function quick question

[me001]

Re: expected primary-expression error
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void setName(char newFirst[], char newLast[])
This function will change either first name, last name, or both. If the "null string" is passed for either argument, the corresponding data member will not be altered. No error checking need be done.
The null string can be supplied by passing the string literal "" to the function (that is, two double-quote chars with no space between them) or by supplying a char array with '\0' in ar[0].

oh! and if i have a functiont that must do this, is this right?
void Student::setName(char newFirstname[], char newLastname[])
{
strcpy(lastname, newLastname);
strcpy(firstname, newFirstname);

}

[weaknessforcats]

Nope.

strcpy(lastname, newLastname);
 

Here strcpy() will copy from newLastname to lastname until a \0 is reached in newLastName. If lastname is "Wolf" and newLastName is "Little Red Riding Hood", strcpy() will overstore memory beyond "Wolf" creating a corruption that will result in a crash.

You can never copy into a target location unless you are certain there is enough memory at the target location to hold the new contents. A secondary problem is what to do woth the contents at the target that you are overriding.

Plus, you say that lastname will not be changed if newLastName is "" but your code does the copy anyway. lastname is now "" and violates your spec. I see no test for "" to bypass the copy to lastname.

Ditto for firstname.