pointer problem

[Violet_82]

Hi guys, I have a problem with a program:

#include <iostream>
#include <string>
using namespace std ;
// Uses a class with "public" member variables, so directly accessible
class Student
{
public :
string name ;
int reg ;
} ;
int main( )
{
const char NL = '\n' ;
const int LINE_LENGTH = 80 ;
const int NUM_STUDENTS = 3 ;
Student studentSet[ NUM_STUDENTS ] ;
cout << "For the set of students "
<< endl ;
for ( int i = 0 ; i < NUM_STUDENTS ; i++ )
{
cout << "Enter the name of student number "
<< i + 1
<< ": " ;
getline( cin, studentSet[ i] . name ) ;
cout << "Enter this student's registration ID: " ;
cin >> studentSet[ i ] . reg ;
cin . ignore( LINE_LENGTH, NL ) ;
cout << endl ;
}
//cout<<"Address " << &studentSet[0]<< &studentSet[1] << &studentSet[2] << &studentSet[3];
for ( Student* student_ptr = studentSet ;
student_ptr < &studentSet[ NUM_STUDENTS ] ;
student_ptr++ )
{
cout << "Name of a student: "
<< student_ptr -> name
<< endl ;
cout << "Student registration ID: "
<< student_ptr -> reg
<< endl
<< endl ;
}

}

My problem is with the pointer in the loop

for ( Student* student_ptr = studentSet ;
student_ptr < &studentSet[ NUM_STUDENTS ] ;
student_ptr++ )

Now, I am trying to get my head around pointers, and I must admit that I am finding it difficult. Let me run through the loop and see if I get everything right.
Student* student_ptr = studentSet ; creates a pointer student_ptr which will point to studentSet[0]; now, here is the problem: student_ptr < &studentSet[ NUM_STUDENTS ] ; is saying that the address of student_ptr is < than the address of what? the address of the whole &studentSet[ NUM_STUDENTS ] array (is it possible???) or the address of studentSet[2]? as you can see I tried to display the addresses of all the elements of the array studentSet[ NUM_STUDENTS ] but no joy. Also what is tricking me is the fact that it says student_ptr < &studentSet[ NUM_STUDENTS ] ;. I thought that this is equivalent to student_ptr < &studentSet[ 3 ] ; because NUM_STUDENTS = 3, but if I replace NUM_STUDENTS with 3 the program (I use visual C++ as a compiler) compiles fine but it returns bad pointer, which is fair enough because if I say

for ( Student* student_ptr = studentSet ;
student_ptr < &studentSet[ 3 ] ;
student_ptr++ )

I am trying to access studentSet[3] which is out of range.
Hope it is clear...any suggestion?
thanks

[Kontained]

Just shooting from the hip here, but you initialized

const int NUM_STUDENTS = 3;
Student studentSet[NUM_STUDENTS];

When you're trying to access studentSet[3] there is no actual value.

You would only have studentset[0], studentset[1], and studentset[2].

Again, just shooting from the hip but hopefully I helped out.

[Violet_82]

Hi Kontained, thanks, yeah that's clear but in

for ( Student* student_ptr = studentSet ;
student_ptr < &studentSet[ NUM_STUDENTS ] ;
student_ptr++ )
{

what's not clear is

&studentSet[ NUM_STUDENTS ]

. We know that

student_ptr

is a pointer and contains the address of

studentSet[0]

so what address does

&studentSet[ NUM_STUDENTS ]

contain? the address of

studentSet[2]

I suppose because if we say

]for ( Student* student_ptr = studentSet ;
student_ptr < &studentSet[ NUM_STUDENTS ] ;
student_ptr++ )

we don't want the address of the pointer to go past the address of

tudentSet[2]

which contains the last element of the array...I would have thought

[Violet_82]

Ah!!! hold on, sorry, I think I got it now...sorry took me awhile, but you see I am still trying to get the hang of it. In

for ( Student* student_ptr = studentSet ;
student_ptr < &studentSet[ NUM_STUDENTS ] ;
student_ptr++ )

we must say

student_ptr < &studentSet[ NUM_STUDENTS ]

because the pointer points to the address of

studentSet[0]

and it must be obviously smaller than

&studentSet[ NUM_STUDENTS ]

which points to the address of

studentSet[3]

which is outside my array - it is out of range.
Sorry didn't mean to waste anybody's time.
cheers