What does "expected unqualified-id" mean?

[Warrax]

I am currently doing online tutorials for C++, and am pretty much stuck in a rut about this problem. It is saying that there's an expected unqualifed-id before '{' token (I will post the code in just a second) on line 11, and an expected ',' or ';' before '{' token also on line 11, however I don't have a clue what the first one means. The program is meant to save a user's name in a string variable within a structure, and to then show that name without the need to assign a pointer to it. Also, note that I am compiling this with the Dev-C++ (aka Devcpp) compiler, on a Windows XP system.

#include <iostream>
 
using namespace std;
 
int main()
{
    struct database {
           string name; // declares that the structure has a string
           // in it called name.
}
{
           int main()
cout<<"Enter your name.\n"; //displays the obvious
getline(cin, name, '\n'); // records the user's input into the string name,
// and terminates the command when the user presses enter.
       database employee01;
       // declares the single structure and its contents
       employee01.name = string name;
cout<<"Your name should be: "<<employee01.name<<".\n";
cin.get();
}
}
 

11 C:\Documents and Settings\Main\My Documents\substring and structures.cpp expected unqualified-id before '{' token
11 C:\Documents and Settings\Main\My Documents\substring and structures.cpp expected `,' or `;' before '{' token

Could someone please explain to me what the "unqualified-id before" means, how to fix it, what I did wrong, and why it is the way that you say is the correct code?

[ilikepython]

I am currently doing online tutorials for C++, and am pretty much stuck in a rut about this problem. It is saying that there's an expected unqualifed-id before '{' token (I will post the code in just a second) on line 11, and an expected ',' or ';' before '{' token also on line 11, however I don't have a clue what the first one means. The program is meant to save a user's name in a string variable within a structure, and to then show that name without the need to assign a pointer to it. Also, note that I am compiling this with the Dev-C++ (aka Devcpp) compiler, on a Windows XP system.

#include <iostream>
 
using namespace std;
 
int main()
{
    struct database {
           string name; // declares that the structure has a string
                              // in it called name.
}
{
           int main()
cout<<"Enter your name.\n"; //displays the obvious
getline(cin, name, '\n'); // records the user's input into the string name,
// and terminates the command when the user presses enter.
       database employee01;
       // declares the single structure and its contents
       employee01.name = string name;
cout<<"Your name should be: "<<employee01.name<<".\n";
cin.get();
}
}
 

11 C:\Documents and Settings\Main\My Documents\substring and structures.cpp expected unqualified-id before '{' token
11 C:\Documents and Settings\Main\My Documents\substring and structures.cpp expected `,' or `;' before '{' token

Could someone please explain to me what the "unqualified-id before" means, how to fix it, what I did wrong, and why it is the way that you say is the correct code?

Ok first let me post your code:

#include <iostream>
 
using namespace std;
 
int main()
{
    struct database {
           string name; // declares that the structure has a string
           // in it called name.
}
{
int main()
    cout<<"Enter your name.\n";          //displays the obvious
    getline(cin, name, '\n');                   // records the user's input into the string name,
                                                   // and terminates the command when the user presses enter.
    database employee01;
                                                  // declares the single structure and its contents
    employee01.name = string name;
    cout<<"Your name should be: "<<employee01.name<<".\n";
    cin.get();
}
}
 

There are a couple of errors:
1. You have two mains
2. Structs should be declared outside of main

I think you need something like this:

struct database
{
    string name;
};
 
int main()
{
    database employee01;
    string name;
    cout << "Enter your name: ";
    getline(cin, name);
    employee01.name = name;
    cout << "Your name is: " << employee01.name << "." << endl;
    return 0;
}
 

[Warrax]

When I put the struct before main and get rid of the 2nd main, this appears:

14 C:\Documents and Settings\Main\My Documents\substring and structures.cpp expected primary-expression before "name"
14 C:\Documents and Settings\Main\My Documents\substring and structures.cpp expected `;' before "name"
14 C:\Documents and Settings\Main\My Documents\substring and structures.cpp At global scope:
17 C:\Documents and Settings\Main\My Documents\substring and structures.cpp expected unqualified-id at end of input
17 C:\Documents and Settings\Main\My Documents\substring and structures.cpp expected `,' or `;' at end of input

Any ideas?

[ilikepython]

When I put the struct before main and get rid of the 2nd main, this appears:

14 C:\Documents and Settings\Main\My Documents\substring and structures.cpp expected primary-expression before "name"
14 C:\Documents and Settings\Main\My Documents\substring and structures.cpp expected `;' before "name"
14 C:\Documents and Settings\Main\My Documents\substring and structures.cpp At global scope:
17 C:\Documents and Settings\Main\My Documents\substring and structures.cpp expected unqualified-id at end of input
17 C:\Documents and Settings\Main\My Documents\substring and structures.cpp expected `,' or `;' at end of input

Any ideas?

Could you please post the exact code that you used?

[Warrax]

Could you please post the exact code that you used?

Sure.

#include <iostream>
 
using namespace std;
struct database {
           string name; // declares that the structure has a string
           // in it called name.
int main()
{
cout<<"Enter your name.\n"; //displays the obvious
getline(cin, name, '\n'); // records the user's input into the string name,
// and terminates the command when the user presses enter.
       database employee01;
       // declares the single structure and its contents
       employee01.name = string name;
cout<<"Your name should be: "<<employee01.name<<".\n";
cin.get();
}
}
 

[ilikepython]

Sure.

#include <iostream>
 
using namespace std;
struct database {
           string name; // declares that the structure has a string
           // in it called name.
int main()
{
cout<<"Enter your name.\n"; //displays the obvious
getline(cin, name, '\n'); // records the user's input into the string name,
// and terminates the command when the user presses enter.
       database employee01;
       // declares the single structure and its contents
       employee01.name = string name;
cout<<"Your name should be: "<<employee01.name<<".\n";
cin.get();
}
}
 

You never put the closing brace on the struct. Also, remember that you need a semicolon as well. Did you see the code I posted in my previous reply?

[turps]

sorry, I have no idea - all replies to this question give alternative codes, but don't explain what unqualified-id means.

my850+ page book on C++ does not mention either id or unqualified in its index.

[zmbd]

Turps asked this question again here and with a fairly good answer by Dev7060:
https://bytes.com/topic/c/answers/97...sage-referring