How to Determine if a String Contains a Character and then a Number in C+ +

Discover a simple method to verify if a string contains a `character` (A-J) followed by a `number` (1-14) in C+ + without using regular expressions.
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This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/65442001/ asked by the user 'Cavan P' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/13736245/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/65442594/ provided by the user 'Zach_Mose' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/14228537/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

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Determining Valid Coordinates in C+ +

When developing a command line battleship game in C+ + , you may run into the task of validating user inputs for ship coordinates. Specifically, you need a way to check if a player's input includes a character (from A to J) followed by a number (from 1 to 14). This guide will guide you through an efficient way to implement this validation without relying on regular expressions, focusing instead on a straightforward approach to string handling.

Understanding the Challenge

The challenge arises from validating a specific format for user input, which consists of:

A single character representing the column (A-J or a-j).

A number representing the row (1-14).

If the input doesn't conform to this structure, the game won't be able to interpret the coordinates correctly.

Common Approaches

Many programmers might consider using regular expressions to solve this problem. However, regex can sometimes be overkill for simpler tasks. Instead, we’ll use basic string operations and character checks to achieve our goal efficiently.

Implementing the Solution

Step 1: Create the Validation Function

The first step is to create a function that checks if the character and number meet the required conditions. Below is a sample function in C+ + :

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Step 2: Read Input from the User

Next, we need to prompt the user for input and then separate the coordinate into its component parts (the character and the number). Below is the main function that performs this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Step 3: Put It All Together

When you call these functions within your main program, you can efficiently validate the input coordinates for your battleship game. Here’s a quick breakdown of the code:

Import the necessary libraries.

Define the validShipCoords function to check character and number validity.

In the main function:

Accept user input.

Extract the number by skipping the first character.

Validate the entire input using the validShipCoords function.

Output the result based on the validation.

Conclusion

Using the above approach, you can efficiently handle user inputs for ship coordinates in your C+ + battleship game. This method allows you to avoid the complexities of regular expressions while still ensuring that the input adheres to your formatting requirements.

Feel free to modify and expand upon this example based on your game's specific needs!

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