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Useful Utilities

In this article, we discuss useful utilities that you can use to convert, check and manipulate common data types in SplashKit programs.
Written by: Richard Denton and others
Last updated: October 2024


SplashKit’s Utilities library provides a range of useful functions that can assist you with converting, checking, and manipulating common data types in your SplashKit program.

These functions are useful in many areas of programming.

Converting a string to a number

SplashKit provides two useful functions for handling the conversion of a string to either an int or a double.

#include "splashkit.h"
int main()
{
// Convert the string "2017" to an integer 2017
string some_string = "2017";
int some_number = convert_to_integer(some_string);
write("The value of some_number is: ");
write_line(some_number);
// Convert the string "3.14159265358979" to a double ~3.141593
string pi_string = "3.14159265358979";
double pi = convert_to_double(pi_string);
write("The value of pi is: ");
write_line(pi);
return 0;
}

Usage scenario: converting user input to an integer

Consider you want to write a program that accepts two numbers as input from a user, multiplies them, and outputs the result. One way to accomplish this is to use SplashKit’s Convert To Integer function.

#include "splashkit.h"
int main()
{
// User input will initially be stored in these two strings.
string snum_1, snum_2;
// And then it will be converted and stored in these integers.
int inum_1, inum_2, result;
// Read user input
write("Enter first number: ");
snum_1 = read_line();
write("Enter second number: ");
snum_2 = read_line();
// Convert user input to integers
inum_1 = convert_to_integer(snum_1);
inum_2 = convert_to_integer(snum_2);
// Compute the result
result = inum_1 * inum_2;
// Output the results
write(snum_1 + " multiplied by " + snum_2 + " equals ");
write_line(result);
return 0;
}

The same can be achieved for decimal numbers, simply by swapping convert_to_integer with convert_to_double, and using the appropriate data types.

//...
//Don't use integers, instead use doubles
double inum_1, inum_2, result;
//...
inum_1 = convert_to_double(snum_1);
inum_2 = convert_to_double(snum_2);
//...

Checking if a string is a number

Another helpful set of functions provided by SplashKit’s utilities library is Is Integer and Is Number.

Consider the following.

#include "splashkit.h"
int main()
{
string message_1 = "9781273";
string message_2 = "23129739.13";
string message_3 = "Hello world.";
if (is_integer(message_1))
write_line("Message 1 contains an integer!");
if (is_number(message_1))
write_line("Message 1 contains a number!");
if (not is_integer(message_2))
write_line("Message 2 is not an integer!");
if (is_number(message_2))
write_line("Message 2 contains a number!");
if (not is_integer(message_3))
write_line("Message 3 is not an integer!");
if (not is_number(message_3))
write_line("Message 3 is not a number!");
return 0;
}

The terminal output should be:

Message 1 contains an integer!
Message 1 contains a number!
Message 2 is not an integer!
Message 2 contains a number!
Message 3 is not an integer!
Message 3 is not a number!

Usage scenario: accept user input as a number

SplashKit’s Is Integer and Is Number functions can be used to validate user input, ensuring the user always enters a valid data type.

#include "splashkit.h"
#include <string>
using namespace std;
/**
* Reads input from a user, only allowing whole numbers.
* @prompt string - The string to display to the user.
* @return int
*/
int read_integer(string prompt)
{
// Prompt the user with the message
write(prompt);
// Read the user input as a string.
string line = read_line();
// Check if user input is a valid whole number, loop until it is.
while (!is_integer(line))
{
write_line("Please enter a whole number.");
write(prompt);
line = read_line();
}
// Convert the user input to an integer before returning it.
return convert_to_integer(line);
}
int main()
{
int height;
height = read_integer("Enter your height in centimetres: ");
write("You are ");
write(height);
write_line("CM tall!");
return 0;
}

Manipulating strings

In addition to the functionality provided by each language’s standard library (The string library in C++, and the System library in C#), SplashKit’s utilities library provides some extra string manipulation functions that can assist you with manipulating string data.

#include "splashkit.h"
int main()
{
string name = "Richard";
string location = " Burwood";
// Convert "Richard" to "RICHARD"
name = to_uppercase(name);
write_line(name);
// Convert "RICHARD" to "richard"
name = to_lowercase(name);
write_line(name);
// Remove all of the empty spaces at the start of " Burwood".
write_line("Before: " + location);
location = trim(location);
write_line("After: " + location);
return 0;
}