C++ reading char values gives different letters sometimes - c++

Question

I have to write a short routine that will write out only upper case letters in reversed order. I managed to muster up code that somehow works, but whenever I test out my code with one specific input:
7 ENTER a b C d E f G
Instead of getting G E C I get
G (special) r E
I can't see what causes the problem, especially because it works for so many other cases. Here's the code:
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main() {
int n;
cin >> n;
char stringa[n];
int length = 0;
for (int i = 0; i <= n-1; i++) {
char letter;
cin >> letter;
if (isupper (letter)) {
stringa[((n-i) - 1)] = letter;
length = length +1;
} } for ( int i =0; i<=length-1; i++) {
cout << ciag[i]

Answer 1

The main problem is that you are not populating your array correctly.
You are not initializing the content of the array before filling it, so it contains random garbage. Then you are filling specific elements of the array using indexes that are the directly related to each uppercase character's original position in the input, rather than the position they should appear in the output.
Since you are not initializing the array, and the input has mixed lower/upper casing, your array is going to have gaps containing random data:
stringa[0] = G
stringa[1] = <random>
stringa[2] = <random>
stringa[3] = <random>
stringa[4] = E
stringa[5] = <random>
stringa[6] = <random>
stringa[7] = <random>
stringa[8] = C
stringa[9] = <random>
stringa[10] = <random>
stringa[11] = <random>
stringa[12] = <random>
stringa[13] = <random>
stringa[14] = R
stringa[15] = E
stringa[16] = T
stringa[17] = N
stringa[18] = E
stringa[19] = <random>
stringa[20] = <random>
That is what you are seeing appear in your garbled output.
Try something more like this instead:
#include <iostream>
#include <vector>
#include <cctype>
int main()
{
int n;
std::cin >> n;
std::vector<char> stringa(n); // 'char stringa[n];' is not standard!
int length = 0;
for (int i = 0; i < n; ++i)
{
char letter;
std::cin >> letter;
if (std::isupper (letter))
{
stringa[length] = letter;
++length;
}
}
for (int i = length-1; i >= 0; --i)
{
std::cout << stringa[i];
}
return 0;
}
Or:
#include <iostream>
#include <vector>
#include <algorithm>
#include <cctype>
int main()
{
int n;
std::cin >> n;
std::vector<char> stringa(n); // 'char stringa[n];' is not standard!
int length = 0;
for (int i = 0; i < n; ++i)
{
char letter;
std::cin >> letter;
if (std::isupper (letter))
{
stringa[length] = letter;
++length;
}
}
std::reverse(stringa.begin(), stringa.begin()+length);
for (int i = 0; i < length; ++i)
{
std::cout << stringa[i];
}
return 0;
}
Both approaches produces the following array content during the first loop, and then simply output it in reverse order in the second loop:
stringa[0] = E
stringa[1] = N
stringa[2] = T
stringa[3] = E
stringa[4] = R
stringa[5] = C
stringa[6] = E
stringa[7] = G
Alternatively, I would suggest using std::getline() instead of a reading loop to obtain the user's input, and then simply manipulate the resulting std::string as needed:
#include <iostream>
#include <string>
#include <algorithm>
bool IsNotUpper(char ch)
{
return !std::isupper(ch);
}
int main()
{
std::string stringa;
std::getline(std::cin, stringa); // returns "7 ENTER a b C d E f G"
// so std::isupper() will return false for everything not in A-Z
std::setlocale(LC_ALL, "C");
stringa.erase(
std::remove_if(stringa.begin(), stringa.end(), &IsNotUpper),
stringa.end());
// returns "ENTERCEG"
std::reverse(stringa.begin(), stringa.end());
// returns "GECRETNE"
std::cout << stringa;
return 0;
}
Or, if using C++11 and later, you can use a lambda instead of a function for the std::remove_if() predicate:
#include <iostream>
#include <string>
#include <algorithm>
int main()
{
std::string stringa;
std::getline(std::cin, stringa);
std::setlocale(LC_ALL, "C");
stringa.erase(
std::remove_if(
stringa.begin(), stringa.end(),
[](char ch){return !std::isupper(ch);}
),
stringa.end());
std::reverse(stringa.begin(), stringa.end());
std::cout << stringa;
return 0;
}

Answer 2

Your algorithm just doesn't make any sense. You are expecting the characters to be in the array with no gaps but you skip an entry in the array when the input isn't a capital letter. Instead, put the capital letters in consecutive slots in the array in the forward direction and then traverse it in reverse order afterwards.