Monash College MCD4720 – Fundamentals of C++
Assignment 1 – Trimester 1, 2020
Submission guidelines
This is an individual assignment, group work is not permitted Deadline: March 22, 2020, 19:55pm
Weighting: 10% of your final mark for the unit
Late submission:
• By submitting a Special Consideration Form or visit this link: https://lms.monashcollege.edu.au/course/view.php?id=1331
• Or, without special consideration, you lose 5 marks per day that you submit late (including weekends). Submissions will not be accepted more than 10 days late.
This means that if you got Y marks, only (Y-n×5) will be counted where n is the number of days you submit late.
Marks: This assignment will be marked out of 100 points, and count for 10% of your total unit marks.
Plagiarism: It is an academic requirement that the work you submit be original. If there is any evidence of copying (including from online sources without proper attribution), collaboration, pasting from websites or textbooks, Zero marks may be awarded for the whole assignment, the unit or you may be suspended or excluded from your course. Monash Colleges policies on plagiarism, collusion, and cheating are available here or see this link: https://www.monashcollege.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/17101/dip-assessment-policy.pdf
Further Note: When you are asked to use Internet resources to answer a question, this does not mean copy-pasting text from websites. Write answers in your own words such that your understanding of the answer is evident. Acknowledge any sources by citing them.
Submission Instructions:
Your project must be submitted as a Visual Studio project, including all header and code files, and any appropriate text files to ensure the program compiles and runs.
You may complete the tasks in your preferred IDE, however you MUST create a Visual Studio project in order to submit. Your project folder must be identified by using your name and assignment number, such as YourNameA1.
The entire project folder must then be zipped up into one zip file for submission. The zipped file MUST be named “YourFistNameLastName_A1.zip”. This zip file must be submitted via the Moodle assignment submission page.
Explicit assessment criteria are provided, however please note you will also be assessed on the following broad criteria:
✓ Meeting functional requirements as described in the exercise description.
✓ Demonstrating a solid understanding of object-oriented design and C++ coding, including good practice. ✓ Following the unit Programming Style Guide.
✓ Creating solutions that are as efficient and extensible as possible.
1
Monash College MCD4720 Assignment 1
NOTE! Your submitted program MUST compile and run. Any submission that does not compile will automatically awarded a 50 marks penalty. This means it is your responsibility to continually compile and test your code as you build it.
NOTE! Your submitted files must be correctly identified and submitted (as described above). Any submission that does not comply will receive and automatic 20 marks penalty (applied after
marking). Your Visual Studio project should include all .cpp, .h and .txt files.
NOTE! Your tutor may ask you to program part of your assignment in class to determine that you
have completed the work yourself. Failure to do this to an acceptable level will result in you being
referred to the Subject Leader for plagiarism.
Scenario:
You have just joined a new multimedia company called CyberRoo. As a new employee, you have been tasked with creating a text-based prototype for a new creative writing tool the company has been asked to create by a major client called “The Amazing Silly Story Generator”.
Your job is to demonstrate some of the basic functionality of the program, which will be further developed by the team of programmers after your finish the prototype. To do this you will complete a series of tasks, each building upon the previous task.
Task List:
Your project must include an application file – correctly formatted including variable and function declarations. Create and display a menu that accesses each of the following functions of the program.
Read data from a file and display it as an information screen about the application.
Read some sample data from a file and store it appropriately.
Generate a random story and display the result using the stored data.
Save a story to file, appending each new story line saved, at the user’s request. Load all saved stories from the saved file and display the contents.
Task 1: Create and Display a Menu
Your first task is to create and display a menu, just like the one shown here. In the example, option [1] has been selected, terminating the program.
Create a function called runMenu() and call it from the main() function.
From this function, the user must be able to select any of the displayed options as often as they want before ending the program.
Ensure that you validate the user’s input so that only the options displayed can be chosen.
You may process the options as either numeric or single character input, such as [1] for ending the program, [2] for displaying the information, etc.
2
Monash College MCD4720 Assignment 1
Task 2: Display an Information Screen
Your next task is to display some information about the application, just like the one shown here.
Create a function called displayInfo() and call it from the runMenu() function, when option [2] Display “About” Information is selected.
This function must accept a filename as a parameter (“StoryAbout .txt”) and successfully read and display the data.
You must also allow the user some time to read the displayed information before returning them to the menu.
You can copy StoryAbout.txt into the appropriate folder to read and display, instead of creating your own. However, you may need to modify the format of the data, depending on how you intend to import it into your program.
You may create your own information, if you wish. If you do, keep it short!
Task 3: Read and Store Data from a File
Your next task is to read and store the story elements, from one (or more) text files, and store this data in appropriate variables. This data will be used to generate the randomised story lines in the next task.
Create a function called createLists() and call it from the runMenu() function, when option [3] Read and Store Data from File is selected.
This function must accept a filename as a parameter (“*.txt”) and successfully read and store the data. The data is to be stored in two collection variables named storyConnectors, and storyQuestions.
You can choose to read the data from a single file, storing each data set in the different variables, OR read and store each data set with three separate calls to the same function with different arguments OR use another suitable method of your own devising.
You may also be required to manipulate the string data, using appropriate string methods.
3
Monash College MCD4720 Assignment 1
Task 4: Generate and Display a Random Story
Your next task is generating a random story, using one element from each of the story collections, and display the final result as a concatenated or formatted string.
Create a function called generateStory() and call it from the runMenu() function, when [4] Generate a Silly Story is selected.
This function must return a concatenated or formatted string using input from the player (answering the story questions) and combining the answers with the story connectors to form a completed story.
You will need to use a number of different string manipulation techniques to achieve the desired result. Think through the process carefully before you start to write your code. Hint: work it out using pen and paper first using one Story.
Ensure that the collection variables have content before trying to select each element, to stop the program from crashing.
See screen shot for an example of the required output.
Task 5: Save a Silly Story to a File
Your next task is to save a silly story to a file, called “savedStories.txt”. In this task you must:
display the last generated silly story
ask the user if they want to save it
▪ if so, add it to any existing data in the file ▪ if not, do nothing
return to the menu when the task is complete
Use the screen shot as a guide for your display and input request.
Create a function called saveStoryData() and call it from the runMenu() function, when [5] Save a Silly Story to file is selected
You should also inform the user when the data is saved, before returning to the menu.
4
Monash College MCD4720 Assignment 1
Task 6: Load Saved Silly Stories from a File
Your final task is loading the saved stories from the “savedStories.txt” and displaying them appropriately.
How you achieve this is dependent upon how you saved the data. Ideally, the display should be the same as the way you displayed the story when you generated it.
Use the screen shot as a guide for your display – these stories are being displayed in the same way as they were originally generated.
Things you may need to consider:
Do the collection lists need to be initialised before you display the saved data?
How have you saved the data?
▪ Did you save the random numbers for each
element type?
▪ Did you save the completed strings? ▪ Did you use another method?
How will you display the data after it is read from the saved data file?
▪ Which method is the most efficient way to
display it?
How will you ensure that the user has time to read the output before returning to the menu?
Create a function called loadStoryData() and call it from the runMenu() function, when [6] Load saved Silly Stories from file is selected
Assignment Notes:
It is your responsibility to know what is expected of you. If you are unsure about anything, ask your tutor sooner rather than later. Write any questions and/or notes here to help you clarify what you have to do.
5
Monash College MCD4720 Assignment 1
Assignment 1: Marking Criteria [100 marks in total]
NOTE: Your submitted project must be correctly identified and submitted, otherwise it will receive an automatic 20 marks penalty (applied after marking).
Does the program compile and run? Yes or No
NOTE! Your submitted program MUST compile and run. Any submission that does not compile will
receive an automatic 50 marks penalty (applied after marking).
1. Application Design [20] 1.1. Application File [20]
1.1.1.The main() function has appropriate function calls to keep it uncluttered [4] 1.1.2.Has all the correct #include statements [4]
1.1.3.Has the required data members and member functions using meaningful names [4] 1.1.4.Has created all function prototypes correctly [4]
1.1.5.Has created any additional functions to streamline their code [4]
2. Functionality [60]
2.1. Task 1: Menu [12]
2.1.1.The runMenu() function correctly initialises any required variables [2] 2.1.2.The menu options are clearly displayed [2]
2.1.3.Appropriate use of loop and decision structures to process user input [4] 2.1.4.Correct use of function calls when responding to user input [2] 2.1.5.The user controls when to return to the menu [2]
2.2. Task 2: About Information [8]
2.2.1.The displayInfo() function uses the correct argument [2] 2.2.2.Appropriate validation checks have been made [2]
2.2.3.Appropriate use of loop and decision structures to read and display data [4]
2.3. Task 3: Reading and Storing Data [10]
2.3.1.The createLists() function uses the correct argument [2]
2.3.2.The collection variables (arrays or vectors) are correctly initialised [2] 2.3.3.Appropriate method(s) used to read the data from the file [2] 2.3.4.Appropriate use of loop and decision structures to read and store data [4]
2.4. Task 4: Generate and Display a Storyline [8]
2.4.1.The generateStory() function returns a string [2] 2.4.2.Validation checks that collection lists have been created [2] 2.4.3.One random data element is selected from each collection [2] 2.4.4.The returned string is correctly concatenated and/or formatted [2]
2.5. Task 5: Save Data to a File [12]
2.5.1.The saveStoryData() function uses the correct arguments [4]
2.5.2.The current story line is displayed appropriately [2]
2.5.3.The user is asked whether to save or not with an appropriate process of user input [2] 2.5.4.Appropriate validation for writing the file is in place [2]
2.5.5.The data is correctly written to the specified file [2]
2.6. Task 6: Load Data from a File [10]
2.6.1.The loadStoryData() function uses the correct argument(s) [2] 2.6.2.Appropriate validation checks have been made [4]
2.6.3.Appropriate use of loop and decision structures to read and display data [4]
3. Quality of Solution and Code [20]
3.1. Does the program perform the functionality in an efficient and extensible manner? [4]
3.2. Has a well-designed program been implemented? [8] 3.2.1.Appropriate additional functions created to streamline code [4] 3.2.2.Demonstrates the use of logical procedures [4]
3.3. Has the Programming Style Guide been followed appropriately? [8]
3.3.1.All functions and variables have meaningful names and use correct camel notation [4] 3.3.2.Appropriate use of comments throughout the code [4]
6