help with my program?

[batgirl13]

this is my code to make a program that:
- asks for 5 different words.
- asks whether to display them forwards or backwards.
- displays all 5 words, either forwards or backwards depending on user's choice.


any help would be much appreciated

Turing:

var w1, w2, w3, w4, w5 : string var dir : string put "Please enter the first word. Type x to exit." get w1 if w1 := "x" then     exit end if delay (250) put "Please enter the second word. Type x to exit." get w2 if w2 := "x" then     exit end if delay (250) put "Please enter the third word. Type x to exit." get w3 if w3 := "x" then     exit end if delay (250) put "Please enter the fourth word. Type x to exit." get w4 if w4 := "x" then     exit end if delay (250) put "Please enter the fifth word. Type x to exit." get w5 if w5 := "x" then     exit end if delay (500) cls put "Would you like to see your words printed forwards or backwards? F for forwards, B for backwards." get dir if dir = "F" or "f" then     put w1, ", ", w2, ", ", w3, ", ", w4, ", ", w5 elsif dir = "B" or "b" then     put %something to make it go backwards here? w1, ", ", w2, ", ", w3, ", ", w4, ", ", w5 end if

[Euphoracle]

I'm not understanding the use of the delays. Are they necessary? They're slowing down execution time for no apparent reason. Are they asked for?

Per each if statement regarding w[number], you use the assignment := operator rather than the evaluation = operator. Turing might fix that for you at runtime, but it's bad practice to leave in there, and most other languages are not so forgiving. The correct way to express `if w5 := "x" then` in this case is:

Turing:

if w5 = "x" then

The use of exit is not valid in this context. The exit command exits the current loop structure. You are not currently in a loop structure, therefore you cannot exit it. In this case, the correct command to use would be return, however there are better ways of coding this so there isn't extensive code repetition, but you probably haven't got that far in the course yet. Therefore, at this stage in the game, the correct structure in this case would be:

Turing:

if w5 = x then     return end if

Regarding the line at `if dir = "F" or "f" then` and the similar B condition, you have a syntax error. When using an or condition in Turing, you are to specify the full condition each time. The program will not implicitly assume you are applying the or to if dir =. The correct structure in this case would be

Turing:

if dir = "F" or dir = "f" then

[S_Grimm]

use 5 arrays of char. then you can print the word backwards or forwards on a whim. [/syntax]

[isaiahk9]

just to put this out there, use proper titles for threads, please.

[ecookman]

do you want the order backwards or forwards or the spelling

if you want the order to be back wards list the order when they print back wards like
var backwardsforwards : string

if (backwardsforwards = "backwards") then
then put the order backwards but it seems that is what you have done

hope that helps?

[zero-impact]

A\V @ Tue Oct 07, 2008 8:34 am wrote:

use 5 arrays of char. then you can print the word backwards or forwards on a whim. [/syntax]

Arrays are unnecessary. You can just use a decreasing for loop to output individual elements of the string

code:

for decreasing i : length (stringName) .. 1         put stringName (i) end for

[Ktomislav]

I think you don't know loops, so I would advice you to learn them. When you learn loops it's really easy and then you will probably understand that post above this one.