Why aren't the words getting calculated properly in C++? - c++

Question

I was creating the program for my friend who is interested in numerology and wants a way to calculate the value of words faster. But even though there are no errors and/or warnings, but the words' values aren't being calculated correctly. For example, "mark" has a value of 9, but the program shows 2. If you can figure out what the problem is, then pls help me. Thank you so much!
My Code:
#include <iostream>
#include <string>
int value{0};
void clear();
int main(void)
{
int number{0};
std::string response;
bool run = true;
while (run)
{
clear();
value = 0;
number = 1;
response = "";
std::cout << "How many words to evalute?:\n> ";
std::cin >> number;
std::cin.ignore();
clear();
std::string* pPhrase = new std::string[number];
int* pValue = new int[number];
for (int i = 0; i < number; ++i) // could replace "number" with "sizeof(pPhrase)/sizeof(pPhrase[0])"
{
std::cout << "Enter Word #" << i+1 << " (or type your full phrase):\n> ";
std::cin >> pPhrase[i];
for (char j : pPhrase[i])
{
value = 0;
j = std::tolower(j);
if (j == 'a' || j == 'i' || j == 'j'
|| j == 'q' || j == 'y')
value += 1;
if (j == 'b' || j == 'k' || j == 'r')
value += 2;
if (j == 'c' || j == 'g' || j == 'l'
|| j == 's')
value += 3;
if (j == 'd' || j == 'm' || j == 't')
value += 4;
if (j == 'e' || j == 'h' || j == 'n'
|| j == 'x')
value += 5;
if (j == 'u' || j == 'v' || j == 'w')
value += 6;
if (j == 'o' || j == 'z')
value += 7;
if (j == 'f' || j == 'p')
value += 8;
pValue[i] = value;
value = 0;
std::cout << '\n';
clear();
}
}
std::cin.ignore();
std::cin.clear();
std::cout << "\n\n";
for (int i = 0; i < number; ++i)
std::cout << "Value of \"" << pPhrase[i] << "\": " << pValue[i] << '\n';
//std::cin.ignore();
std::cin.clear();
std::cout << "Would you like to evaluate another phrase? (Y/n):\n> ";
std::getline(std::cin, response);
delete[] pPhrase;
delete[] pValue;
if (response[0] == 'y' || response[0] == 'Y'
|| response.empty() || response[0] == ' ')
{
std::cout << "\n\n";
continue;
}
break;
}
std::cout << "Exiting...";
system("killall Terminal");
std::cout << "\n\n\n";
return 0;
}
void clear()
{
system("clear");
}

Answer 1

You could make your program run faster by using a lookup table:
static const int table[26] = {
/* a */ 1, /* b */ 2, /* c */ 3, /* d */ 4, /* e */ 5,
/* f */ 8, /* g */ 3, /* h */ 5, /* i */ 1, /* j */ 1,
/* k */ 2, /* l */ 3, /* m */ 4, /* n */ 5, /* o */ 7,
/* p */ 8, /* q */ 1, /* r */ 2, /* s */ 3, /* t */ 4,
/* u */ 6, /* v */ 6, /* w */ 6, /* x */ 5, /* y */ 1,
/* z */ 7,
};
// ...
if (isalpha(j))
{
const int table_index = j - 'a';
const letter_value = table[table_index];
pValue[i] = letter_value;
//...
}
Print the assembly language for your code fragment, then print the assembly language for the above code fragment. Compare.

Answer 2

Look at all the places where you set value to zero. You do it before main() begins (which is not very useful, actually). Then, bizarrely, you set value to zero at both the start and end of your inner for loop, which means that all the value += statements in that for loop might as well be value = statements. You keep value from accumulating value.
How to solve this? First, get rid of all the value = 0 statements inside your inner for loop. Second, add int value = 0; before the inner for loop, like this:
int value = 0;
for (char j : pPhrase[i])
{
// ...
}
At this point, you might as well get rid of int value{0}; above main(). That step isn't absolutely necessary, but that declaration of value is totally unneeded.
Also, DO NOT put system("killall Terminal"); in your sample code. It's very unfriendly, since it kills the very command line on which you want others to run your sample code.
(In general, using system() at all is a bad idea, since it's unportable.)

Answer 3

There are several issues. The main issue is that on line 70, pValue[i] = value; is incorrectly positioned inside the for loop.
Here is a fixed version:
#include <iostream>
#include <string>
using namespace std;
int value{0};
void clear();
int main() {
int number{0};
string response;
while (true) {
clear();
value = 0;
number = 1;
response = "";
cout << "How many words to evaluate?:\n> ";
cin >> number;
cin.ignore();
clear();
auto *pPhrase = new string[number]{};
int *pValue = new int[number]{};
for (int i = 0; i < number; ++i) // could replace "number" with "sizeof(pPhrase)/sizeof(pPhrase[0])"
{
cout << "Enter Word #" << i + 1 << " (or type your full phrase):\n> ";
cin >> pPhrase[i];
for (char j: pPhrase[i]) {
j = tolower(j);
if (j == 'a' || j == 'i' || j == 'j'
|| j == 'q' || j == 'y')
value += 1;
if (j == 'b' || j == 'k' || j == 'r')
value += 2;
if (j == 'c' || j == 'g' || j == 'l'
|| j == 's')
value += 3;
if (j == 'd' || j == 'm' || j == 't')
value += 4;
if (j == 'e' || j == 'h' || j == 'n'
|| j == 'x')
value += 5;
if (j == 'u' || j == 'v' || j == 'w')
value += 6;
if (j == 'o' || j == 'z')
value += 7;
if (j == 'f' || j == 'p')
value += 8;
cout << '\n';
clear();
}
pValue[i] = value;
value = 0;
}
cin.ignore();
cin.clear();
cout << "\n\n";
for (int i = 0; i < number; ++i)
cout << "Value of \"" << pPhrase[i] << "\": " << pValue[i] << '\n';
cin.clear();
cout << "Would you like to evaluate another phrase? (Y/n):\n> ";
getline(cin, response);
delete[] pPhrase;
delete[] pValue;
if (response[0] == 'y' || response[0] == 'Y'
|| response.empty() || response[0] == ' ') {
cout << "\n\n";
continue;
}
break;
}
cout << "Exiting...";
system("killall Terminal");
cout << "\n\n\n";
return 0;
}
void clear() {
system("clear");
}