editing attributes from my header files in a program

[dudelove1989]

Hey guys, thank you up front for taking the time to look at this thread.
My question is this,

I have written and compiled three header files that all have attributes like this:

String number; // Patient's medical record number
String firstName; // Patient's first name
char middleInitial; // Patient's middle initial
String lastName; // Patient's last name

also I have created this function in my header file as well
String customheader::getName( )
{
return firstName + " " + middleInitial + " " + lastName;
}


and also a constructor that uses all of those attributes.

When i have the constructor in my cpp filled out with all of the information it clean compiles and executes. However I want to change the program to use cin to input this information...

to clarify: I want to use String firstName(which is initialized in my header file) as a cin inside my program.

Ex:
#include "customheader.h"
#include <iostream.h>

int main()
{
cout << "Please enter your first name." << endl;
cin >> firstName;
cout << "Please enter your middle initial." << endl;
cin >> middleInitial;
cout << "Please enter your last name." << endl;
cin << lastName;

customheader::getName( );

return 0;
}
and have getName use the new information and not the predefined constructor inside of the program. I have looked far and wide and cannot seem to locate the answer.. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[LB]

Why would you want to do that? Also, you seem to have "class" and "header" confused; they are very, very different and unrelated.

[dudelove1989]

Well I need for the user to be able to input their own information, instead of me or another programmer having to edit the program to put in a different constructor for every user entered. Everything up until the Ex: part is in my header file, the rest is in a seperate cpp.

[LB]

What I mean is, why would you need to do anything different? You have a constructor that takes the strings, and you input the strings, can't you just use the constructor and give it the strings you just inputted to?

[dudelove1989]

well that is the thing, I do not have input. My previous program just had the constructor with preset values. In the new program i need to be able to put new values in and still be able to use the functions implemented in my header files. I am not sure how to do this.

[LB]

Well, an exact copy and paste of your program with some slight modifications:

#include "customheader.h"
#include <iostream.h>
using namespace std;

int main()
{
    std::string firstName, lastName;
    char middleInitial;
    cout << "Please enter your first name." << endl;
    cin >> firstName;
    cout << "Please enter your middle initial." << endl;
    cin >> middleInitial;
    cout << "Please enter your last name." << endl;
    cin >> lastName;

    customheader A_Patient (firstName, middleInitial, lastName);

    cout << A_Patient.getName() << endl;
}

Also why would your class be called customheader? Why not Patient?

[dudelove1989]

It is actually PatientDemographicInformation, i changed it to customheader to try and show off exactly what areas I was talking about.

[dudelove1989]

when i copied that code in line for line I received over 100 errors, is their not an easier way to just cin information and have it stick to my constructor in the program or the class in my header?

[ne555]

[code] "Please use code tags" [/code]

String number; // Patient's medical record number
String firstName; // Patient's first name
char middleInitial; // Patient's middle initial
String lastName;	// Patient's last name 

¿Are those globals, or inside a class?

customheader::getName( ); ¿customheader is a namespace? ¿or getName is an static method?
Neither make sense.

Show your "constructor"

[dudelove1989]

PatientDemographicInformation XInfo(patientMedicalRecordNo, patientFirstName , patientMiddleInitial,
patientLastName, patientStreetAddress1,patientStreetAddress2, patientCity,
patientState, patientZip5, patientZip4, patientHomeAreaCode, patientHomePhoneNo,
patientGender, patientDateOfBirth);

[dudelove1989]

any ideas?