1;
}

overload << operator and pass parameters to std::cout

I would like to create a class for logging purposes which will behave like std::cout, but will automatically insert additional information to the stream.
a sample usage that I want would be something like (lets not care about object and context type for now, just assume they are std::string) :
Logger l;
l << "Event with object : " << obj << " while in context : " << context;
Then the output would be :
[timestamp] Event with object : [obj_desc] while in context : [this context][eol][flush]
I've been trying with :
template<typename T>
Logger& operator << (const T& msg){
std::cout << timestamp() << msg << std::endl << std::flush;
return *this;
}
but it seems that std::cout cannot resolve the typename T and fails to output a std::string for example while segfaulting.
A possible solution would be to overload this for all types, but this is rather annoying and time consuming.
Is there a better option to decorate std::cout output with more information?
Edit :
I do realize now that endl and flush will be appended to every message which kind of defeat the purpose, but I'm still interested in the general idea. I care more about the monadic syntax to append an arbitrary number of messages than the <<overload
The reason your code does not work is because you have not implemented operator<< for everything you want to pass to it.
This statement:
Logger l;
l << "Event with object : " << obj << " while in context : " << context;
Is basically doing this (assuming operator<< is a member of Logger, which your implementation implies it is):
Logger l;
l.operator<<("Event with object : ").operator<<(obj).operaator<<(" while in context : ").operator<<(context);
So, you need separate overloads of operator<< for string, obj, context, etc. And you need a way to indicate when to flush the complete log message to std::cout.
I would suggest something more like this:
struct LoggerStream
{
std::ostringstream strm;
struct Timestamp
{
};
~LoggerStream()
{
std::string s = strm.str();
if (!s.empty())
std::cout << s << std::flush;
}
LoggerStream& operator<< (const Timestamp &t)
{
strm << "[timestamp] "; // format this however you need
return *this;
}
LoggerStream& operator<< (const object &obj)
{
strm << "[obj_desc]"; // format this however you need
return *this;
}
LoggerStream& operator<< (const context &ctx)
{
strm << "[this context]"; // format this however you need
return *this;
}
LoggerStream& operator<< (std::ostream&(*f)(std::ostream&))
{
if (f == (std::basic_ostream<char>& (*)(std::basic_ostream<char>&)) &std::flush)
{
std::string s = strm.str();
if (!s.empty())
std::cout << s << std::flush;
strm.str("");
strm.clear();
}
else
strm << f;
return *this;
}
template<typename T>
LoggerStream& operator<< (const T& value)
{
strm << value;
return *this;
}
};
class Logger
{
LoggerStream getStream()
{
LoggerStream strm;
strm << Timestamp;
return strm;
}
};
Then you can do things like this:
Logger l;
l.getStream() << "Event with object : " << obj << " while in context : " << context;
...
l.getStream() << "Event with object : " << obj << " while in context : " << context;
...
Logger l;
LoggerStream strm = l.getStream();
strm << "Event with object : " << obj << " while in context : " << context << std::flush;
...
strm << Logger::Timestamp << "Event with object : " << obj << " while in context : " << context << std::flush;
...
Alternatively:
struct Logger
{
std::ostringstream strm;
~Logger()
{
std::string s = strm.str();
if (!s.empty())
std::cout << "[timestamp] " << s << std::flush;
}
Logger& operator<< (const object &obj)
{
strm << "[obj_desc]"; // format this however you need
return *this;
}
Logger& operator<< (const context &ctx)
{
strm << "[this context]"; // format this however you need
return *this;
}
Logger& operator<< (std::ostream&(*f)(std::ostream&))
{
if (f == (std::basic_ostream<char>& (*)(std::basic_ostream<char>&)) &std::flush)
{
std::string s = strm.str();
if (!s.empty())
std::cout << "[timestamp] " << s << std::flush;
strm.str("");
strm.clear();
}
else
strm << f;
return *this;
}
template<typename T>
Logger& operator<< (const T& value)
{
strm << value;
return *this;
}
};
Logger() << "Event with object : " << obj << " while in context : " << context;
...
Logger() << "Event with object : " << obj << " while in context : " << context;
...
Logger l;
l << "Event with object : " << obj << " while in context : " << context << std::flush;
...
l << "Event with object : " << obj << " while in context : " << context << std::flush;
...
You can certainly overload the stream classes if you want, providing operator<< for all the data types you want to support (and that's probably the "correct" way to go) but, if all you're after is a quick way to add logging to a regular stream, there a simpler way:
#include <iostream>
#include <iomanip>
#include <sstream>
#include <ctime>
#include <unistd.h>
#define logcout std::cout << timestamp()
std::string timestamp(void) {
time_t now = time(0);
struct tm *tmx = localtime(&now);
std::ostringstream oss;
oss << '['
<< (tmx->tm_year+1900)
<< '-'
<< std::setfill('0') << std::setw(2) << (tmx->tm_mon+1)
<< '-'
<< std::setfill('0') << std::setw(2) << (tmx->tm_mday)
<< ' '
<< std::setfill('0') << std::setw(2) << (tmx->tm_hour)
<< ':'
<< std::setfill('0') << std::setw(2) << (tmx->tm_min)
<< ':'
<< std::setfill('0') << std::setw(2) << (tmx->tm_sec)
<< "] ";
return oss.str();
}
int main (int argc, char *argv[]) {
logcout << "A slightly\n";
sleep (5);
logcout << "sneaky" << " solution\n";
return 0;
}
which outputs:
[2015-05-26 13:37:04] A slightly
[2015-05-26 13:37:09] sneaky solution
Don't be fooled by the size of the code, I just provided a complete compilable sample for testing. The crux of the matter is the single line:
#define logcout std::cout << timestamp()
where you can then use logcout instead of std::cout, and every occurrence prefixes the stream contents with an arbitrary string (the timestamp in this case, which accounts for the bulk of the code).
It's not what I would call the most pure C++ code but, if your needs are basically what you stated, it'll certainly do the trick.

C++ cout auto separator

I am wondering if there is way that std::cout automatically will insert some predefined value between printed sequences.
For example:
std::cout << 2 << 3 << 33 << 45 << std::endl;
outputs
233345
and I would like it to output
2 3 33 45
and I know, that it's easy to:
std::cout << 2 << " " << 3 << " " << 33 << " " << 45 << std::endl;
But I'am wondering if there is a way to automate this, such as:
std::cout << set_some_separator(" ") << 2 << 3 << 33 << 45 << std::endl;
Anyone aware of something like this being possible?
Well, I got beaten to it. I'll post this anyway.
Edit : well, after reading Nim's answer, mine does achieve the exact syntax OP wished for.
#include <iostream>
#include <algorithm>
struct with_separator {
with_separator(std::string sep)
: sep(std::move(sep)) {}
std::string sep;
};
struct separated_stream {
separated_stream(std::ostream &stream, std::string sep)
: _stream(stream), _sep(std::move(sep)), _first(true) {}
template <class Rhs>
separated_stream &operator << (Rhs &&rhs) {
if(_first)
_first = false;
else
_stream << _sep;
_stream << std::forward<Rhs>(rhs);
return *this;
}
separated_stream &operator << (std::ostream &(*manip)(std::ostream&)) {
manip(_stream);
return *this;
}
private:
std::ostream &_stream;
std::string _sep;
bool _first;
};
separated_stream operator << (std::ostream &stream, with_separator wsep) {
return separated_stream(stream, std::move(wsep.sep));
}
int main()
{
std::cout << with_separator(", ") << 1 << 2 << 3 << std::endl;
}
Output :
1, 2, 3
Simple answer is No, however, you can roll your own...
#include <iostream>
#include <sstream>
using namespace std;
struct set_some_separator{
set_some_separator(const char* sep) : _sep(sep)
{ };
template <typename T>
set_some_separator& operator<<(const T& v)
{
_str << v << _sep;
return *this;
}
friend
ostream& operator<<(ostream& os, const set_some_separator& s)
{ return os << s._str.str(); }
const char* _sep;
ostringstream _str;
};
int main()
{
cout << (set_some_separator(" ") << 2 << 3 << 33 << 45) << endl;
}
Okay the format of the cout is slightly different, hey-ho...
Not quite the same thing, but:
#include <array>
#include <iostream>
#include <iterator>
int main() {
std::array<int, 3> data = { 1, 2, 3 };
std::ostream_iterator<int> out(std::cout, " ");
std::copy(data.begin(), data.end(), out);
std::cout << '\n';
return 0;
}
How about using the ostream_iterator
int main()
{
std::vector<int> data {2,3,33,45};
std::copy(std::begin(data), std::end(data),
std::ostream_iterator(std::cout, " "));
std::cout << "\n";
}
A C++17 fold expression with the comma operator can create a nice one-liner:
[](auto &&...xs){ ((std::cout << xs << ',') , ...); }(2,3,33,45);
Simple solution, maybe you can tweak it to use <<
template<typename T>
void myout(T value)
{
std::cout << value << std::endl;
}
template<typename First, typename ... Rest>
void myout(First first, Rest ... rest)
{
std::cout << first << " ";
myout(rest...);
}
myout('a',"Hello",1,2,3,22/7.0);
If you're just looking for a way to print a vector with its elements properly delimited (and without an extra delimiter at the end), try this:
#include <iostream>
#include <vector>
int main()
{
std::vector<int> v{1, 2, 3};
auto it = v.begin();
if (it != v.end())
{
std::cout << *it;
++it;
}
for (; it != v.end(); ++it)
{
std::cout << ", " << *it;
}
}

c++ simple stream manipulation with ostream and istream?

I have been looking for a solution but couldn't find what I need/want.
All I want to do is pass a stream intended for std::cout to a function, which manipulates it. What I have used so far is a template function:
template<typename T>
void printUpdate(T a){
std::cout << "blabla" << a << std::flush;
}
int main( int argc, char** argv ){
std::stringstream str;
str << " hello " << 1 + 4 << " goodbye";
printUpdate<>( str.str() );
return 0;
}
What I would prefer is something like:
printUpdate << " hello " << 1 + 4 << " goodbye";
or
std::cout << printUpdate << " hello " << 1 + 4 << " goodbye";
I was trying to do:
void printUpdate(std::istream& a){
std::cout << "blabla" << a << std::flush;
}
but that gave me:
error: invalid operands of types ‘void(std::istream&) {aka void(std::basic_istream<char>&)}’ and ‘const char [5]’ to binary ‘operator<<’
You can't output data to an input stream, just not a good thing to do.
Change:
void printUpdate(std::istream& a){
std::cout << "blabla" << a << std::flush;
}
To:
void printUpdate(std::ostream& a){
std::cout << "blabla" << a << std::flush;
}
Note the stream type change.
Edit 1:
Also, you can't output a stream to another stream, at least std::cout.
The return value of << a is a type ostream.
The cout stream doesn't like being fed another stream.
Change to:
void printUpdate(std::ostream& a)
{
static const std::string text = "blabla";
std::cout << text << std::flush;
a << text << std::flush;
}
Edit 2:
You need to pass a stream to a function requiring a stream.
You can't pass a string to a function requiring a stream.
Try this:
void printUpdate(std::ostream& out, const std::string& text)
{
std::cout << text << std::flush;
out << text << std::flush;
}
int main(void)
{
std::ofstream my_file("test.txt");
printUpdate(my_file, "Apples fall from trees.\n");
return 0;
}
Chaining Output Streams
If you want to chain things to the output stream, like results from functions, the functions either have to return a printable (streamable object) or the same output stream.
Example:
std::ostream& Fred(std::ostream& out, const std::string text)
{
out << "--Fred-- " << text;
return out;
}
int main(void)
{
std::cout << "Hello " << Fred("World!\n");
return 0;
}