How do I pass a return value to another function and assign the return value to a variable within th-CodePudding

My program consist of 3 files. The clockType.h - the class function prototypes, clockTypeImp.cpp - definitions of functions, and the testing program testClockClass.cpp.

I am trying to pass the return value of the first function to the next function in the code below. I think I am supposed to pass it as a reference perimeter, or a pointer*.

You can see my failed attempt at assigning the return value to the variable diffSec.

(What I am trying to do is convert the difference in seconds between two clocks and out put that difference as HH:MM:SS).

Part of my clockTypeImp.cpp implementation file:

int clockType::clockDiffseconds(clockType otherClock) {
    int elapsedSec;
    return (abs(elapsedTimeSeconds() - otherClock.elapsedTimeSeconds()));
}

void clockType::secondsToHHMMSS() {
    int diffSec = clockType::clockDiffseconds(clockType otherClock);
    int diffHours = diffSec/3600;
    int diffMinutes = (diffSec/60)`;
    int diffSeconds = diffSec`;
    cout << "Converted to HH:MM:SS: " << diffHours << ":" << diffMinutes << ":" << diffSeconds;
}

Part of my clockType.h file where clockType is coming from:

class clockType {
     public:
     void remainingTimeSeconds(int& totalEndSec);     // Function to convert clock to time remaining in seconds.
     int clockDiffseconds(clockType otherClock); // Function for finding difference in time between clocks.
     void secondsToHHMMSS();    // Function for converting seconds to HH:MM:SS.
     bool equalTime(const clockType& otherClock) const;     // Function to compair the two times.
     private:
     int hr;     // Variable to store the hours.
     int min;    // Variable to store the minutes.
     int sec;    // Variable to store the seconds.
};

Here is part of my testing program.

#include <iostream>
#include <iomanip>
#include "clockType.h"

using namespace std;

int main() {
        clockType myClock;
        clockType yourClock;

        int hours;
        int minutes;
        int seconds;
        int elapsedSec;
        int totalEndSec;

        cout << endl << "myClock Time is not set:\n";
        myClock.printTime();

        cout << endl << "myClock Time is set:\n";
        myClock.setTime(9, 3, 30);
        myClock.printTime();
        cout << endl;

        cout << endl << "yourClock Time is not set:\n";
        yourClock.printTime();

        cout << endl << "yourClock Time is set:\n";
        yourClock.setTime(5, 45, 16);
        yourClock.printTime();
        cout << endl << endl;

        if (myClock.equalTime(yourClock)) {
                cout << "Both times are equal." << endl;
        } else {
                cout << "The two times are not equal." << endl;
        }

        cout << endl << "Set the time for myClock\nEnter the hours, minutes, and seconds:\n";

     yourClock.remainingTimeSeconds(totalEndSec);
     cout << "\x1B[32m-->\033[0m" << " The total remaining seconds of \x1B[32myourClock\033[0m is: " << totalEndSec << endl;

     myClock.remainingTimeSeconds(totalEndSec);
     cout << "\x1B[33m-->\033[0m" << " The total remaining seconds of \x1B[33mmyClock\033[0m is: " << totalEndSec << endl;
        
     cout << endl;
        
     cout << "\x1B[34m-->\033[0m" << " The difference in seconds between the \x1B[34mtwo clocks\033[0m is: " << myClock.clockDiffseconds(yourClock) << endl;

Let me know if you need to see the full code of the file(s).

CodePudding user response：

clockDiffseconds() is a non-static method that acts on this, calculating the difference in seconds between this and another clock otherClock. That is fine.

But secondsToHHMMSS() has no concept of otherClock. It is also a non-static method that acts only on this. So, for secondsToHHMMSS() to be meaningful, you have a few choices:

re-think what secondsToHHMMSS() actually means to you. The way you have written it, it should just print the current seconds of this as-is. In which case, use the value returned by clockDiffseconds() to constructs a new clockType object whose elapsedTimeSeconds() returns just that value, and then call secondsToHHMMSS() on that new clockType object, eg:

class clockType {
public:
    ...
    clockType clockDiff(clockType otherClock) const;
    void secondsToHHMMSS() const;
    ...
};

clockType clockType::clockDiff(clockType otherClock) const {
    int elaspedSec = abs(elapsedTimeSeconds() - otherClock.elapsedTimeSeconds());
    return clockType(elaspedSec);
    // add a constructor to clockType that stores elaspedSec in such
    // a way that its elapsedTimeSeconds() can then return it...
}

void clockType::secondsToHHMMSS() const {
    int elapsedSec = elapsedTimeSeconds();
    int hours = elapsedSec/3600;
    int minutes = (elapsedSec/60)`;
    int seconds = elapsedSec`;
    cout << "Converted to HH:MM:SS: " << hours << ":" << minutes << ":" << seconds;
}

clockType myClock, yourClock, elapsed;
...
elapsed = myClock.clockDiff(yourClock);
elapsed.secondsToHHMMSS();
...

Otherwise, if you really want secondsToHHMMSS() to express the difference in seconds between two clocks, then you will have to pass in the otherClock as a parameter to secondsToHHMMSS(), just like you already do with clockDiffseconds(), eg:

class clockType {
public:
    ...
    int clockDiffseconds(clockType otherClock) const;
    void secondsToHHMMSS(clockType otherClock) const;
    ...
};

int clockType::clockDiffseconds(clockType otherClock) const {
    return abs(elapsedTimeSeconds() - otherClock.elapsedTimeSeconds());
}

void clockType::secondsToHHMMSS(clockType otherClock) const {
    int diffSec = clockDiffseconds(otherClock);
    int diffHours = diffSec/3600;
    int diffMinutes = (diffSec/60)`;
    int diffSeconds = diffSec`;
    cout << "Converted to HH:MM:SS: " << diffHours << ":" << diffMinutes << ":" << diffSeconds;
}

clockType myClock, yourClock;
...
myClock.secondsToHHMMSS(yourClock);
...

Otherwise, consider changing secondsToHHMMSS() to be a static method instead, and then pass in the desired seconds as a parameter, such as from an earlier call to clockDiffseconds(), eg:

class clockType {
public:
    ...
    static void secondsToHHMMSS(int seconds);
    ...
};

void clockType::secondsToHHMMSS(int seconds) const {
    int hours = seconds/3600;
    int minutes = (seconds/60)`;
    seconds = seconds`;
    cout << "Converted to HH:MM:SS: " << hours << ":" << minutes << ":" << seconds;
}

clockType myClock, yourClock;
...
int diffSec = myClock.clockDiffseconds(yourClock);
clockType::secondsToHHMMSS(diffSec);
...