# Failing to parse different math operators Code Answer

Hello Developer, Hope you guys are doing great. Today at Tutorial Guruji Official website, we are sharing the answer of Failing to parse different math operators without wasting too much if your time.

The question is published on by Tutorial Guruji team.

This question is a follow-up from this one. Basically I’m trying to make a parser which calculates the total result of a string. `5+5+3*2/1` should give `16`. This already works for strings only containing plusses and mins, so `-55-44+1-2+123-54442+327737+1-2` successfully gives `273317`.

It however does not work when plusses/mins get mixed with times/divides. So `1*2-2*3` returns `6` instead of `-4`. I think this is because I try to respect the order in which math needs to be executed (first plusses and mins, than times and division), but the operator somehow doesn’t get updated.

```#include <iostream>
#include <string>
#include <algorithm>

//Enumeration of all the possible
//math operators
enum Operator {
PLUS,
MIN,
TIMES,
DIVIDE,
UNDEFINED
};

/************************IGNORE********************/
char operatorToChar(Operator o) {
switch(o) {
case Operator::PLUS:
return '+';
break;
case Operator::MIN:
return '-';
break;
case Operator::TIMES:
return '*';
break;
case Operator::DIVIDE:
return '/';
break;
default:
return '0';
break;
}
}
/***************************************************/

/*
* Function to check if there are still times- or divide-operators in the action string.
* This to respect the order of math (first times and divides, than plusses and mins)
*
* :param action: The action string
* :return bool: Returns true if a '*' or '/' is found
*/
bool timesAndDividesGone(std::string& action) {
for (char& c : action) {
if (c == '*' || c == '/') {
return false;
}
}

return true;
}

/*
* Function to convert char to Operator
* :param c: One of the following '+', '-', '*', '/'
* :return Operator: Operating matching the character
*/
Operator charToOperator(char c) {
switch(c) {
case '+':
return Operator::PLUS;
break;
case '-':
return Operator::MIN;
break;
case '*':
return Operator::TIMES;
break;
case '/':
return Operator::DIVIDE;
break;
default:
return Operator::UNDEFINED;
break;
}
}

/*
* Function to do maths on two numbers, the math to do is decided by the operator
* :param x: First number
* :param y: Second number
* :param o: Operator (Plus, Min, Times or Divide)
* :return double: Result of the calculation
*
* Example:
* math(5, 5, Operator::Plus) == 10
*
*/
double math(double x, double y, Operator o) {
double z = 0;

switch (o) {
case Operator::PLUS:
z = x + y;
break;
case Operator::MIN:
z = x - y;
break;
case Operator::TIMES:
z = x * y;
break;
case Operator::DIVIDE:
z = x / y;
break;
}

return z;
}

/*
* Recursive function performing all the calculations from an action string.
* For example, if the string actions has value "5+7" in the first recursive run
* result should contain 12 after the last recursion.
*
* :param result: Double containing the calculated result after the last recursion
* :param actions: Action string (what you type in your calculator; e.g: 5+5). We analyze the first character of this string each time and add it to first_nr, second_nr, or make it the operator. First character gets deleted after each recursion
* :param first_nr: Empty at first recursion, number of left side of the operator. So in 55+77 this paramater will be "55". Gets resetted at the next operator
* :param second_nr: Idem as first_nr but for the right side of the operator.
* :param oper: Operation to calculate the first_nr and second_nr
*/
double calculate(double& result, std::string& actions, std::string& first_nr, std::string& second_nr, Operator& oper) {

//DEBUG OUTPUT:
std::cout << actions << " Gives ";
std::cout << std::to_string(result) << std::endl;

//Base-condition:
//If action string is empty return
if (actions == "") {

//Scenario for when first action is an operator
//e.g: 1+1-
if (second_nr == "")
second_nr = "0";

//Update result
result = math(std::stod(first_nr), std::stod(second_nr), oper);

return result;
}

//Get first character from action string
char c = actions;

//Making sure order of math is respected (first times and divdes)
//and than plus and min
char operatorInChar = {'*', '/'};
if (timesAndDividesGone(actions)) {
operatorInChar = '+';
operatorInChar = '-';
}

//If first character is an operator
if (std::find(std::begin(operatorInChar), std::end(operatorInChar), c) != std::end(operatorInChar)) {

//Scenario for when first action is an operator
//e.g: -1+1
if (first_nr == "") {
if (actions == '*')
first_nr = "1";
else
first_nr = "0";
}

//If operator is not yet set in a previous recursion
if (oper == Operator::UNDEFINED) {
oper = charToOperator(c);

//If second_nr is not empty, we need to calculate the two numbers together
if (second_nr != "") {
//Update result
result = math(std::stod(first_nr), std::stod(second_nr), oper);
}
} else {
//Update result
result = math(std::stod(first_nr), std::stod(second_nr), oper);

first_nr = std::to_string(result);
second_nr = "";

//Remove first character from action string because it's analysed in this recursion
actions = actions.erase(0, 1);
oper = charToOperator(c);
return calculate(result, actions, first_nr, second_nr, oper);

}

} else {
//If the character is not a operator but a number we append it to the correct nr
//we add to first_nr if the operator is not yet set, if we already encountered an operator
//e.g: actions = "123+789"

if (oper == Operator::UNDEFINED) {
first_nr += c;
} else {
second_nr += c;
}

}

//Remove first character from action string because it's analysed in this recursion
actions = actions.erase(0, 1);

//DEBUG OUTPUT:
//std::cout << first_nr << operatorToChar(oper) << second_nr << std::endl;
//std::cout << std::endl << actions << " Gives ";
//std::cout << std::to_string(result) << std::endl;

//Make recursive call
return calculate(result, actions, first_nr, second_nr, oper);
}

int main() {
//String we want to calculate
std::string str = "1*2-2*3";
std::string str_copy_for_output = str;

//Variables
double result = 0;
std::string first_nr = "";
std::string second_nr = "";
Operator oper = Operator::UNDEFINED;

//Call function
int calculation = calculate(result, str, first_nr, second_nr, oper);

//Output
std::cout << std::endl << str_copy_for_output << " = " << calculation << std::endl;

return 0;
}

```

tl;dr This code works perfectly for strings only containing plusses and mins or only times and divides. Combining times and divides messes it up. Probably the operator parameter fails to update. How to fix this?

I’m sorry if I did not not analyze your code in detail because it is way too much complicated for what you are trying to do. Therefore I will not tell you where is exactly the problem, instead I will propose you something more simple.

One way or another you need to manage a stack because an algebraic expression must be handled as a tree structure and the evaluation process has to follow that structure. It can’t be handled as a flat structure and you can’t escape the management of operator precedence. In addition to that an expression is normally evaluated from left to right (left associativity).

That said if you really don’t want to use a parsing tool (which IMHO would be more simple and clean), it is always possible to parse “manually”. In that case you may avoid to manage an explicit stack by using the call stack itself as demonstrated in the following code:

```#include <iostream>

int precedenceOf(char op) {
switch (op) {
case '+':
case '-':
return 4;
case '*':
case '/':
return 3;
}
return 0;   // never happen
}
const int MAX_PRECEDENCE = 4;

double computeOp(double left, double right, char c) {
switch (c) {
case '+': return left + right;
case '-': return left - right;
case '*': return left * right;
case '/': return left / right;
}
return 0;   // never happen
}

{
while (*expr != 0) {
switch (*expr) {
case '+':
case '-':
case '*':
case '/':
{
char res = *expr;
expr++;
return res;
}
case ' ':
break;
}
expr++;
}
return 0;
}

{
double result = 0;
while (*expr != 0 && *expr == ' ') expr++;
while (*expr != 0) {
if (*expr >= '0' && *expr <= '9')
result = result * 10 + *expr - '0';
else
return result;
expr++;
}
return result;
}

double eval(const char*& expr, int breakPrecedence = MAX_PRECEDENCE + 1);

// evalRight function reads the right part of an expression and evaluates it
// (up to the point where an operator with precedence 'breakPrecedence' is reached)
// returns the computation of the expression with the left operand passed as parameter.
double evalRight(const char*& expr, int breakPrecedence, double leftOperand)
{
do
{
auto posBeforeOp = expr;
if (op == 0)
return leftOperand;  // end of expression reached, meaning there is no right part

auto prec = precedenceOf(op);
if (prec >= breakPrecedence)
{
expr = posBeforeOp;  // we backtrack before the operator (which will be handled by one of our caller)
return leftOperand;
}

// reads and evaluates the expression on the right hand side
auto rightOperand = eval(expr, prec);
// computes the current operation, the result becoming the new left operand of the next operation
leftOperand = computeOp(leftOperand, rightOperand, op);
} while (true);
}

// eval function reads an expression and evaluates it (evaluates it up to the point where an operator with precedence 'breakPrecedence' is reached)
// returns the evaluation of the expression
double eval(const char*& expr, int breakPrecedence)
{
return evalRight(expr, breakPrecedence, leftOperand);
}

int main()
{
auto expression = "1 + 1 * 2 - 2 * 3 + 1";
std::cout << "result = " << eval(expression);   // prints: result = -2
return 0;
}
```

To keep the code as simple as possible the provided expression is assumed to be syntactically correct. It’s up to you to add some checks if you want.

Hope this helps.
{"ft_lang_label":"__label__en","ft_lang_prob":0.65631586,"math_prob":0.9419851,"size":9746,"snap":"2022-27-2022-33","text_gpt3_token_len":2446,"char_repetition_ratio":0.17337303,"word_repetition_ratio":0.064926796,"special_character_ratio":0.30638212,"punctuation_ratio":0.20095187,"nsfw_num_words":0,"has_unicode_error":false,"math_prob_llama3":0.9928946,"pos_list":[0],"im_url_duplicate_count":[null],"WARC_HEADER":"{\"WARC-Type\":\"response\",\"WARC-Date\":\"2022-07-04T00:42:02Z\",\"WARC-Record-ID\":\"<urn:uuid:7b5b04dc-22c5-4d91-b3e1-101c2d424f1e>\",\"Content-Length\":\"107237\",\"Content-Type\":\"application/http; msgtype=response\",\"WARC-Warcinfo-ID\":\"<urn:uuid:ebd50e59-1362-4855-8dcd-2968cbd27099>\",\"WARC-Concurrent-To\":\"<urn:uuid:f6e7d278-a9be-4752-9746-d9177b4923bf>\",\"WARC-IP-Address\":\"208.109.38.86\",\"WARC-Target-URI\":\"https://www.tutorialguruji.com/cpp/failing-to-parse-different-math-operators/\",\"WARC-Payload-Digest\":\"sha1:2TZAH5S36GSZYDU55SU35ZXOZ7CRHACY\",\"WARC-Block-Digest\":\"sha1:2P2E3CZ6IRHQGGEDIXS75EJETOIBKV36\",\"WARC-Identified-Payload-Type\":\"text/html\",\"warc_filename\":\"/cc_download/warc_2022/CC-MAIN-2022-27/CC-MAIN-2022-27_segments_1656104277498.71_warc_CC-MAIN-20220703225409-20220704015409-00545.warc.gz\"}"}