int function parameter not working properly - c++

Question

I'm trying to make something in C++ and I have a problem. I have this code:
#include <iostream>
#include <string>
//---MAIN---
using namespace std;
int af1 = 1;
int af2 = 1;
void lettersort(int cnt1) {
cout << "RESULT:" << cnt1 << endl;
cnt1++;
cout << "RESULT WHEN+:" << cnt1 << endl;
cout << "RESULT IN GLOBAL INT:" << af2 << endl;
}
int main()
{
lettersort(af2);
return 0;
}
So is there any way so that cnt1++ affects af2 too, to make it bigger ? I don't want to use af2++ directly because I want to sometimes use af1.

Answer 1

At the moment you are just passing af2 to cnt1 by value, so any changes to cnt1 are strictly local to the function lettersort. In order to get the behaviour you want you need to pass your cnt1 parameter by reference. Change:
void lettersort(int cnt1)
to:
void lettersort(int &cnt1)

Answer 2

You are passing the argument by value. I.e., you are copying the value of af1 to a local variable in lettersort. This integer is then incremented, and disposed of when the function ends, without affecting the original af1. If you want the function to be able to affect af1, you should pass the argument by reference:
void lettersort(int& cnt1) { // Note the "&"

Answer 3

if i understood your question:
there are 2 ways you can do that.
make lettersort function return the new value, and put it in af2
int lettersort(int cnt1) {
cout << "RESULT:" << cnt1 << endl;
cnt1++;
cout << "RESULT WHEN+:" << cnt1 << endl;
cout << "RESULT IN GLOBAL INT:" << af2 << endl;
return cnt1;
}
int main()
{
af2 = lettersort(af2);
return 0;
}
pass the value by reference. you can read about it here, but generally its about passing a pointer to that value. meaning whatever you do on the argument you are passing, will happen on the original var.
example:
void foo(int &y) // y is now a reference
{
using namespace std;
cout << "y = " << y << endl;
y = 6;
cout << "y = " << y << endl;
} // y is destroyed here
int main()
{
int x = 5;
cout << "x = " << x << endl;
foo(x);
cout << "x = " << x << endl;
return 0;
}

Answer 4

here you have to just modified the argument pass to lettersort
function as passed by reference.
for example if you declare and initialize any variable like:
int a=10; int &b = a;
now a and b refer to the same value.if you change a then the changes
also reflect in b also.
so,
cout << a; cout << b;
both statement produce the same result across the program. so using
this concept i modified the function argument and made it as by
reference.
your correct code is :
#include <iostream>
#include <string>
using namespace std;
int af1 = 1;
int af2 = 1;
void lettersort(int &cnt1) {
cout << "RESULT:" << cnt1 << endl;
cnt1++;
cout << "RESULT WHEN+:" << cnt1 << endl;
cout << "RESULT IN GLOBAL INT:" << af2 << endl;
}
int main()
{
lettersort(af2);
return 0;
}