Accelerated C++ Exercise 2.4 - c++

Question

I've been following Accelerated C++ for a couple of weeks now but I have been stuck at exercise 2.4 for a while and finally I thought I found it out but after trying giving it different dimensions I found out that it doesn't really work and I don't really understand why
The code initially prints a framed message, in this particular exercises I was supposed to change how the code prints the blanks from one character at a time into writing all the planks at once
here is the code:
// [2-0, 2-4] Exercises
#include<iostream>
#include<string>
// saying what standard-library names we use
using std::cout; using std::endl;
using std::cin; using std::string;
int main()
{
// asking for the name
cout << "Please enter your first name: ";
// reading the name
string name;
cin >> name;
// building the message that we intend to write
const string greeting = "Hello, " + name + "!";
// 2.2 & 2.3 asking for inpadY
cout << "Please enter the number of padY (Vertical padding): ";
// 2.2 & 2.3 reading the inpadY
int inpadY;
cin >> inpadY;
// 2.2 & 2.3 asking for inpadX
cout << "Please enter the number of padX (Horizontal padding): ";
// 2.2 & 2.3 reading the inpadX
int inpadX;
cin >> inpadX;
// the number of planks surrounding the greeting
// 2.2 & 2.3 added inpadY as the number of planks;
const int padY = inpadY;
// 2.2 & 2.3 added inpadX
const int padX = inpadX;
// 2.4 pad size
const int pad = inpadX + inpadY;
// the number of rows and columns to write
const int rows = padY * 2 + 3;
const string::size_type cols = greeting.size() + padX * 2 + 2;
// 2.4 creating a padding string left and right and top and bottom
const string LeftRightPad(padY, ' ');
const string TopBottomPad(cols - 2, ' ');
// write a blank line to separate the output and the input
cout << endl;
// write rows rows of output
// invariant: we have written r rows so far
for (int r = 0; r != rows; ++r) {
string::size_type c = 0;
// invariant: we have written c characters so far in the current row
while (c != cols) {
// is it time to write the greeting?
if (r == padY + 1 && c == padX + 1)
{
cout << greeting;
c += greeting.size();
} else {
// are we on the border?
if (r == 0 || r == rows - 1 ||
c == 0 || c == cols - 1)
{cout << "*";
++c;}
else
// 2.4 typing out the spaces at once
{cout << LeftRightPad;
c += LeftRightPad.size();}
}
}
cout << endl;
}
return 0;
}
Edited to have the input and output
Please enter your first name: Estrogen
Please enter the number of padY (Vertical padding): 2
Please enter the number of padX (Horizontal padding): 2
**********************
* *
* *
* Hello, Estrogen! *
* *
* *
**********************
Process returned 0 (0x0) execution time : 3.281 s
Press any key to continue.
Please enter your first name: Estrogen
Please enter the number of padY (Vertical padding): 2
Please enter the number of padX (Horizontal padding): 5
****************************
* *
* *
* *
* *
* *
****************************
Process returned 0 (0x0) execution time : 5.098 s
Press any key to continue.
Please enter your first name: Estrogen
Please enter the number of padY (Vertical padding): 3
Please enter the number of padX (Horizontal padding): 2
**********************
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
**********************
Process returned 0 (0x0) execution time : 4.333 s
Press any key to continue.
Update: I've rewritten the code and the output is an infinite loop of asterisks here is the new code
#include<iostream>
#include<string>
using std::string; using std::endl;
using std::cout; using std::cin;
int main()
{
cout << "Please enter your first name: ";
string name;
cin >> name;
const string message = "Hello, " + name + "!";
cout << "Enter the length: ";
int length;
cin >> length;
cout << "Enter the height: ";
int height;
cin >> height;
const int rows = height * 2 + 3;
const string::size_type cols = message.size() + length * 2 + 2;
const string TopBottom(cols, '*');
const string Blank(cols - 2, ' ');
const string messageblank(cols - 3 - message.size(), ' ');
cout << endl;
for (int r = 0; r != rows; ++r) {
string::size_type c = 0;
while (c != cols) {
if ( r == height + 1 && c == length + 1)
{
cout << messageblank << message << messageblank;
c += Blank.size();
} else
if (r == 0 && c == 0 || r == rows - 1 && c == cols -1)
{
cout << TopBottom;
c += TopBottom.size();
} else
if ( r != 0 && c == 0 || r != rows -1 && c == cols - 1)
{
cout << "*";
++c;
} else
cout << Blank;
c += Blank.size();
}
cout << endl;
}
return 0;
}
Thank you guys for help in advance

Answer 1

Unless the code is supposed to be written this way, I would propose another, row by row approach:
print_frame_row(cols);
for (int i = 0; i < padY; ++i)
print_v_padding(cols);
print_greeting(padX, greeting);
for (int i = 0; i < padY; ++i)
print_v_padding(cols);
print_frame_row(cols);
where
void print_frame_row(int cols)
{
std::cout << std::string(cols, '*') << '\n';
}
void print_v_padding(int cols)
{
const std::string h_padding(cols - 2, ' ');
std::cout << '*' << h_padding << "*\n";
}
void print_greeting(int padX, const std::string &msg)
{
const std::string h_padding(padX, ' ');
std::cout << '*' << h_padding << msg << h_padding << "*\n";
}
This way you have a simpler logic, and need not worry about counting columns or deciding when to write each character.

Answer 2

ok so it took me 3 days but I finally figured it out here is the working code
#include<iostream>
#include<string>
using std::string; using std::endl;
using std::cout; using std::cin;
int main()
{
cout << "Please enter your first name: ";
string name;
cin >> name;
cout << "Enter the length: ";
int length;
cin >> length;
cout << "Enter the height: ";
int height;
cin >> height;
const string message = "Hello, " + name + "!";
const int rows = height * 2 + 3;
const string::size_type cols = message.size() + length * 2 + 2;
const string TopBottom(cols, '*');
const string Blank(cols - 2, ' ');
const string messageblank(length, ' ');
cout << endl;
for (int r = 0; r != rows; ++r) {
string::size_type c = 0;
while (c != cols) {
if ( r == height + 1 && c == 0)
{
cout << "*" << messageblank << message << messageblank << "*";
c += TopBottom.size();
} else
if (r == 0 && c == 0 || r == rows - 1 && c == 0)
{
cout << TopBottom;
c += TopBottom.size();
} else
if ( c == 0 && r != 0 || c == 0 && r != rows - 1)
{
cout << "*" << Blank << "*";
c += TopBottom.size();
}
}
cout << endl;
}
return 0;
}