Visual C++ 2010 missing iostream - c++

Question

Let me start by saying, I've never done raw C++ coding before. I've used a C-based language inside of a premade engine, so I understand in a general sense how the syntax works.
I know every script requires a header file that declares most of the basic functions to operate properly, and for C++, this header would be iostream. My issue is the general "Hello world" issue. I've browsed for a few days but never found an appropriate solution, nor does my situation seem to be the same as anyone else's. Here's my script.
#include <iostream.h>
using namespace std;
int main(){
cout<< "Hey" << ;
return 0 ;
}
So yeah. This should compile appropriately. But the issue comes from the first line, which is the #include.
Here is the error message I get when trying to build it:
1>------ Build started: Project: compiler test, Configuration: Debug Win32 ------
1>Compiler test.cpp
1>Compiler test.cpp(1): fatal error C1083: Cannot open include file: 'iostream.h': No such
file or directory
========== Build: 0 succeeded, 1 failed, 0 up-to-date, 0 skipped ==========
This would normally tell me that the header isn't in the proper directory, but when I check the /VC/include directory, iostream is just sitting there. Almost seems like Visual C++ is refusing to acknowledge that it exists. Anyone have a solution to this?

Answer 1

first thing to try is #include <iostream>
There is no .h in the C++ headers

Answer 2

(a) - when asking questions please include the operating system and compiler you are using. The behavior differs between platforms and, sometimes, between releases of the compilers. FRom the looks of the messages, it looks like the compiler is a version of Microsoft's Visual C++.
(b) general usage is to use " (quotes) surrounding header files with .h and angle brackets (< >) around headers without the .h. Note that this is a general usage. The standards governing the two languages (C and C++) actually rule. And they say it's "implimentation-defined" (see this relevant StackOverflow question for excruciating detail). Both usages will bring in the function headers, constants and code to provide the requested functionality. Under MS C++ the iostream header provides linkages to the cout, cin, clog and cerr functions, and the equivelant wide character stream functions wcout, wcin, wclog and wcerr ("wide character" support is, broadly, a way to accomodate character representations that are outside the common ASCII or EBCDIC universe)
(3) Once the header file is being brought in, you will get an error, as Sean noted, on the "hey" statement, because the trailing "<<" is expecting anothjer operand, either another string or a variable of some sort (the "endl" is used to close off the output string you have been building and display it. This is also sometimes referred to as "flushing the buffer.")
(4) if you look through the answer/question database here you will find some lively discussion on the use of "using namespace std" as opposed to specifying the usage for each function in the namespace that you want to use. such as "using std::cout;"
I'm attaching a minimally reworked version of your program below (even showing that you could surround the iostream #include by quotes, which should start a a little flame war):
c:\gpp_code>type text3.cpp
#include "iostream"
using namespace std;
int main()
{
cout<< "Hey" << endl ;
return 0 ;
}
c:\gpp_code>text3
Hey
c:\gpp_code>