the only problem i have with the program i wrote above is that the compiler says there a problem, can anyone help me find what is wrong with this program? the program matches the directions above, but theres a problem. please help

Well, for one thing order_chars is declared twice, once with char* and once with char parameters.

It would be helpful to tell us what the compiler actually SAYS rather than "it says there a problem".

Compare this code to your code and it will give you a hint why yours does not work.
[php]#include <iostream>

int order_chars( int*, int*, int* );


int main()
{
int c1 = 5;
int c2 = 10;
int c3 = 15;
int* c1ptr;
int* c2ptr;
int* c3ptr;

c1ptr = &c3;
c2ptr = &c2;
c3ptr = &c1;

order_chars (c3ptr, c2ptr, c1ptr);

std::cin.get(); //wait
return 0;
}


int order_chars( int* c3ptr, int* c2ptr, int* c1ptr )
{
std::cout << *c1ptr << *c2ptr << *c3ptr << std::endl;

return 0;
}
[/php]

ok heres my new code, but it still says on the compiler that there is a syntax error on line before return i think in the main function.
new code...


#include <iostream>

int order_chars( char*, char*, char* );
int main()
{

char c1 = 5;
char c2 = 10;
char c3 = 15;
char* c1ptr;
char* c2ptr;
char* c3ptr;

c1ptr = &c3;
c2ptr = &c2;
c3ptr = &c1;

order_chars ( c3ptr, c2ptr, c3ptr )


return 0;
}


int order_chars( char* c3ptr, char* c2ptr, char* c1ptr )
{
std::cout << c1ptr << c2ptr << c3ptr << std::endl;

return 0;
}

yea, the syntax error is in function main, before return.

All i see in your code that could give a syntax error is the lack of a semicolon after the function call order_chars.

alright, say i enter a 1,2,3 when my program asks me, when im printing out the contents of the pointers in the function order_chars, it prints 1,2,1....instead it should print 3,2,1....cause the function reorders the characters i entered around. heres my code, can you see the problem?


#include <iostream>

int order_chars( char*, char*, char* );
int main()
{

char c1;
char c2;
char c3;

std::cout << "Enter three characters\n";
std::cin >> c1 >> c2 >> c3;

char* c1ptr;
char* c2ptr;
char* c3ptr;

c1ptr = &c3;
c2ptr = &c2;
c3ptr = &c1;

order_chars ( c3ptr, c2ptr, c3ptr );


return 0;
}


int order_chars( char* c3ptr, char* c2ptr, char* c1ptr )
{
std::cout << * c1ptr << * c2ptr << * c3ptr << std::endl;

return 0;
}

i have to change my code above to use reference variables instead, what does this mean?