switch statemet letters to numbers conversion

[killintime]

I have tried to structure my program but im stuck at this point. I have a file that contains phone phrases on each line (1-900-WINNING), is one of the phrases, if i get more digits than a phone number requires i must ignore the remainder. This data is coming from a file. Im just not understanding it, maybe i shouldn't read my data in as a string? . I am suppose to use a switch statement in my solution

the output should look like this
1-800-Free-Willy -> 1-800-373-3945

heres my program so far

#include <iostream>
#include <string>
#include <fstream>
#include <iomanip>
using namespace std;

int main()
{
ifstream inFile;
string phrase;
char x;

inFile.open("abc.txt");

inFile >> phrase;

while(inFile)
{
getline(inFile,phrase);
inFile.get(x);
cout << setw(17) << phrase << "-> ";
cout << endl;
inFile >> phrase;

if (( x >= 'A' && x <= 'Z') || ( x >= 'a' && x <= 'z') || ( x >= 0 && x <= 9 ))
{
switch (x)
{
case 'A':
case 'a':
case 'B':
case 'b':
case 'C':
case 'c':
case '2':
cout << "2";
break;

case 'D':
case 'd':
case 'E':
case 'e':
case 'F':
case 'f':
case '3':
cout << "3";
break;

case 'G':
case 'g':
case 'H':
case 'h':
case 'I':
case 'i':
case '4':
cout << "4";
break;

case 'J':
case 'j':
case 'K':
case 'k':
case 'L':
case 'l':
case '5':
cout << "5";
break;

case 'M':
case 'm':
case 'N':
case 'n':
case 'O':
case 'o':
case '6':
cout << "6";
break;

case 'P':
case 'p':
case 'Q':
case 'q':
case 'R':
case 'r':
case 'S':
case 's':
case '7':
cout << "7";
break;

case 'T':
case 't':
case 'U':
case 'u':
case 'V':
case 'v':
case '8':
cout << "8";
break;

case 'W':
case 'w':
case 'X':
case 'x':
case 'Y':
case 'y':
case 'Z':
case 'z':
case '9':
cout << "9";
break;

}



}

}



system("pause");
return 0;
}

[EricDu]

Reading in as string is not a problem since the number doesn't only contain digits. However if you are learning C++, you might try to use C++ things instead of using switch. A hint, since this is just a letters to digits translation work, you can predefine a translation table, then use this table to translate phone numbers you read from file.

[killintime]

this is an intro class but the teacher he said he would expect us to use switch statement. why cant i make the way i started it work?

[EricDu]

I can see the following things need to be reviewed to make the program working.

- while (inFile)
- where to handle 0 and 1?
- getline(inFile,phrase); // if phone# is read into phrase here
inFile.get(x); // why read a char from file to x?
inFile >> phrase; // why read another phone# into phrase before previous one is parsed?

[killintime]

-I dont see whats wrong with while(inFile)
-I handled 0 but don't know what to do with one
-i'm also confused here, ive been told to read in like this, i don't understand this, if i could somehow see an example on how all this works together or if someone could help me step by step id appreciate it.

Don't read in a string. Do initialize new_str = "";

Read in a character using .get and out put it.
figure out what the digit should be.
new_str = new_str + character_digit ('0', '1', etc)

Repeat.

When you get to ' ', output new_string.