Functions returning values tutorial

[dthomas86]

Hello,
I am fairly new to C++ programming but not new to programming, I have programmed in VB and Pascal in the past.
I am using C++ from the ground up by herbert schildt, and going through the tutorials I am stuck on Functions Returning Values.
I am using XCode as my compiler as I am on Mac OSX 10.6 and when building and running the following code, XCode generates 3 error messages. Is there anything in the code that is incorrect?

// Returning a value.

#include <iostream.h>

mul (int x, int y); // mul () 's prototype

main ()
{
int answer;

answer = mul (10, 11); // assign return value
cout << "The answer is" << answer;

return 0;
}

/* This function returns a value. */
mul (int x, int y)
{
return x * y; // return product of x and y
}

Also I am new to these forums and would appreciate help, thanks :)

[Bazzy]

<iostream.h> should be <iostream>
For cout use std::cout or add using namespace std; below the #include
you must precede the function declaration with its return type: int mul (int x, int y); int main()

Your source seems bad and outdated, try the tutorials of this website
http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial/

[Null]

You function prototype doesn't have a return value. A correct prototype would be
int mul (int x, int y); // mul () 's prototype -- notice int
This also applies to main and mul's implementation

#include <iostream> // always include iostream because iostream.h is old
using namespace std;
int mul (int x, int y); // mul () 's prototype

int main ()
{
int answer;

answer = mul (10, 11); // assign return value
cout << "The answer is" << answer;

return 0;
}

/* This function returns a value. */
int mul (int x, int y)
{
return x * y; // return product of x and y
}

EDIT: too slow

[dthomas86]

Hey everyone thanks for the fast replies.
I am using the 1994 version of C++ from the Ground up by Herbert Schildt, so it is pretty out of date :s
could you recommend any over decent books for me to learn c++ been browsing reviews on Amazon and came across these thre:
C++: A Beginner's Guide, Second Edition (Beginner's Guides (McGraw-Hill))
by Herbert Schildt


C++ (Teach Yourself Books) (Teach Yourself (NTC))
by Richard Riley (Paperback)


Accelerated C++: Practical Programming by Example (C++ in Depth Series)
by Andrew Koenig (Paperback)

which all had good reviews which one could you recommend is the best of the lot?

Cheers once again

[Bazzy]

Try to see if this helps: http://www.cplusplus.com/articles/Book_Of_Brilliant_Things/#CPP-Beg

[sohguanh]

I would also recommend Scott Meyers Effective C++ ways which is quite a good read after you have read beginner C++ books. C++ Primer by Stanley Lippman is also a good read.

[Thumper]

I started out with C++ for Dummies 5th Edition by Stephen Randy Davis. I must have re-read the thing 2 or 3 times. It's a good read, the author's humorous.

I wouldn't recommend Accelerated C++ until you have some good experience. The title should say enough about that. It's "Accelerated". Although the author may claim you need no C++ experience to read the book, I don't believe that's true. I wouldn't have understood a single thing from Accelerated C++ without a really good background knowledge of the language.