Pointers in C++

Psycrow · 30 May 2006 at 21:14

I'm currently programming a robot to navigate around a factory for uni using C++ but being an Engineer and not a programmer I dont really know much about C++. I've written a function called routefinder that is passed in the startx,startx,desiredx,desiredy cordinates. The program uses global variables which contain the location of objects around the factory. The function is to return the number of turning points and also output these turning points to a global array. How do I tell the function to output the points to a global array as it goes along?

Bellow is a little snippet of code, in bold are the two arrays I would like to be accessable outside the function.

int RouteFinder1(int Start_X,int Start_Y,int Desired_X,int Desired_Y)
{ //Subroutine Start

int Pillar1_X,Pillar1_Y,Pillar2_X,Pillar2_Y,Pillar3_X,Pillar3_Y,Pillar4_X,Pillar4_Y;
int flag = 0, NavPointCounter = 0,Current_X,Current_Y;

Current_X = Start_X;
Current_Y = Start_Y;
/* Up Then Right /*
/**************************************************************/

if (Desired_X > Start_X && Desired_Y > Start_Y)
{ //Open main loop 1

while (Current_Y < Desired_Y)
{ //Loop1
Current_Y ++;
flag == 0;
if (Current_Y == Desired_Y)
{
NavPointsX[NavPointCounter] = Current_X;
NavPointsY[NavPointCounter] = Current_Y;
NavPointCounter++;
}

happytechie · 31 May 2006 at 09:39

instead of creating the arrays inside the function, create them in the constructor and declare tham as class variables the routefinder method can now use them easily. Alternativly you could create them in the main method and pass pointers too them around but tbh that just seems like a waste of time.

HT

Visage · 31 May 2006 at 09:58

First thing I would do is write a Point class, with two members, X and Y - it would clean up the code quite a bit.

happytechie · 31 May 2006 at 10:23

is there not a 2D co-ordinate class in the std API ?

HT

Psycrow · 31 May 2006 at 10:49

happytechie said:
instead of creating the arrays inside the function, create them in the constructor and declare tham as class variables the routefinder method can now use them easily. Alternativly you could create them in the main method and pass pointers too them around but tbh that just seems like a waste of time.

HT

My programing knoledge is none existant, as far as I know a contstructor is a guy who makes things. How do I declare them as class variables as I'm not quite sure what you mean.

EDIT, never mind, I figured out what you meant, thanks

happytechie · 1 Jun 2006 at 15:55

I have to say that if your programming knoledge is non existant you might be setting the target a bit high :eek:

but good luck anyway

have you got it all working or has C++ killed your brain?

HT