This is my first time with much of this code. With this instancepool.h file below I get errors saying I can't use vector (line 14) or have instance& as a return type (line 20). It seems it can't use the instance objects despite the fact that I have included them. #ifndef _INSTANCEPOOL_H #define _INSTANCEPOOL_H #include "instance.h" #include <iostream> #include <string> #include <vector> #include <stdlib.h> using namespace std; class InstancePool { private: unsigned instances;//total number of instance objects vector<instance> ipp;//the collection of instance objects, held in a vector public: InstancePool();//Default constructor. Creates an InstancePool object that contains no Instance objects InstancePool(const InstancePool& original);//Copy constructor. After copying, changes to original should not affect the copy that was created. ~InstancePool();//Destructor unsigned getNumberOfInstances() const;//Returns the number of Instance objects the the InstancePool contains. const instance& operator[](unsigned index) const; InstancePool& operator=(const InstancePool& right);//Overloading the assignment operator for InstancePool. friend istream& operator>>(istream& in, InstancePool& ip);//Overloading of the >> operator. friend ostream& operator<<(ostream& out, const InstancePool& ip);//Overloading of the << operator. }; #endif Here is the instance.h : #ifndef _INSTANCE_H #define _INSTANCE_H ///////////////////////////////#include "instancepool.h" #include <iostream> #include <string> #include <stdlib.h> using namespace std; class Instance { private: string filenamee; bool categoryy; unsigned featuress; unsigned* featureIDD; unsigned* frequencyy; string* featuree; public: Instance (unsigned features = 0);//default constructor unsigned getNumberOfFeatures() const; //Returns the number of the keywords that the calling Instance object can store. Instance(const Instance& original);//Copy constructor. After copying, changes to the original should not affect the copy that was created. ~Instance() { delete []featureIDD; delete []frequencyy; delete []featuree;}//Destructor. void setCategory(bool category){categoryy = category;}//Sets the category of the message. Spam messages are represented with true and and legit messages with false.//easy bool getCategory() const;//Returns the category of the message. void setFileName(const string& filename){filenamee = filename;}//Stores the name of the file (i.e. “spam/spamsga1.txt”, like in 1st assignment) in which the message was initially stored.//const string& trick? string getFileName() const;//Returns the name of the file in which the message was initially stored. void setFeature(unsigned i, const string& feature, unsigned featureID,unsigned frequency) {//i for array positions featuree[i] = feature; featureIDD[i] = featureID; frequencyy[i] = frequency; } string getFeature(unsigned i) const;//Returns the keyword which is located in the ith position.//const string unsigned getFeatureID(unsigned i) const;//Returns the code of the keyword which is located in the ith position. unsigned getFrequency(unsigned i) const;//Returns the frequency Instance& operator=(const Instance& right);//Overloading of the assignment operator for Instance. friend ostream& operator<<(ostream& out, const Instance& inst);//Overloading of the << operator for Instance. friend istream& operator>>(istream& in, Instance& inst);//Overloading of the >> operator for Instance. }; #endif Also, if it is helpful here is instance.cpp: // Here we implement the functions of the class apart from the inline ones #include "instance.h" #include <iostream> #include <string> #include <stdlib.h> using namespace std; Instance::Instance(unsigned features) { //Constructor that can be used as the default constructor. featuress = features; if (features == 0) return; featuree = new string[featuress]; // Dynamic memory allocation. featureIDD = new unsigned[featuress]; frequencyy = new unsigned[featuress]; return; } unsigned Instance::getNumberOfFeatures() const {//Returns the number of the keywords that the calling Instance object can store. return featuress;} Instance::Instance(const Instance& original) {//Copy constructor. filenamee = original.filenamee; categoryy = original.categoryy; featuress = original.featuress; featuree = new string[featuress]; for(unsigned i = 0; i < featuress; i++) { featuree[i] = original.featuree[i]; } featureIDD = new unsigned[featuress]; for(unsigned i = 0; i < featuress; i++) { featureIDD[i] = original.featureIDD[i]; } frequencyy = new unsigned[featuress]; for(unsigned i = 0; i < featuress; i++) { frequencyy[i] = original.frequencyy[i];} } bool Instance::getCategory() const { //Returns the category of the message. return categoryy;} string Instance::getFileName() const { //Returns the name of the file in which the message was initially stored. return filenamee;} string Instance::getFeature(unsigned i) const { //Returns the keyword which is located in the ith position.//const string return featuree[i];} unsigned Instance::getFeatureID(unsigned i) const { //Returns the code of the keyword which is located in the ith position. return featureIDD[i];} unsigned Instance::getFrequency(unsigned i) const { //Returns the frequency return frequencyy[i];} Instance& Instance::operator=(const Instance& right) { //Overloading of the assignment operator for Instance. if(this == &right) return *this; delete []featureIDD; delete []frequencyy; delete []featuree; filenamee = right.filenamee; categoryy = right.categoryy; featuress = right.featuress; featureIDD = new unsigned[featuress]; frequencyy = new unsigned[featuress]; featuree = new string[featuress]; for(unsigned i = 0; i < featuress; i++) { featureIDD[i] = right.featureIDD[i]; } for(unsigned i = 0; i < featuress; i++) { frequencyy[i] = right.frequencyy[i]; } for(unsigned i = 0; i < featuress; i++) { featuree[i] = right.featuree[i]; } return *this; } ostream& operator<<(ostream& out, const Instance& inst) {//Overloading of the << operator for Instance. out << endl << "<message file=" << '"' << inst.filenamee << '"' << " category="; if (inst.categoryy == 0) out << '"' << "legit" << '"'; else out << '"' << "spam" << '"'; out << " features=" << '"' << inst.featuress << '"' << ">" <<endl; for (int i = 0; i < inst.featuress; i++) { out << "<feature id=" << '"' << inst.featureIDD[i] << '"' << " freq=" << '"' << inst.frequencyy[i] << '"' << "> " << inst.featuree[i] << " </feature>"<< endl; } out << "</message>" << endl; return out; } istream& operator>>(istream& in, Instance& inst) { //Overloading of the >> operator for Instance. string word; string numbers = ""; string filenamee2 = ""; bool categoryy2 = 0; unsigned featuress2; string featuree2; unsigned featureIDD2; unsigned frequencyy2; unsigned i; unsigned y; while(in >> word) { if (word == "<message") {//if at beginning of message in >> word;//grab filename word for (y=6; word[y]!='"'; y++) {//pull out filename from between quotes filenamee2 += word[y];} in >> word;//grab category word if (word[10] == 's') categoryy2 = 1; in >> word;//grab features word for (y=10; word[y]!='"'; y++) { numbers += word[y];} featuress2 = atoi(numbers.c_str());//convert string of numbers to integer Instance tempp2(featuress2);//make a temporary Instance object to hold values read in tempp2.setFileName(filenamee2);//set temp object to filename read in tempp2.setCategory(categoryy2); for (i=0; i<featuress2; i++) {//loop reading in feature reports for message in >> word >> word >> word;//skip two words numbers = "";//reset numbers string for (int y=4; word[y]!='"'; y++) {//grab feature ID numbers += word[y];} featureIDD2 = atoi(numbers.c_str()); in >> word;// numbers = ""; for (int y=6; word[y]!='"'; y++) {//grab frequency numbers += word[y];} frequencyy2 = atoi(numbers.c_str()); in >> word;//grab actual feature string featuree2 = word; tempp2.setFeature(i, featuree2, featureIDD2, frequencyy2); }//all done reading in and setting features in >> word;//read in last part of message : </message> inst = tempp2;//set inst (reference) to tempp2 (tempp2 will be destroyed at end of function call) return in; } } } and instancepool.cpp: // Here we implement the functions of the class apart from the inline ones #include "instancepool.h" #include "instance.h" #include <iostream> #include <string> #include <vector> #include <stdlib.h> using namespace std; InstancePool::InstancePool()//Default constructor. Creates an InstancePool object that contains no Instance objects { instances = 0; ipp.clear(); } InstancePool::~InstancePool() { ipp.clear();} InstancePool::InstancePool(const InstancePool& original) {//Copy constructor. instances = original.instances; for (int i = 0; i<instances; i++) { ipp.push_back(original.ipp[i]); } } unsigned InstancePool::getNumberOfInstances() const {//Returns the number of Instance objects the the InstancePool contains. return instances;} const Instance& InstancePool::operator[](unsigned index) const {//Overloading of the [] operator for InstancePool. return ipp[index];} InstancePool& InstancePool::operator=(const InstancePool& right) {//Overloading the assignment operator for InstancePool. if(this == &right) return *this; ipp.clear(); instances = right.instances; for(unsigned i = 0; i < instances; i++) { ipp.push_back(right.ipp[i]); } return *this; } istream& operator>>(istream& in, InstancePool& ip) {//Overloading of the >> operator. ip.ipp.clear(); string word; string numbers; int total;//int to hold total number of messages in collection while(in >> word) { if (word == "<messagecollection"){ in >> word;//reads in total number of all messages for (int y=10; word[y]!='"'; y++){ numbers = ""; numbers += word[y]; } total = atoi(numbers.c_str()); for (int x = 0; x<total; x++) {//do loop for each message in collection in >> ip.ipp[x];//use instance friend function and [] operator to fill in values and create Instance objects and read them intot he vector } } } } ostream& operator<<(ostream& out, const InstancePool& ip) {//Overloading of the << operator. out << "<messagecollection messages=" << '"' << '>' << ip.instances << '"'<< endl << endl; for (int z=0; z<ip.instances; z++) { out << ip[z];} out << endl<<"</messagecollection>\n"; } This code is currently not writing to files correctly either at least, I'm sure it has many problems. I hope my posting of so much is not too much, and any help would be very much appreciated. Thanks!