/** FILENAME_PATH_LENGTH is the size of the string that holds the path.  The longest
 * string that can be held is one less than this, due to the end
 * end of string sentinel in C.  Increase this is a larger string
 * is needed to hold the path on your system */
#define FILENAME_PATH_LENGTH 200 

/** twice the above, so that we can add file name to end of full path */
#define FILENAME_PATH_LENGTH_2 (FILENAME_PATH_LENGTH*2) 

/** this is limit to longest line of information that is scanned in,
 * end of line char is actually at this +1, dim of vector is this + 1 
 * all routines that scan in information should use this to dim vars */ 
#define INPUT_LINE_LENGTH 200


to mix C and C++ IO operations must be synchronized if both are to be used in same program
C uses stdio IO streams,stdin, stdout, stderr
C++ has iostreams, including cin, cout, cerr, clog

std::ios_base::sync_sith_stdio

commands echoed with pretty box in routine ParseCommands