C++: Printing A List - c++

Question

The code below contains a table I created numbering from 1 to 10 in reverse order. (This is the code without breaks, later changed.)
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main()
{
switch(1) {
case 1: cout << "1. blue" << endl;
case 2: cout << "2. orange.." << endl;
case 3: cout << "3. yellow.." << endl;
case 4: cout << "4. green.." << endl;
case 5: cout << "5. purple.." << endl;
case 6: cout << "6. red.." << endl;
case 7: cout << "7. teal.." << endl;
case 8: cout << "8. aqua.." << endl;
case 9: cout << "9. white.." << endl;
case 10: cout << "10. gray.." << endl;
}
}
I am trying to make it so that each time the loop runs, the program will output the message corresponding to the next lower number, one by one. (Code with breaks)
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main() {
for(int i = 10; i>0; --i){
switch(i) {
case 1: cout << "1. blue" << endl;
break;
case 2: cout << "2. orange.." << endl;
break;
case 3: cout << "3. yellow.." << endl;
break;
case 4: cout << "4. green.." << endl;
break;
case 5: cout << "5. purple.." << endl;
break;
case 6: cout << "6. red.." << endl;
break;
case 7: cout << "7. teal.." << endl;
break;
case 8: cout << "8. aqua.." << endl;
break;
case 9: cout << "9. white.." << endl;
break;
case 10: cout << "10. gray.." << endl;
break;
}
}
}
I am having trouble looping down the list, and listing each number/color one by one.
At the end of listing each item, I would like the program to ask the user if they would like to Stop, or Restart the loop.

Answer 1

You need to create a variable to hold the variable that will be passed into your switch statement. Your switch statement needs to start from 10 and go down because you want to print case 10 first.
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main() {
for(int i = 10; i>0; --i){
switch(i) {
case 1: cout << "1. blue" << endl;
break;
case 2: cout << "2. orange.." << endl;
break;
case 3: cout << "3. yellow.." << endl;
break;
case 4: cout << "4. green.." << endl;
break;
case 5: cout << "5. purple.." << endl;
break;
case 6: cout << "6. red.." << endl;
break;
case 7: cout << "7. teal.." << endl;
break;
case 8: cout << "8. aqua.." << endl;
break;
case 9: cout << "9. white.." << endl;
break;
case 10: cout << "10. gray.." << endl;
break;
}
}
}

Answer 2

It was a bit confusing how you were explaining before, I think i got it now.
As said on the comments switch works but probably isn't the best way, I will show you how I would do it, if you really want it done with switch just say in the comments and I will update my answer.
I think what you really want is to print one option and after ask if the user wants to stop or start from the beginning, if not just continue (Just comment if it isn't this).
#include <iostream>
#include <array>
using namespace std;
int main()
{
array<string, 10> colors {"1. blue", "2. orange..", "3. yellow..", "4. green..", "5. purple..", "6. red..", "7. teal..", "8. aqua..", "9. white..", "10. gray.."};
for(int i = colors.size() - 1; i >= 0; --i)
{
cout << colors[i] << endl;
cout << endl << "Would you like to stop[s/S] or restart[r/R]?: ";
char input;
if (cin >> input)
{
if (tolower(input) == 's')
break;
else if (tolower(input) == 'r')
i = colors.size(); // To restart should be one more than the last index, it's going to be decreased at the end of loop
}
cout << endl;
}
}
So basically the code has two parts, first the printing which I changed the switch statement to and array.
array<string, 10> colors {"1. blue", "2. orange..", "3. yellow..", "4. green..", "5. purple..", "6. red..", "7. teal..", "8. aqua..", "9. white..", "10. gray.."};
for(int i = colors.size() - 1; i >= 0; --i)
{
cout << colors[i] << endl;
}
So this way you could even add more to the array and the code would still work, just starts at the end of the array and prints one by one.
The second part is were it asks the user if he wants to stop or restart.
char input;
if (cin >> input)
{
if (tolower(input) == 's')
break;
else if (tolower(input) == 'r')
i = colors.size(); // To restart should be one more than the last index, it's going to be decreased at the end of loop
}
If the user types s just breaks out of the loop, if he types r resets the i variable to the last index of the array (although the array is indexed at 0, you can't put size() - 1 because at the end of the loop the variable i is decreased).
As requested here is the switch version
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main()
{
while (true)
{
for(int i = 10; i>0; --i)
{
switch(i)
{
case 1: cout << "1. blue" << endl;
break;
case 2: cout << "2. orange.." << endl;
break;
case 3: cout << "3. yellow.." << endl;
break;
case 4: cout << "4. green.." << endl;
break;
case 5: cout << "5. purple.." << endl;
break;
case 6: cout << "6. red.." << endl;
break;
case 7: cout << "7. teal.." << endl;
break;
case 8: cout << "8. aqua.." << endl;
break;
case 9: cout << "9. white.." << endl;
break;
case 10: cout << "10. gray.." << endl;
break;
}
}
cout << endl << "Would you like to stop[s/S] or restart[r/R]?: ";
char input;
if (cin >> input && tolower(input) != 'r')
break;
cout << endl;
}
}

Answer 3

I want to suggest a different approach to solve your problem.
Think of what you are trying to do and use one or more function calls to do that from main instead of having the code inside main. You core functionality is to print a color given an integer value.
From main, that would look like:
void printColor(int i);
int main()
{
for (int i = 10; i>0; --i)
{
printColor(i);
}
}
In the implementation of printColor, you would use:
std::string getColor(int i);
void printColor(int i)
{
std::cout << i << ". " << getColor(i) << std::endl;
}
You can implement getColor as:
std::string getColor(int i)
{
switch (i)
{
case 1:
return "blue";
case 2:
return "orange";
...
}
// If value is different than the known values in the switch statement,
// we have an unknown color
return "Unknown";
}
For repeating the core function in main, you can use a while loop.
Here's everything put together.
#include <iostream>
#include <string>
void printColor(int i);
std::string getColor(int i);
bool getRepeat();
int main()
{
bool repeat = true;
while ( repeat )
{
for (int i = 10; i>0; --i)
{
printColor(i);
}
repeat = getRepeat();
}
}
void printColor(int i)
{
std::cout << i << ". " << getColor(i) << std::endl;
}
std::string getColor(int i)
{
switch (i)
{
case 1:
return "blue";
case 2:
return "orange";
case 3:
return "yellow";
case 4:
return "green";
case 5:
return "purple";
case 6:
return "red";
case 7:
return "teal";
case 8:
return "aqua";
case 9:
return "white";
case 10:
return "gray";
}
// If value is different than the known values in the switch statement,
// we have an unknown color
return "Unknown";
}
bool getRepeat()
{
std::cout << "Stop or Continue (S/C)? ";
char c;
std::cin >> c;
return (c == 'c' || c == 'C');
}