How to make a user press a key in a c++ program

Question

Hey I'm new to c++ and I have to make a user input the number, and whatever number that person chooses(1-5) will send them to the area that corresponds with that number. I don't really know how to do it, so can anyone show me or tell me what to do? Feel free to ask any questions. Thanks!

Code below:

cout << "1.Input New Employee"; endl;
cout << "2.Search For Employee By ID Number";  endl;
cout << "3.Edit Existing Employee Information"; endl;
cout << "4.Display all Employees"; endl;
cout << "5.EXIT";endl;

P.S: Now I get this error message"Statement cannot resolve address of overload function" can anyone tell me how to fix it? Thanks

Sounds like you could use a [good C++ book](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/388242/the-definitive-c-book-guide-and-list) — NathanOliver, Nov 18 '16 at 17:05
There is very little a program can do to force a user to press a key. threaten to delete their bank accounts, I guess. — user4581301, Nov 18 '16 at 17:31

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Nov 18 '16 at 17:07

0

Use "cin" get the press character.

char ch;

cin >> ch;

Now ch varriable has the pressed character. You can take input of all data types using this.

answered Nov 18 '16 at 17:07

Rode093

396
2
11

2

This won't get anything until the enter key is pressed, and then anything after the first key will be left in the input buffer. I'd sooner recommend [`std::getline`](http://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/string/basic_string/getline). – Fred Larson Nov 18 '16 at 17:09

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Nov 18 '16 at 17:09

0

use cin to take the input and then switch to call corresponding functions.

int choice;
cin>>choice;
switch(choice)
{
    case 1 : //your code;
             break;
    case 2 : //your code;
             break;
   /*  rest of your cases */
}

answered Nov 18 '16 at 17:09

Karan Nagpal

341
2
10

Isaac Corbrey · Answer 3 · 2016-11-18T17:50:44.243

0

Here is a script that should help show you what you need to do:

bool loop = true;
while(loop){
    cout << "What do you want to do?\n";
    cout << "    1 - Input New Employee\n";
    cout << "    2 - Search for Employee By ID Number\n";
    cout << "    3 - Edit Existing Employee Information\n";
    cout << "    4 - Display All Employees\n";
    cout << "    5 - EXIT\n";
    cout << "Your selection: ";
    string select; getline(cin, select);
    cout << "/n";
    try {
        switch(stoi(select)){
            case 1:
                employeeInput(); // Sample code
                break;
            case 2:
                employeeIDSearch(); // Sample code
                break;
            case 3:
                employeeInfoEdit(); // Sample code
                break;
            case 4:
                employeeDisplayAll(); // Sample code
                break;
            case 5:
                loop = false; // Exit loop
                break;
            default:
                cout << "Invalid Input.\n\n";
                break;
        };
    };
    catch(const std::exception& ex){
        cout << "Invalid Input.\n\n";
    };
};

Just a side note, the endl command is meant to be piped into cout, not used as a standalone statement.

EDIT: The functions I used are simply placeholders, I wanted to show how you'd use the code in the switch. Also, feel free to use this :)

edited Nov 18 '16 at 17:50

answered Nov 18 '16 at 17:16

Isaac Corbrey

553
3
20

Invalid input results in an infinite loop. – Fred Larson Nov 18 '16 at 17:17
@Fred Oops, I forgot to break `default:` – Isaac Corbrey Nov 18 '16 at 17:19
Doesn't matter. `break` won't help. – Fred Larson Nov 18 '16 at 17:20
The loop is so that you can actually go back to the menu – Isaac Corbrey Nov 18 '16 at 17:21
Strictly speaking `endl` is not a command, but an I/O manipulator. Moreover, it shouldnt be used all over the place, but when you want a line break you should use a line break (ie `\n`), because `endl` is **not** equivalent to `\n` – 463035818_is_not_an_ai Nov 18 '16 at 17:24
Not a bit. It still infinite loops on invalid input. – Fred Larson Nov 18 '16 at 17:25
I got an error that says, " employeeIDsearch not declared in scope" What should I do? And thanks I may use this for my code if that's ok – Herbert Ortiz Nov 18 '16 at 17:25
Try entering "blah" instead of a number, for example. – Fred Larson Nov 18 '16 at 17:32
Oh shoot, you're right. Umm... maybe an if/else testing for a type `int`? – Isaac Corbrey Nov 18 '16 at 17:33
No, use a line-oriented input function to get line-oriented input. I'd use [`std::getline`](http://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/string/basic_string/getline) followed by a call to [`std::stoi`](http://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/string/basic_string/stol). Catch any exception and report invalid input. – Fred Larson Nov 18 '16 at 17:36
Now it just exits the program with a status of `0` – Isaac Corbrey Nov 18 '16 at 17:41
Interesting... I've never seen a try/catch thing before. Could you explain `const std::exception& ex` to me? – Isaac Corbrey Nov 18 '16 at 17:44

How to make a user press a key in a c++ program

3 Answers3