Hey, so I'm a beginner programmer, and I tried running some code with this off another programming website so I could better understand how to use character arrays:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

int main ()
{
char ask[]= "Enter your first name: ";
char answer[]= "So your name is ";
char name[100];

cout << ask;
ask >> name;
cout << answer << name << ".";
}

I found out that in order for this to work, you need the iostream header, which is either just <iostream> or <iostream.h>, which didn't work because this file is not on my computer. I even downloaded the newest gcc gnu compiler by itself to see if it would be in there, but it isn't!

Is this considered an obsolete way to program? What the hell is going on?

Thanks in advance

iostream, cout, cin, etc. are C++, not C.

cout and iostream are C++, not c.

EDIT: ninja'd.

lol, makes sense

I'm surprised about that. Modern gcc compilers usually have the ability to compile C or C++ code and include the <stdio.h> or <iostream> files as a matter of course.

> Modern gcc compilers usually have the ability to compile C or C++ code

True.

> and include the <stdio.h> or <iostream> files

cpp does that, when encounters an #include <stdio.h> or #include <iostream> -- not automagically

Sorry, poor phrasing. I didn't mean to imply "automagically".

Then I don't get your point. Methinks nor even the best cpp could include a header that isn't installed on the computer.

Wait, what?

Are you saying that the files are not installed on the computer but they will be included in a program anyway if the source code contains the statements #include <stdio.h> or #include <iostream>?

Nobody has made such a statement.

If you include <iostream> it is you who must ensure its availability, the same with <stdio.h>. If you include iostream in your C-code (normally an error), *AND* the header is available, the C-compiler acts schizophrenic and compiles it anyway.

I cannot say that I appreciate this laxity. In my opinion, C should stay C and C++ should stay C++. The compiler should explode or make the display rotate or fart or whatever, when the code is mixing headers or other elements of both languages. But someone has certainly had a reason to make it act differently.

Guess we are over-complicating this. OP couldn't compile his C-program, for different reasons: 1) it wasn't a C-program. 2) he couldn't include 'iostream' header, because he had never installed it on his computer.

It's hardly a complicated matter. OP downloaded and installed the newest gcc compiler but says that the file <iostream> wasn't there. That's what surprised me.

(In a stricter terminology 'gcc' doesn't cover 'g++' and 'libstdc++')

Try this:

Save it as "test.cpp" and build it with:

That will produce a file called "a.out". Run it with:

Did that work?

1 members found this post helpful.

thanks dugan, ill try that out when i get around to it. I think ill just start a new project in C++