I need help with ouputting stars

[jarmstrong21]

Hello I am trying to constuct a program without a main function that outputs stars but at the same time outputs the number and a colon after the number but before the number of starr.

This is the coding i have so far.

void output_stars(int num)
{
if (num > 0)
{
cout << "*";
output_stars(num-1)
}
else
{
cout << endl;
}
}

The program is working the way it should i just can't figure out how to output the number and a colon.

The main function is written as such:

output_stars(1);
output_stars(2);
output_stars(5);
output_stars(3);
output_stars(4);
output_stars(7);

all i need to figure out is how to get the numbers of the main funcion to show up with the stars of the previous funcion. if that makes any sense.

[Shren]

Change this

cout << "*";

to this:

cout <<num<< ":*";

Not really sure what you want? Its unclear.


I see that you are trying to do this recursively. Its not a bad choice, personally I would've done a for loop. Whatever floats your boat.

[jarmstrong21]

how would you have done the for loop

[jarmstrong21]

i tried that but all that i get is
it displays the number each time it outputs the star

this is the output
1:*
2: * 1: *
etc
what i need to have output is this

1: *
2: **
5: *****
3: ***
4: ****
7: *******

[wwwiii]

void output_stars(int num)
{
if (num > 0)
{
cout << num;
for(int i = 0; i<num; i++)
cout << "*";
}
else
{
cout << endl;
}
cout<<endl;
}

[jarmstrong21]

Thank you so much for the help

[Shren]

OH yeah! I would generally stay away from recursively loops, just for this reason. Goodluck.