Order of error detection

[coolsmaster]

When I put my code through different inputs, one form of input results in a problem. when I enter:

updatename 123456789 10 f9

the expected output is

"Error: 10 is out of the range 0-4"

whereas I got

"Error: argument is not a number"

i tried moving the error detection around and it wouldn't work. Seem like a simple problem but I can find the solution for it :S

int main()
{
    char a[maxLength];         //command
    char l[maxLength];         //last name
    char f[maxLength];         //first name
    int b;
    int idx, mark;
 
//    cin >> a >> b;
 
    while (! cin.eof()) {
        cin >> a;
        if(cin.fail())                                                   // checks for non-integer inputs
        {
            cout << "Error: Argument is not a number." << endl;
            cin.clear();                                               // lowers error flag
            cin.ignore(50, '\n');                                     // ignores rest of string
            }
 
        else {
        for (char * c = a; *c != '\0'; c++)
            *c = tolower(*c);        // Scan through the entire string; change the input
                                    // into lower case.
 
        // See which of the commands was entered
 
 
        if (!strcmp (a, "new")) {                             //checks for the command "new" in the string
 
            if(cin >> b){        
 
            if(b <= 999999999){
            cout<< "New: ";
            cout.fill('0');
            cout<< setw(9) << dec << b <<endl;
            }
            else{
                cout<<"Error: "<< b <<" is too large.\n";}
            }
        }else if (!strcmp (a, "locate")) {                     //checks for the command "locate" in the string
            if(cin >> b){
 
 
            if(b <= 999999999){
            cout<< "Locate: ";
            cout.fill('0');
            cout<< setw(9) << dec << b <<endl;
            }
            else{
                cout<<"Error: "<< b <<" is too large.\n";
            }
            }
        }else if (!strcmp (a, "updatename"))                    //checks for the command "updatename" in the string
        {
            if(cin >> b >> l >> f){        
            if(b <= 999999999){
            cout<< "Updatename ";
            cout.fill('0');
            cout<< setw(9) << dec << b << "";
            cout<<" "<< f << " "<< l <<endl;
            }
            else{
                cout<<"Error: "<< b <<" is too large.\n";    
            }
            }
        }else if (!strcmp (a, "updatemark")) {                   //checks for the command "updatemark" in the string
 
            if(cin >> b >> idx >> mark){    
            if(idx < 0 || idx > 4){
 
                cout<<"Error:"<< idx <<" is out of the range 0-4.\n";
                cin.clear();
                cin.ignore(50, '\n'); 
            }else if(mark < 0 || mark > 100){
                cout<<"Error:"<< mark <<" is out of the range 0-100.\n";
 
            }                
            if(b <= 999999999){
            cout<< "Updatemark ";
            cout.fill('0');
            cout<< setw(9) << dec << b << "";
            cout<<" "<< idx << " "<< mark <<endl;
            }
            else{
                cout<<"Error: "<< b <<" is too large.\n";    
            }
 
            }
 
 
 
        }else if (!strcmp (a, "delete")) {                       //checks for the command "delete" in the string
            if(cin >> b){
 
 
            if(b <= 999999999){
            cout<< "Delete: ";
            cout.fill('0');
            cout<< setw(9) << dec << b <<endl;
            }
            else{
                cout<<"Error: "<< b <<" is too large.\n";
            }
            }
        }else if (!strcmp (a, "printall")) {                         //checks for the command "printall" in the string
 
            cout<< "Printall\n";
 
        }else if (!strcmp (a, "deleteall")) {                                //checks for the command "delete" in the string
            cout<< "Deleteall\n";
        }else {
            cin.ignore(1000,'\n');
            cout<< "Error: Unknown Command\n";
        }
 
        }        
 
    }
 
    return (0);}

[sicarie]

When I put my code through different inputs, one form of input results in a problem. when I enter:

updatename 123456789 10 f9

the expected output is

"Error: 10 is out of the range 0-4"

whereas I got

"Error: argument is not a number"

i tried moving the error detection around and it wouldn't work. Seem like a simple problem but I can find the solution for it :S

Did you try putting cout statements after lines of execution, and find out where it will and won't get to in the program?

[coolsmaster]

I used Visual Studio's debug feature to walk through the code line by line.

when I input

"updatemark 123456789 10 f9"

after cin >> a; it will strcmp to updatemark and then cin >> b >> idx >> mark;
then it will jump back to cin >> a; and produce "the arguement is not a number" because the value of a was alter to a unknown digit.

I can't seem to get this work no matter how i tried rearranging the code.