#include<iostream>

#include<string.h>

#include<windows.h>

using namespace std;

class stringy

{

friend ostream &operator<<(ostream&, stringy&); /*friend means two classes can access the private data members of each other. This is considered by many bad programming practice, but we need to use it.*/

public:

stringy(char* = "temp"); /*char pointers must always have a value, so do this to be safe*/

stringy operator+(stringy&); /*adds 2 strings (see details later in program) */

void sets(); /*sets a value for the pointer str*/

private:

char *str;

};

stringy::stringy(char *in)/*constructor, what do you think? */

{

str = new char[500];/*allocates a large space for the array*/

strcpy(str, in);

}

void stringy::sets()/*sets a value for the pointer str based on what the user enters*/

{

cout<<"Enter a string:";

cin.getline(str, 500, '\n');

}

stringy stringy::operator+(stringy &other)

/*you can think of this like object1+object2 is the same as object1.add(object2) the first one is the "calling" object so you use str to access the calling string, and other.str to access the second string (from after the +)*/

{

return stringy(strcat(str,other.str)); /*returns a new stringy object*/

}

main()

{

stringy one;

stringy two;

one.sets();

two.sets();

cout<<flush; /*use this or the program gives you a run-time error, don't ask why*/

stringy three=one+two; /*assigns one plus two to three*/

cout<<three; /*prints three.str, see the overloaded operator below*/

return 0;

}

ostream &operator<<(ostream &screen, stringy &brandnew)

/*all ostream operators return an ostream& They all also accept one ostream& and whatever else you want or need it to, int this case a stringy reference (stringy&)*/

{

screen<<brandnew.str<<endl; /*this is what <<(object_name) will print in a cout*/

return screen; /*return it so that you ca use cout<<other stuff<<(object_name)<<other stuff; */

}