Example Program: Invoice Processing

Details of an invoice are available as follows:

The number of items on the invoice - n
For each item
   an item code (6 digits), a quantity and
                a unit cost (dollars,cents)
Thus a typical set of input values for an invoice might be:
3
161432 5 6 50
543289 10 2 25
876234 2  10 75
indicating that there are three items on the invoice, the first item having an item code of 161432, an order quantity of 5 and a unit price of six dollars fifty cents. Assume that the days date will also be entered.

Write a C++ program to enter details of such an invoice and to output an invoice which indicates the total cost of each item and the total cost of the invoice together with full details. The above details might produce an invoice as follows:

Invoice date: 10/6/00

 Item    quantity  unit price  total price

161432       5         6.50        32.50
543289      10         2.25        22.50
876234       2        10.75        21.50

                          Total    76.50
A first attempt at an algorithm might be:
initialise.
enter date.
enter number of items into n.
output headings.
for n items do
  {
    enter a record.
    calculate total cost of item.
    accumulate total invoice cost.
    write line of invoice.
  }
output total cost.

Assume that there are four programmers available to implement this program. There are four major operations inside the for loop hence each programmer could be given one operation to implement. The best way to do this is to use a function for each operation. Each programmer can then be given a precise definition of a function.

For example consider the operation enter a record. This function must read in the integer quantities item number, quantity and unit price in dollars and cents. Hence it has no input parameters and four output parameters. A definition of the function could then be written as follows:

Function name: dataentry
Operation:     Enter a record
Description:   Enters four integers from the current
               input line and returns their values.
Parameters:    Output parameter  int  itemno
               Output parameter  int  quantity
               Output parameter  int  unitdollars
               Output parameter  int  unitcents
Similarly the other functions could be specified as follows:
Function name : calccost
Operation     : Calculates the cost for a single item.
Description   : Given the unit price of an item in
                dollars and cents and the quantity of
                the item calculates the total cost in
                dollars and cents.
Parameters    : Input parameter int quantity
                input parameter int unitdollars
                input parameter int unitcents
                output parameter int totaldollar
                output parameter int totalcents

Function name : acctotal
Operation     : Accumulates the total cost of invoice
Description   : Given current total invoice cost and
                the total cost of an invoice item
                calculates the new total invoice cost.
Parameters    : input parameter int totaldollar
                input parameter int totalcents
                input & output parameter int invdollar
                input & output parameter int invcents

Function name : writeline
Operation     : Writes a line of the invoice.
Description   : Given the item reference number, the
                quantity, the unit price and total
                price of an item outputs a line of
                the invoice.
Parameters    : input parameter int itemno
                input parameter int quantity
                input parameter int unitdollars
                input parameter int unitcents
                input parameter int totaldollar
                input parameter int totalcents