C++ Why doesn't my constructor work? - class

Question

I'm using visual c++ 2010 and I'm having trouble with class constructors. I've written it exactly as my instructor described and I can't seem to figure out why it wont compile.
#include <iostream>;
using namespace std;
class Account
{
public:
Insert other functions here...
Account(float b)
{
Balance = b;
}
private:
float &Balance;
}
Int main()
{
float withdraw,deposit;
Account myAccount(100.00);
cout << "Enter the amount you would like to withdraw:" << endl;
cin >> withdraw;
MyAccount.debt(withdraw);
cout << "Your balance is now "<< endl;
MyAccount.showAccountInfo();
cout << endl;
cout << "Enter the amount you would like to deposit: " << endl;
cin >> deposit;
myAccount.credit(deposit);
cout << "Your balance now is " << endl;
MyAccount.showAccountInfo();
cout << endl;
return 0;
}

Answer 1

It is possible that you have declared the member Balance as a reference and you are calling the constructor with a constant (i.e. 100.00), you must pass a variable name to the contructor or declare the member without the reference operator.

Answer 2

If you need the balance in different parts of the process you could try it with dynamic memory.
For instance:
class Account
{
public:
Insert other functions here...
Account(float* b)
{
Balance = b;
}
private:
float* Balance;
}
Int main()
{
float withdraw,deposit;
Account myAccount(new float(100.0));
cout << "Enter the amount you would like to withdraw:" << endl;
cin >> withdraw;
MyAccount.debt(withdraw);
cout << "Your balance is now "<< endl;
MyAccount.showAccountInfo();
cout << endl;
cout << "Enter the amount you would like to deposit: " << endl;
cin >> deposit;
myAccount.credit(deposit);
cout << "Your balance now is " << endl;
MyAccount.showAccountInfo();
cout << endl;
return 0;
In the updating balance method, you should unreference the pointer:
For instance...
void debt(float withdraw){
*balance -= withdraw;
}
Thanks, Regards.