How do you do change from one variable to another? - c++

Question

I have a few questions:
How do you get a certain char from a string?
How do you get a char to a int?
How do you get a int to a char?
How do you append a char to a string?
I was just making a simple keyed cipher... just playing around to learn cpp. I do know java so if you could relate to that it would be great!
Here is my code so please tell me how to improve... thanks! :)
#include <string>
using namespace std;
string encrypt(string data, string pass) {
// Use a Keyed Cipher //
string encrypted;
int index = 0;
for (int x = 0; x < sizeof(data); x++) {
int tmp = static_cast<int>(data.substr(x));
int tmpPass = static_cast<int>(pass.substr(index));
tmp += tmpPass;
if (tmp > 126) {
tmp -= 95;
}
if (index > sizeof(pass)) {
index = 0;
}
encrypted += static_cast<char>(tmp);
}
return data;
}

Answer 1

How do you get a certain char from a string?
By using index operator. string::operator[]
How do you get a char to a int?
int charToInteger = stringName[i] ;
How do you append a char to a string?
Using string::append
From the link -
string& append ( size_t n, char c );
Appends a string formed by the repetition n times of character c.

Answer 2

First of all with a string: const char& operator[] ( size_t pos ) const; e.g.:
char tmp = encrypted[x];
For conversion, you can just use C-style conversions:
int tmp = (int)encrypted[x];
This should generally work, as long as you're using an architecture with sizeof(char) <= sizeof(int) (e.g. some Texas Instruments calculators :)
But, in your code, you can just operate with chars, because chars can also be used as numeric types.
The easiest way to append a char to string is using += :
string s = "Hello worl";
s += 'd';

Answer 3

How do you get a certain char from a string?
the class "string" implements the operator [], so to get the "i" char you can use mystring[i].
std::string has a function called "c_str()" which returns "const char*" that is inside the string.
so another way to get a char from a std::string is *(mystring.c_str()+i).
How do you get a char to a int?
char is a 1 byte data type, so you can cast char into an int just like in java.
char c = 'a';
int i = (int)c;
How do you get a int to a char?
just like in Java. notice that int is usually 4 bytes (doesn't have to be 4 bytes!!!), so you might lose data because char is 1 byte.
int i=0xFFFF
char c = (char)i;
c is 0xFF! lost some data!
How do you append a char to a string?
std::string implements operator += so you can use it.

Answer 4

string s = "foo"; char c=s[1];
char c = 'a'; int i = c;
int i = 65; char c = (char) i;
string s = "foo"; char c = 'X'; s += c;
for (int x = 0; x < sizeof(data); x++) won't work - use data.size() not sizeof(data)
int tmp = static_cast<int>(data.substr(x)); won't work either. If you want the ascii value of data[x] just do int tmp = data[x];
if (index > sizeof(pass)) won't work - you need to use pass.size()
And finally, you never increase index within the loop, and you return the wrong string.
#include <string>
using namespace std;
string encrypt(string const & data, string const & pass) { // Pass arguments by const reference, not as values which are copied
// Use a Keyed Cipher //
string encrypted;
int index = 0;
for (int x = 0; x < data.size(); ++x) { // Loop over the length of the string, not the size of the string object
int tmp = data[x]; // No need to cast
int tmpPass = pass[index]; // No need to cast
tmp += tmpPass;
if (tmp > 126) {
tmp -= 95;
}
++index; // Remember to loop over the password as well
if (index >= pass.size()) { // Check against length of string, not size of object
index = 0;
}
encrypted += static_cast<char>(tmp);
}
return encrypted; // Return the encrypted string
}