How to Program A Calculator in C++! (Great C++ Microsoft Visual Studio Beginner Project)

Summary

In this video, the presenter guides viewers through creating a basic four-function calculator using C++ in Microsoft Visual Studio. The tutorial covers essential programming concepts such as user input and output, console display, and basic mathematical operations. The script includes detailed steps for setting up the project, defining variables, and implementing an if-else statement to handle different arithmetic operations. The video is designed for beginners to practice handling real-time user data and processing it with simple calculations.

Takeaways

• 💻 The video is a tutorial on creating a simple four-function calculator using C++ in Microsoft Visual Studio.
• 📝 The tutorial covers the basics of user input and output, displaying console messages, and performing arithmetic operations.
• 📚 It introduces the use of `iostream` for console interaction and `cmath` for mathematical functions.
• 🔢 The calculator is designed to handle basic arithmetic operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
• 🎯 The script guides viewers on defining variables for operations and numbers, using strings and doubles for flexibility.
• 👨‍💻 It demonstrates how to prompt users for input and store it in variables, using `std::cout` for output and `std::cin` for input.
• 🔑 The tutorial introduces conditional statements (`if`, `else if`, `else`) to handle different arithmetic operations based on user input.
• 🛠️ The script emphasizes the importance of proper formatting and indentation in C++ code for readability.
• 📈 The video serves as a beginner project to help viewers understand how to process real-time user data in C++ programs.
• 🌟 The presenter encourages viewers to engage with the content by liking, subscribing, and providing feedback for future tutorial topics.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video?

The video focuses on teaching viewers how to create a simple four-function calculator using C++ in Microsoft Visual Studio.

What are the basic functionalities of the calculator being built in the video?

The calculator is designed to perform basic arithmetic operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

Which programming language is used in the video to create the calculator?

The programming language used is C++.

What are the user inputs required for the calculator?

The user inputs required are two numbers and an operation (either addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division).

What does the 'cmath' library provide in the context of the calculator project?

The 'cmath' library is used to perform basic mathematical functions if needed.

Why is the 'iostream' library included in the project?

The 'iostream' library is included to handle user inputs and outputs, allowing the program to display information on the console and receive user input.

How does the video guide viewers to handle user inputs for the calculator?

The video demonstrates how to use 'cin' for taking user inputs and 'cout' for displaying prompts and results to the user.

What data types are used for the variables storing the operation and numbers in the calculator?

A string data type is used for the operation variable, and double is used for the two number variables to allow for decimal values.

How does the video handle different arithmetic operations in the calculator?

The video uses a series of 'if-else if' statements to check the entered operation and perform the corresponding arithmetic operation.

What does the video suggest for handling unrecognized operations?

For unrecognized operations, the video suggests displaying an error message stating 'not a recognized operation'.

What is the purpose of the video in the context of learning C++?

The video serves as a tutorial for beginners to get familiar with user inputs, outputs, console interactions, and basic arithmetic operations in C++.

Outlines

00:00

💻 Introduction to Building a Simple Calculator in C++

The video introduces a tutorial on creating a basic four-function calculator using C++ in Microsoft Visual Studio. It's aimed at those familiar with the basics of C++ and serves as a practical project to understand user input and output, console interaction, and basic mathematical operations. The setup involves including necessary libraries like iostream for console interaction and cmath for mathematical functions. The tutorial begins with defining variables for the operation and two numbers, using doubles for flexibility in handling fractional numbers. It also touches on the efficient practice of defining multiple variables of the same type in a single line.

05:01

🔍 Implementing User Input and Conditional Logic

This section of the video script details the process of capturing user input for the calculator. It explains how to prompt the user to enter the first number, the operation (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division), and the second number using standard input/output streams. The script then transitions into using if-else statements to handle the logic for different operations. It demonstrates how to structure these conditional statements to perform calculations based on user input and how to format the code for readability. The tutorial also includes a test run of the calculator with various inputs to ensure the logic is correctly implemented.

10:03

🎉 Wrapping Up the Calculator Project and Engaging the Audience

The final paragraph wraps up the tutorial by emphasizing the educational value of the calculator project for beginners in C++. It highlights the use of numerical data types, strings, if-else statements, and console interactions as key components of the project. The speaker encourages viewers to like, subscribe, and comment on the video if they have questions or suggestions for future content. Additionally, there's a call to action for viewers to support the channel through Patreon if they appreciate the content. The video concludes with a thank you note and well wishes for the viewers' coding endeavors.

Keywords

💡C++

C++ is a high-level programming language developed by Bjarne Stroustrup. It is an extension of the C programming language and supports object-oriented programming, among other paradigms. In the video's context, C++ is used to demonstrate how to create a simple four-function calculator, highlighting its capabilities for handling user inputs and outputs, as well as performing arithmetic operations.

💡Microsoft Visual Studio

Microsoft Visual Studio is an integrated development environment (IDE) from Microsoft that facilitates the development of applications for various platforms. The video references using Visual Studio as the platform for creating the calculator program in C++, showcasing its role in providing tools for coding, debugging, and compiling.

💡iostream

In C++, iostream is a header file that provides functions for input and output stream operations. The video mentions including iostream to handle user inputs and outputs, such as displaying prompts and reading user inputs, which are essential for the calculator's functionality.

💡cmath

The cmath library in C++ provides support for mathematical functions, including trigonometric, logarithmic, and exponential functions. Although the video's calculator focuses on basic arithmetic, the mention of cmath suggests its potential use for more complex mathematical operations if needed.

💡User Inputs

User inputs are data provided by the user during the execution of a program. The video script discusses getting user inputs as a key aspect of the calculator project, allowing the program to dynamically receive and process numbers and operations from the user.

💡Console Window

The console window is a text-based interface where users interact with the program. In the video, the console window is used to display prompts and receive user inputs for the calculator, demonstrating how to interact with users through a command-line interface.

💡Variables

Variables in programming are used to store data values. The script defines variables such as 'operation' and 'number' to hold the user's input for the operation and the numerical values, respectively. These variables are crucial for the calculator to perform the correct arithmetic operation.

💡If-Else Statements

If-else statements are control flow statements used in programming to execute different blocks of code based on conditions. The video introduces if-else statements to check the user's operation choice and perform the corresponding arithmetic operation, illustrating a fundamental concept in programming logic.

💡Arithmetic Operations

Arithmetic operations are basic mathematical operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. The video's calculator is designed to perform these operations based on user input, demonstrating how to implement arithmetic logic in a C++ program.

💡Real-Time Processing

Real-time processing refers to the ability of a system to process data as it is received. The video emphasizes the calculator's real-time aspect by showing how it processes user inputs immediately to perform calculations, which is a key feature in interactive applications.

Highlights

Introduction to creating a simple four-function calculator using C++ in Microsoft Visual Studio.

Explanation of including necessary libraries iostream and cmath for console input/output and basic mathematical functions.

Demonstration of setting up the basic structure of the main function in C++.

Guidance on defining variables for operation and two numbers, with a choice between using doubles for fractional numbers or integers for whole numbers.

Tutorial on defining multiple variables of the same type on the same line for cleaner code.

Instructions on using cout to prompt the user for the first number.

Explanation of using cin to receive user input and store it in the defined variables.

Process of getting user input for the operation and the second number, similar to the first number input.

Introduction to if-else statements in C++ for checking the user's operation choice.

Example of using if-else statements to perform addition based on user input.

Continuation of if-else statements for subtraction, multiplication, and division operations.

Inclusion of an else statement to handle unrecognized operations with a user-friendly error message.

Live demonstration of the calculator handling decimal inputs and performing division.

Testing the calculator with multiplication and checking the result for correctness.

Example of how the calculator handles incorrect operation inputs and displays an error message.

Conclusion summarizing the project's educational value for beginners in C++ programming.

Encouragement for viewers to engage with the content by liking, subscribing, and commenting on the video.

Invitation for viewers to support the channel through Patreon if they appreciate the content.

Transcripts

what's going on everyone welcome back to

the master tech and in today's video i'm

going to show you how to make a simple

four function calculator using c

plus in microsoft visual studio

[Music]

so if you've been following along in the

c

plus uh tutorial series or even if

you're just um familiar with the very

basics of c plus plus this is a great

project to get familiar with uh user

inputs user outputs displaying things to

the console window and performing some

basic operations with inputs you take

from the user so this is going to be

kind of the first program we've built

where you actually get user data in real

time and then process it so to do that

we're going to start just by including

iostream and cmath which we've seen

before and cmath is just basically going

to let us do basic mathematical

functions if we need it and then

iostream is uh how we display things

onto the console and pull feedback from

the console

and this is kind of our basic setup for

our main function that we've had in

every video so far so uh to follow along

just make sure that your code looks like

this in the beginning and let's get into

actually writing the code so the first

thing we want to do is define our

variables and for this project we're

really only going to need three

variables we're going to need the

operation that we're using to

either add subtract multiply or divide

and then we need two numbers that we're

doing the operation too um so to do that

we're going to start by defining a

string for the operation

and then um we're going to define i'm

going to use doubles for my two numbers

just so they can be fractional if i want

them to be fractional you could do it

with integers if you wanted it to only

be integer based math that would be

really simple but you get a little more

flexibility if you make them doubles and

i just want to take this opportunity to

show you we can do one thing that we

haven't talked about yet in the c plus

series you can define multiple variables

of the same variable type on the same

line right here so uh if i don't want to

give them initial values or even if i

did

you can define multiple variables in the

same row now we're going to get the

initial values from the user so i'm not

going to put equals anything for

operation or number like we've talked

about you don't have to give them

initial values when you define them

and so these are the only three

variables we're going to need but it is

nice to know if you had a project with

hundreds of variables you could have all

your strings defined in one place all

your doubles defined in one place

and that can really kind of clean up

your code a little bit when all said and

done

okay so now let's take a look at

actually get

the user input all right so that's going

to be the next section of our code and

to do this uh we're gonna start with c

out which we've used a few times before

which is console out so it's um just

basically us giving the user a prompt

and in this case the prompt is gonna be

enter first number just like that and

we're going to put a space there because

uh it looks kind of good um

and then just make sure you finish every

line with a semicolon again

i'll kind of keep hammering on basic

formatting while we're still doing basic

tutorials

you need every line to end with a

semicolon if it's like the end of a

statement

so then we actually want to take some

feedback back in and for this it should

kind of make sense to you flip the

direction of your arrow keys so instead

of like less than less than sign

it's greater than greater than sign for

something that we're pulling back in

from the console and this is going to

show up as a second row where the user

then enters their data here so it's

going to be cn and then we're going to

write whatever they punch in into number

one our variable number one

just like that so this if i were to run

this we're not doing anything with it

yet but it should run okay if i run it

let's take a look

okay

and so it's asking me to enter first

number and if i go ahead and uh punch in

at 12 and then hit enter it's not going

to do anything but you can see there it

was

prompting me to enter a number and then

waiting for me to put feedback back in

there so we're gonna copy this same

basic format of prompt and then response

um two more two more times and so we're

gonna do it in order we'll get the

number first and then we'll get the

operation

and then we'll get the second number uh

so we'll say enter operation for the

second one and then parentheses i'm just

gonna kind of tell them what they can do

because if you think about like a

calculator you would see all the buttons

that you can press so you would see like

plus minus multiplication division you

would know whether or not something was

an option so i think giving them the

chance to see what operations are their

options is not a bad idea

and then we will just say enter second

number like that and so i'm not going to

run this again because it's going to

look just like what we did for enter

first number um it's just going to ask

us three prompts and then we'll put

stuff in but it's not doing anything

with it yet

um and so what we want is the last bit

is going to be like if else statement

checking

um

entered

spell it right checking entered

operation okay um so i'm working on

better comments in my code because i

want it to be easier to follow along

with so this section we're actually

going to create an if-else series of

statements that check what operation was

just entered and display an output based

on that

so let's go ahead and get started and

this is going to be our first look at

the if statement in c plus as well so if

you've been following along with this

series

if you haven't go check them out but if

you have been following along with the

series you've seen variable types and

some basic string and numerical

operations this is going to be your

first introduction to if else statements

and that's really cool so

if and then in parentheses you want to

put your

kind of if check statement so if

operation is equal to and we'll start

with addition because it's an easy one

that's all you need to put in your

parentheses but then you make these

curly brackets and inside these curly

brackets is where we put what to do in

the event that that is true so if the

operation is plus we just want to

display onto the console

number one plus

number two and it knows how to interpret

that uh one plus two just like that and

then we put our semicolon and then our

closed curly brackets and then right

after that closed curly bracket you can

put else if and then we're just going to

basically copy this

for each of those if

statements for each of our operators i'm

saying a lot i'm going to try to stop

doing that

so

else if operation is minus now we want

to just c out number one minus number

two semicolon make sure you have your uh

formatting correct the indentation

doesn't matter as much in c plus plus as

it would in like python um there's

another one uh so just try to

make it look in a way that feels good to

you because strictly speaking there are

no rules about line breaks so this could

go on for numer this could be one line

of code really if you use the semicolons

and curly brackets in the right spot

so pick a formatting that works for you

and i'm gonna kind of just copy this if

i turn it into an else if and do this

four times uh you can even see the

there's no like automatic formatting

it's gonna do for you

it may or may not just have stuff jump

around and put stuff on a new line

sometimes the default visual studio code

might actually separate it out like this

i think it does

where it puts this curly bracket as like

its own line you can keep it this way if

you want again it really isn't going to

impact the functioning of your code it's

just what do you prefer and if your

company or project team has a standard

that they're trying to follow follow

their standard don't

don't step on their toes just because it

doesn't matter technically

all right so we have multiplication and

division in here and let's do one more

thing which is just else now instead of

an else if and else is just going to

mean they entered something that isn't

any of those operations so we just want

to see out just like the other ones but

now we'll say

not a

recognized

operation just like that and so

basically we're saying okay you didn't

give me any of the four functions that i

told you we would be able to do with

this calculator so i'm just going to

give you an error saying not a

recognized operation like that okay

so let's go ahead and run this let's see

if we actually captured all scenarios

okay

so let's say enter first number let's do

23.5 because it should be able to handle

decimals let's do divided by

and let's do 2.7 something that's not

easy

okay

8.7037 i actually don't know if that's

exactly right but it must be pretty

close um just kind of looking at the

numbers here that makes sense

um so let's do it again uh let's go

ahead and say enter first number 123

um

times

2.678

and we get

329.394 that looks right to me let's go

ahead and just test this scenario of

entering something stupid for an

operation so let's say 12

um

i don't know

pete

as in operation and then second number

23 not a recognized operation there you

go so this is pretty rudimentary code

still we're obviously not into like

really advanced code in any way but if

you're following along in the c plus

plus tutorial series this is a really

cool start to start getting user input

and doing something with that data we're

using numerical data types we're using

strings we're using if else statements

and we're printing to the console we're

taking data back from the console so

this is a really great beginner project

i hope you found it useful if you did be

sure to leave a like on the video

subscribe to the channel let me know in

the comments if you had any questions or

what you'd like to see in a future video

on the channel and if you love the

content i've been putting out you want

to become a super supporter of the

channel feel free to check out the

patreon link in the description of this

video and as always thanks for watching

and good luck with your code thanks bye