[Solved] C++ How to make text health bar

Question

You need to print : for each strength point and fill the remaining with spaces (capacity). There are several methods.

Method 1: The loop

cout << '{';
for (unsigned int i = 0; i < capacity; ++i)
{
  if (i < strength)
  {
    cout << ':';
  }
  else
  {
    cout << ' ';
  }
}

Method 2: String of repeated characters

const std::string strength_text(strength, ':');
const std::string filler_text(capacity-strength, ' ');
cout << '{';
cout << strength_text << filler_text;
cout << '}';

Method 3: Setting field width

const std::string strength_text(strength, ':');
cout << '{';
cout << setw(capacity) << strength_text;
cout << '}';

You should research the setw modifier to see if it performs a right justified or left justified fill.

Other methods involve cursor positioning, which requires an external library.

Accepted Answer