rand() for arrays

[NachoLobato2]

I have to create a game, in which the computer chooses randomly a word out of 5 and randomizes its characters, so that the user has to guess the word. He can also get a hint of the computer. I have started the code, but dont know how to continue:
include <iostream>
include<ctime>
include <string>
include <iostream>
include <ctype.h>
include <cstring>
include <locale>
include <math.h>
include <stdio.h>
include <stdlib.h>
include <time.h>

using namespace std;

int main()
{

char aword[6] = {'h','o','u','s','e','\0'};
char bword[11] = {'u','n','i','v','e','r','s','i','t','y','\0'};
char cword[9] = {'c','o','m','p','u','t','e','r','\0'};
char dword[5] = {'t','e','x','t','\0'};
char eword[8] = {'p','i','c','t','u','r','e','\0'};
char words[100];
strcat(words, aword);
strcat(words, bword);
strcat(words, cword);
strcat(words, dword);
strcat(words, eword);

[liquidfuzz]

Looks like you started a thread, but dont know how to continue. ;-)

/Looking forward to play the game.

[TheDestroyer]

how about:

#include <iostream>

using namespace std;
int main()
{
   char* aword = "house";
   char* bword = "university";
   char* cword = "computer";
   char* dword = "text";
   char* eword = "picture";

   int num = rand() % 5;
   if(num == 1)
   {
      cout<<aword<<endl;
   }
   if(num == 2)
   {
      cout<<bword<<endl;
   }
   if(num == 3)
   {
      cout<<cword<<endl;
   }
   if(num == 4)
   {
      cout<<dword<<endl;
   }
   if(num == 5)
   {
      cout<<eword<<endl;
   }
   return 0;
}

this is from the top of my head. Does this help as a start?

[TwoOfDiamonds]

to random the letters in a word you could take like a number of 10 changes each time the computer picks a word and for example ... 1 change would be :
take 2 rand int between 0 and noofletters-1 and change their places within the word ....
you could do the change like this i think ...

char* fChange (char* sWord)
{
char ch ;
int iC1, iC2 ;

srand (time (NULL)) ;

iC1 = rand() % strlen (sWord) ;
iC2 = rand() % strlen (sWord) ;

if(iC1 == iC2) iC2++ ;

ch = sWord [iC1] ;
sWord [iC1] = sWord [iC2] ;
sWord [iC2] = ch ;
return sWord ;
} 

I'm not sure about all those char* since I use string type most of the time ... but that was just an idea

[Disch]

If you find yourself naming things like "aword", "bword", or "word1", "word2", etc. You're probably doing it wrong.

Consider using an array. That way you don't have to have a million if's to figure out which variable to use.

const char* words[] = {
"house",
"university",
"computer",
"text",
"picture"
};

const char* randomword = words[ rand() % 5 ];

cout << randomword;

[NachoLobato2]

thanks to all of you, that was helpful!
what does the "% 5" mean in the 9. line of the code of Disch or the 12. on the one of TheDestroyer?

[TheDestroyer]

Your welcome.

Actually, it's the syntax for how the function has to be used to generate a random number. rand() % 5 gives a random number from 0 to 4 (perhaps from 1 to 5, I don't remember, check the result yourself).

Don't forget you have to initialise the time kernel of rand() with srand( time(NULL) ), so that you get a different random number each time you start the program.

http://www.cplusplus.com/reference/clibrary/cstdlib/rand/

[Disch]

% gives you the remainder after division. (19 % 7 == 5, because 19 / 7 == 2 remainder 5)

When coupled with rand, it effectively gives you a random number between 0 and x-1. So rand() % 5 will give you a random number between 0 and 4, because any number divided by 5 will have a remainder somewhere between 0 and 4.