Problem with char arrays and switch statements

[jwC5fSEw]

I'm having a problem with using char arrays. Here's the function:

    int getFormat(){
        while(true){
            cout << "What movie format would you like to rent?\n" <<
                    "1. VHS\n" <<
                    "2. DVD\n" <<
                    "3. Blu-ray\n";
            cin >> format;
            switch(format){
                case 1:
                    cout << "You have chosen to rent a VHS.\n";
                    formatChar = "VHS";
                    return 1;
                case 2:
                    cout << "You have chosen to rent a DVD.\n";
                    return 2;
                case 3:
                    cout << "You have chosen to rent a Blu-ray.\n";
                    return 3;
                default:
                    cout << "You have not selected a valid choice.\n";
                    break;
            }
        }
    }

I have formatChar declared as "char formatChar[15];" earlier in the struct. I want to set the array to the format selected before returning the number of the format. However, it returns an error:

C:\CodeBlocks\Exercises\Chapter 4\exercise4.13.cpp|34|error: incompatible types in assignment of `const char[4]' to `char[15]'|

I sort of understand what this means, but I don't know how to fix it. (Also, I know strings would probably be a better choice, but I'm using a book and it hasn't really taught strings yet so I want to stick to the basic data types.)

[helios]

You can't just assign arrays. You have to copy their elements one by one. In the case of char arrays, there already exists a function to do that: strcpy(formatChar,"VHS");

This is the least annoying of the reasons why using std::string is encouraged. Just wait until you get to memory management.

[Disch]

Make it a string instead of a char array. They're better for a variety of reasons.

string formatChar;

formatChar = "whatever";

If you really want to use a char array for some reason, you have to copy the string with strcpy:

char formatChar[15];

strcpy(formatChar,"whatever");

EDIT: doh, too slow.

[jwC5fSEw]

Yeah, I can easily how strings are preferred over char arrays. However, it feels better to keep in the context of the book and wait until later to learn the easy way :D

Also, I love this forum. I haven't been on many forums about anything where the other members were so helpful and prompt in responding. Every single question I've asked on here has been answered well. It's really a great place.