issue with c++ code skipping get line statement - c++

Question

Hey guys i am having an issue with an assignment I am working on.
The code is as follows:
#include <iostream>
#include <fstream>
#include <iomanip>
#include <cmath>
#include <cstdio>
#include <cstring>
using namespace std;
class payroll
{
private:
char empnum[10];
char empfirstname[150];
char emplastname[150];
char empsin[9];
char empdob[10];
char empphone [15];
char empstreet[100];
char empcity[60];
char empprovince[150];
char empcountry[200];
char empstatus[50]; //Employee status. EX: Terminated, On leave, Active etc.
int empsalaryei;
int empsalaryfedtax;
int empsalarycpp;
int empsalarynet;
int empsalarygross;
public:
void addrec(void);
void modrec(void);
void viewrec(void);
void exit(void);
};
payroll rec;
payroll emp;
ifstream inFile1;
ifstream inFile2;
bool check = false;
int main()
{
system("CLS");
char ch;
do
{
cout<<"1. Add an employee\n";
cout<<"2. Modify employee record\n";
cout<<"3. View employee record\n";
cout<<"0. Exit\n";
cout<<"Please choose an item: ";
if (check == true)
{
system("CLS");
ch=0;
}
else
cin>>ch;
switch(ch)
{
case '1':
emp.addrec();
break;
case '2':
emp.modrec();
break;
case '3':
emp.viewrec();
break;
case '0':
emp.exit();
return 0;
}
}while(ch !=0);
return 0;
}
void open_employee_info() //function to open employee data file
{
string filename1 = "employee-details.dat"; //define which file to open
inFile1.open(filename1.c_str()); //open our payroll file
if(inFile1.fail()) //if our file open fails....
{
cout << "\nSorry the file was not opened successfully"<< "\n Please check that the file does exist or create it" << endl;
exit(1);
}
cout << "\n The file was opened successfully" << endl;
}
void open_payroll_info() //function to open payroll salary information file
{
string filename2 = "payroll-info.dat"; //define file name
inFile2.open(filename2.c_str());
if(inFile2.fail())
{
cout << "\nSorry the file was not opened successfully"<< "\n Please check that the file does exist or create it" << endl;
exit(1);
}
cout << "\n The file was opened successfully" << endl;
}
void payroll::addrec(void) //Record adding
{
char userinputadd = ' ';
cout << "\nPlease Enter the Employee number: ";
gets(rec.empnum);
cout << "\nPlease Enter the Employee's First Name: ";
gets(rec.empfirstname);
cout << "\nPlease Enter the Employee's Last Name: ";
gets(rec.emplastname);
cout << "\nPlease Enter the Employee's Date of Birth (mmddyyyy): ";
gets(rec.empdob);
cout << "\nPlease Enter the Employee's Social Insurance Number: ";
gets(rec.empsin);
cout << "\nPlease Enter the Employee's Phone Number: ";
gets(rec.empphone);
cout << "\nPlease Enter the Employee's Address: ";
gets(rec.empstreet);
cout << "\nPlease Enter the Employee's City: ";
gets(rec.empcity);
cout << "\nPlease Enter the Employee's Province: ";
gets(rec.empprovince);
cout << "\nPlease Enter the Employee's Country: ";
gets(rec.empcountry);
cout<<"\nPlease Enter the Employee's Status: ";
gets(rec.empstatus);
cout << "\nPlease Enter the Employee's Weekly Gross Salary: ";
cin >> rec.empsalarygross;
cout<<"Would you like to return to the main menu?(y), else the program will exit: ";
cin>>userinputadd;
if (userinputadd =='y' || userinputadd =='Y')
main();
else
exit();
}
void payroll::modrec(void) //Record Modification
{
system("CLS");
int empmodnum=0;
check = false;
char userinputmod = ' ';
cout<<"\nEnter the employee number for the record you would like to modify: ";
cin>>empmodnum;
cout<<"Would you like to return to the main menu?(y), else the program will exit: ";
cin>>userinputmod;
if (userinputmod =='y' || userinputmod =='Y')
main();
else
exit();
}
void payroll::viewrec(void) //Record viewing
{
system("CLS");
check = false;
char userinputview = ' ';
cout<<"Would you like to return to the main menu?(y), else the program will exit: ";
cin>>userinputview;
if (userinputview =='y' || userinputview =='Y')
main();
else
exit();
}
void payroll::exit(void)
{
inFile1.close();
inFile2.close();
check = true;
}
So on the front menu if you hit 1 to add a record you will see it skips the first cin statement being employee number.
Does anyone have an idea why this would occur?

Answer 1

You are leaving the newline character in your input stream after you press 1.
Consider all of the keys that you are typing. If you type "1" for addrec, then an employee ID of 987, then the name "John", your input stream looks like this:
1, \n, 9, 8, 7, \n, J, o, h, n, \n
You read the first character with cin >> ch. The next input statement you have is gets().
gets() reads, correctly, all of the characters up to the next newline. Since you still have the newline that follows '1', that first line will be read as blank.
Try adding this somewhere to your program:
std::cin.ignore(std::numeric_limits<std::streamsize>::max(), '\n');

Answer 2

You probably have a buffer issue so you need to flush stdin. Check google for details.