Question

Can someone provide detailed comments on what this code is doing for each line? I posted the assignment below. I am having trouble learning and getting assistance because I keep getting answers provided w/ good information on how the problem was solved. I have spent too much on tutoring this month and I am relying heavily on assistance here. Can you please assist with helping me understand each line of code that was written here?

Also- is there an easier way this could have been solved. My concern is that the assistance I am getting might be providing advanced methods that I haven't used yet. I am very new to programming.

Thank you.

#include <iostream>

using namespace std;

char firstLetter(char[],char);

int main()

{

char str[10], y{};

cout<<"\nThe first letter in alphabetical order is\n"<<

firstLetter(str,y)<<endl;

cout << "And ASCII Value is " << int(str[0]);

}

char firstLetter(char str[], char y)

{

int i,j;

for(i=0; i<10; i++)

{

cout<<"Please enter a lowercase letter: ";

cin>>str[i];

for (int i = 0; i <10; i++)

{

for (int j = i+1; j <10; j++)

{

if (str[i] > str[j]) //comparing the ascii value of characters

{

//sorting in alphabetical order

char temp = str[i];

str[i] = str[j];

str[j] = temp;

}

}

}

return str[0];

}

You have 10 lowercase letters that you would like to arrange in alphabetical order. Create a program to determine the first letter in alphabetical order out of the 10 letters entered. (Please have your program enter the 10 letters one at a time.) This should be done in a function using this prototype:

char firstletter (char x, char y);

Make sure you use a for loop expression inside your function. (Hint: you can order letters using ASCII code, for example, a < c.)               

Output should display the appropriate letter, as well as the associated ASCII code.

Answer 1

Program and its description is given using comments and sorting is done using for loop

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
//Function prototype
char firstLetter(char[],char);

int main()
{
//in str array that can store upto 10 elements of char type
char str[10], y{};
// call firstLetter function with two arguments, first is char array and second is char y and it return first letter in alphabetical //order after sorting
char x=firstLetter(str,y);
// print the statement using cout and print first letter in alphabetical order returned by firstLetter() function in char x
cout<<"\nThe first letter in alphabetical order is\n"<<x<<endl;
// it print ascii value of first letter in alphabetical order
cout << "ASCII Value is " << int(x);
return 0;
}
char firstLetter(char str[], char y)
{
//declare two integer variables i and j
int i,j;
//in order to enter 10 lowercase letters by user, for loop is created that will execute 10 times
for(i=0; i<10; i++)
{
cout<<"Please enter a lowercase letter: ";
//cin is input statement used to take value from the users just like scanf in c
cin>>str[i];
}
//in order to sort letters in alphabetical order use two for loops
//first loop start with 0 that will take first letter and compare it with all other letters, if first letter ascii value is greater than //second one than swap it out, otherwise keep it as it is
//continue this first for loop until i reaches 10
for (int i = 0; i <10; i++)
{
//this loop start from i+1 in order to compare str[i] letter with all other letters and continue until it reaches 10
for (int j = i+1; j <10; j++)
{
if (str[i] > str[j])//comparing the ascii value of characters if str[i] is grater than str[j] than swap otherwise keep as it is
{
//sorting in alphabetical order
char temp = str[i];
str[i] = str[j];
str[j] = temp;
}
}
}
return str[0];

}

Output:

Please enter a lowercase letter: f
Please enter a lowercase letter: g
Please enter a lowercase letter: h
Please enter a lowercase letter: j
Please enter a lowercase letter: k
Please enter a lowercase letter: o
Please enter a lowercase letter: l
Please enter a lowercase letter: b
Please enter a lowercase letter: c
Please enter a lowercase letter: a

The first letter in alphabetical order is
a
ASCII Value is 97