Array/Loop assistance?

[Murasame]

1. Declares an array of 5 integers and initializes each position to 0

2. Use a loop to prompt the user to enter the data into each position of the array.

3. User entry should be a string then converted to proper data type.

So this int ara [5] = { }; is an array that initializes each position to 0, right?

What type of loop is best for entering the data and how do I even go about setting it up for this? While loop?

Pretty sure I can convert the data that I need using atof or something but I don't really know how I'd set something like this up.

//#include "stdafx.h"
#include <iostream>
#include <iomanip>
#include <cstdlib>
#include <string>

using namespace std;

int main()
{
 //--------  Start of variable and object creation ------
 string array1 = "XXXX";
 string array2 = "XXXX";
 string array3 = "XXXX";
 string array4 = "XXXX";
 string array5 = "XXXX";

 int ara[5] = { };
 }

Edit: Okay I got your guys responses and will try and figure more out for now, ty.

[Ganado]

is an array that initializes each position to 0, right?

Correct.

What type of loop is best for entering the data and how do I even go about setting it up for this?

Typically, if you are iterating a fixed number of times, this is best communicated with a for loop.
http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial/control/

for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++)
{
    // do stuff with ara[i]
    // e.g.
     ara[i] = 42 + i;
}

convert the data that I need using atof

Since you're dealing with integers, you can use atoi instead. (Or, stoi in C++11, which can handle '0' values)

So... first, get input:

string input;
cin >> input;

Then convert that input to an int:
int n = atoi(input.c_str());
(The "c_str()" converts the string to a format that is recognizable by C library functions like atoi)

Then use that n and store it in the appropriate spot.

[George P]

std::atof() converts a C string to a double. You have an array of integers.

You are supposed to use a std::string as your input (instruction 3), use <string>'s std::stoi to convert a string to an int.
http://www.cplusplus.com/reference/string/stoi/

Do you know what type of loop you'd use to display the contents of an array? Use the same type of loop to get the input for each element.

HINT: use a for loop
https://www.learncpp.com/cpp-tutorial/63-arrays-and-loops/

[Murasame]

Okay how about something like this:

int arr[5] = {};
for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++)
{
    cout << "#?" << i << ":";
    string input;
    cin >> input;
    arr[i] = stoi(input);
}

[Handy Andy]

Hello Murasame,

That will work to a point as long as the user always inputs a number. Should the string start with a letter it will fail with a run time error.

This may be ahead of what you have learned, but give it a run and see what happens:

#include <iostream>
#include <iomanip>
#include <limits>
#include <string>

int main()
{
	int arr[5]{};

	for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++)
	{
		std::cout << " Enter #" << i + 1 << ": ";

		std::string input;

		std::cin >> input;

		try
		{
			arr[i] = stoi(input);
		}
		catch (const std::exception& exc)
		{
			std::cout << "\n    " << exc.what() << "\n\n";

			i--;
		}
	}


	// <--- Keeps console window open when running in debug mode on Visual Studio.
	// The next line may not be needed. If you have to press enter to see the prompt it is not needed.
	std::cin.ignore(std::numeric_limits<std::streamsize>::max(), '\n');  // <--- Requires header file <limits>.
	std::cout << "\n\n Press Enter to continue: ";
	std::cin.get();

	return 0;  // <--- Not required, but makes a good break point.
}

Enter "a123" and see what happens.

I rearranged your prompt a little. It makes more sense to a user.

Andy