cout.width

[lewashby]

I'M reading "C++ FOR DUMMIES" 4th edition by Stephen Randy Davis and the chapter on arrays as just introduced this line -> cout.width(3); with absolutly no explanation to waht width is. I would like any of you guys to help me wout here but in addition to telling what .width is please also explain to me how I can find this kind of info out on my own. I know that cout is part of std but I don't really understand std. As far as I know it's a library that I've not seen nor do I know where to find it. But knowing that cout is part of std and that width was acccessed through cout, I'M assuming that if I can see into std I could find out for myself what width is.

[deceptikon]

Test it out and see:

#include <iostream>

using namespace std;

int main()
{
    cout << "'";
    cout << "foo";
    cout << "'\n";

    cout << "'";
    cout.width(10);
    cout << "bar";
    cout << "'\n";

    cout << "'";
    cout.width(10);
    cout.setf(ios::left);
    cout << "baz";
    cout << "'\n";
}

As for where to figure these things out, a combination of a good tutorial book and a good reference book should cover most of the bases. From there it's experimentation and self study.

[tinstaafl]

Here's a pretty good C++ reference site.

[lewashby]

Thanks. So there's now way to look inside std and cout and width for myself?

[deceptikon]

So there's now way to look inside std and cout and width for myself?

You can if you want, but unless you're pretty advanced in your C++ knowledge, it'll look like gibberish.

[tinstaafl]

cout is easily referenced by searching at that reference site. cout is from the ostream class, the width property is referenced there.

[lewashby]

Thanks all.