Can't get buffer to clear

[Cbick]

I cannot get the buffer to clear when I am trying to run my program.

#include <iostream>
#include <fstream>
#include <string>
#include <algorithm>

using namespace std;
using std::ifstream;
using std::ofstream;
using std::ios;

void menu(void);
void writeData(void);
void readData(void);
string * split(string, char);
void flush(istream & is);

const char FileName[] = "c:/TestAddress.txt";
string database;
ifstream myAddress(FileName);

    string name = " ";
    string address = " ";
    string street= " ";
    string city = " ";
    string state = " ";
    string zipCode = " ";
    int record = 0;

int main () 
{
        
    menu();
    return 0;
} //end main

void menu(void) 
{
    //allow user to choose to append records, display records or exit the program
    char userChoice = ' ';

    //Display Menu
    cout << "\n\n(A)ppend record, (S)how Record, (E)xit:"; 
        cin >> userChoice; 
        //Users Choice

    switch (userChoice)
    {
        case 'a':
        case 'A'://Append Record
            myAddress.open ("TestAddress.txt", ios::app);
            if (myAddress.is_open()) 
                {writeData(); }
        break;

        case 's':
        case 'S'://Show record
            readData();
            
        break;

        case 'e':
        case 'E'://Exit
            myAddress.close();
        break;

        default:
            cout<<"Invalid choice"<<endl;
            cout << endl << endl << endl;
            break;
            
    }

    return;
    
}//end menu

void flush(istream & is) 
{ // clear the keyboard buffer 
    is.clear(); char nextChar; 
    while( (nextChar = is.get()) != '\n' && nextChar != EOF)
    { }is.clear(); 
}

void writeData(void) //Write the Address Info to a file
{    
    
    char answer = ' ';

    
    cout<< " Enter another record? (Y or N)"<<endl;
    cin>>answer;
	myAddress>>database;
    

    
    //entering loop
    while (answer == 'Y' || answer == 'y')
	{
		 

        cout << "Enter name\n";
        getline(cin, name);
        cout<< "Enter Street\n";
        getline(cin, street);
        cout<< "Enter City\n";
        getline(cin,city);
        cout<< "Enter State\n";
        getline(cin, state);
        cout<< "Enter Zip Code\n";
        getline(cin, zipCode);
        cout<<name<<", "<< street<<" ,"<< city<<", "<< state<<" ,"<< zipCode<<endl;
        record++;
        cout<< " Enter another record? (Y/N)"<<endl;
        cin>>answer;}
        
		while (answer == 'n' || answer == 'N')
        {return menu();}

    
    
}//end write data

void readData(void)
{     
    cout<<"Reading a File press y"<<endl;

    //read data from a file
    getline (myAddress, database, '\n');
    myAddress>>database;
    //use the split function to break a deliminated line of text into fields

    cout<<"Record #"<<record<<endl;
    string *theField = split(database, ',');
    cout<<"Name"<<"....."<<name<<theField[0]<<endl;
    cout<<"Street"<<"..."<<street<<theField[1]<<endl;
    cout<<"City"<<"....."<<city<<theField[2]<<endl;
    cout<<"State"<<"...."<<state<<theField[3]<<endl;
    cout<<"Zip Code"<<"."<<zipCode<<theField[4]<<endl;

    
}//end read data

string * split(string theLine, char theDeliminator){
    //Break theline into fields and save the fields to an array.
    //Each field will occupy one element in a character array.
    //theLine is a string with fields separated with theDeliminator character.
    //Assumes the last field in the string is terminated with a newline.
    //Useage: string *theFields = split(lineBuffer, ',');

    //determine how many splits there will be so we can size our array
    int splitCount = 0;
    for(int i = 0; i < theLine.size(); i++){
    if (theLine[i] == theDeliminator)
    splitCount++;
    
}

splitCount++; //add one more to the count because there is not an ending comma 
    //create an array to hold the fields
    string* theFieldArray;
    theFieldArray = new string[splitCount];
    //split the string into seperate fields
    string theField = "";
    int commaCount = 0;

    for(int i = 0; i < theLine.size(); i++){ //read each character and look for the deliminator
    if (theLine[i] != theDeliminator) {
    theField += theLine[i]; //build the field
    }
    else { //the deliminator was hit so save to the field to the array
    theFieldArray[commaCount] = theField; //save the field to the array
    theField = "";
    commaCount++;
    }
    }
    theFieldArray[commaCount] = theField; //the last field is not marked with a comma...

    return theFieldArray;
} //end split 

The problem is that when I enter the character for make another record in the Append function it takes the Y character and uses it as the name when the user is prompted to enter a name and then goes straight to the Enter street field. How do I clear the cin buffer of the junk character? Thanks for any help

[chrisname]

You can use std::cin.ignore(std::numeric_limits<std::streamsize>::max(), '\n'); which will take the \n character from the stream, and any characters that come before the limit of the input length. You'll need to #include <limits>...

[Cbick]

Thanks chrisname that took care of the problem. I am only a beginner at C++ and probably would have never figured that out.

[Cbick]

Now when I try to enter other records it is doing the same thing. How would I correc this?

[mcleano]

Put chrisname's solution after line 114 but before the curly brace that shouldn't be on that line

[Cbick]

Ok that worked but now it wont let me stop entering records when I choose N. Any suggestions.

[chrisname]

Post the current code; please :)

By the way, I'm a complete beginner too. Welcome to the club :)
We don't have cookies, by the way. There was a syntax error during cook-time and we didn't have time to fix it.

I usually use std::cin.ignore(); without the whole numeric_limits thing; but it's a better (although somewhat lengthier) way of doing it. So that's how I do it.

[Cbick]

I worked it out chrisname so no need to post a solution that someone can copy and past after all my hard work but thanks for the help