Value assignment into array c++ - c++

Question

I'm trying to create a array of prime numbers done by calculation. As a project to learn coding. Ultimately to build my own math library so this is something I can add onto at a variety of levels as I learn to code c++.
The following is code that works great for printing prime numbers to the screen based on the search range, but my totalPrimes iterator is stuck at 1. So each time it places the last prime found in the PrimeNumbers[1] position.
Any advice would be awesome.
#include <iostream>
#include <array>
std::array<long, 10000000> PrimeNumbers={0};
void isPrime(long x);
int main() {
for (long i = 1; i < 10; i++) {
isPrime(i);
}
for(int h = 0; h < 10; h++) {
std::cout << "\nSecond Prime is : " << PrimeNumbers[h];
}
}
void isPrime(long x) {
int count(0), totalPrimes(0);
for (long a = 1; a < x; a++) {
if ((x % a) == 0) {
count += 1;
}
}
if (count == 1) {
++totalPrimes;
std::cout << '\n' << x << " is a Prime number";
PrimeNumbers[totalPrimes] = x;
}
}

Answer 1

You're initializing totalPrimes to 0 every time the function runs. You would need to have totalPrimes as a global variable, or better yet (because global variables can become problematic), set it equal to the first available member of PrimeNumbers before you do anything else in that function.

Answer 2

Keep track of a position along with your PrimeNumbers array.
size_t nLastPos=0;
...
for(size_t x = 0; 1000 > x; ++x)
{
if(isPrime(x))
{
PrimeNumbers[nLastPos++] = x;
}
}
for(size_t i = 0; nLastPos > n; ++n)
{/* print out number PrimeNumbers[n] */ }

Answer 3

It looks like you're having some trouble with variable scoping. The reason for your problem (as I noted in the comment) is that totalPrimes is local, so you're creating a new integer variable and setting it to 0 every time the function is called.
However, you've made PrimeNumbers global and are having the isPrime function modify it, which doesn't look like good practice.
All of this can be fixed with a little restructuring to make the code nicer:
#include <iostream>
#include <array>
bool isPrime(long x);
int main() {
std::array<long, 10000000> PrimeNumbers={0};
int totalPrimes = 0;
for (long i = 1; i < 10; i++) {
if (isPrime(i)) {
std::cout << '\n' << i << " is a Prime number";
PrimeNumbers[totalPrimes++] = i;
}
}
for(int h = 0; h < 10; h++) {
std::cout << h << " Prime is : " << PrimeNumbers[h] << std::endl;
}
}
bool isPrime(long x) {
int count(0);
for (long a = 1; a < x; a++) {
if ((x % a) == 0) {
count += 1;
}
}
return count == 1;
}

Answer 4

Your program can be re-structured little bit to make it easier to follow and debug.
Don't put things in isPrime other than the logic to decide whether a number is prime. Make sure it returns a bool. This will make the function a bit simpler and easier to debug.
Use the return value of isPrime in the calling function to perform other bookkeeping tasks.
The logic you have used to check whether a number is prime is incorrect. That needs to be fixed.
Here's an updated version of your posted code.
#include <iostream>
#include <array>
#include <cmath>
std::array<long, 10000000> PrimeNumbers={0};
bool isPrime(long x);
int main()
{
int totalPrimes = 0;
for (long i = 1; i < 10; i++)
{
if ( isPrime(i) )
{
std::cout << i << " is a Prime number" << std::endl;
PrimeNumbers[totalPrimes] = i;
++totalPrimes;
}
}
}
bool isPrime(long x) {
// 1, 2, and 3 are primes.
if ( x <= 3 )
{
return true;
}
// Even numbers are not primes.
if ( x % 2 == 0 )
{
return false;
}
// Check the rest.
long end = (long)std::sqrt(x);
for (long a = 3; a < end; a += 2) {
if ((x % a) == 0)
{
return false;
}
}
return true;
}
and its output:
1 is a Prime number
2 is a Prime number
3 is a Prime number
5 is a Prime number
7 is a Prime number
9 is a Prime number

Answer 5

Everybody is talking about how your totalPrimes variable is reset each time the function is called, and this is obviously true. You could return the value from the function and increment it from main, you could use global variables having the variable being defined outside of the function so that it's not reset each time inside the function or you could use
A static variable!
Take a look at this simple case. I have a function called up_two which increases the value of by two each time the function is called. The static variable int value has a memory of each time the function up_two() is called which increments value by two each time. If I were to use a just an integer it would always reset the value and have it be zero, which is what I initially defined it to be.
The advantage of using a static variable is that I can count how many times a function has been called, and I can keep my counter specific to a particular function.
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
void up_two();
int main()
{
for(int i = 0; i < 10; i++)
{
up_two();
}
return 0;
}
void up_two()
{
static int value = 0;
cout << value << endl;
value += 2;
}
This program doesn't solve the particular problem that you want to solve, but if you figure out how the static variable is working, it should make your workflow easier.
The magic line here is this:
static int value = 0;
With it like this my program prints the following:
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
Without the static declaration, you just get 10 lines of zeroes
which is troublesome.
Hope that helps you optimize your program the way you want it to be.