c++ - operator overload -

i working on project trying keep c++ knowledge. anyways, getting many, many errors when try implement operator overload. not sure why.

#include "students.h" #include <iostream> #include "quack.h"  using namespace std;  void main() {   quack* classmates = new quack;  classmates->pushfront(students("corey", "9081923456", 4.0));  cout << "\noriginal data set -- " << *students; 

and getting errors operator. oddly enough if comment out overloaded operator , leave in students.cpp compiles find.

#ifndef students_h #define students_h #include <iostream>  class students {       // causing errors friend ostream& operator << (ostream& out,const students& student);  public: students(); students(char * name, char* oitid, float gpa); students(const students& student); // copy constructor;  ~students(); const students& operator=(const students& student);  void getname(char* name) const; void getoitid(char* oitid) const; float getgpa(void) const;  void setname(char* name); void setoitid(char* oitid); void setgpa(float gpa);   private: char*    name; char*    oitid; float    gpa;  };  #endif  } 

and, causes errors alo. not itself..

#include "students.h" #include <iostream> #include <iomanip>  using namespace std; #pragma warning(disable:4996)         private: char* name; char* oitid; float gpa;  students::students(): name(null), oitid(null), gpa(0) { }   students::students(char *name, char *oitid, float gpa): name(null), oitid(null), gpa(0) { setname(name); setoitid(oitid);  }  students::~students() {  if(name) delete[] name; if(oitid) delete[] oitid;  }     const students& students::operator=(const students& student) {  //if self copy, don't if(this == &student)     return *this; //make current object *this copy of passed in student else {     setname(student.name);     setoitid(student.oitid);     //setgpa(student.gpa);     return *this; }  }   void students::setname(char *name) {  //release exisisting memory if there if(this->name) delete [] this->name;  //set new name this->name = new char[strlen(name)+1]; strcpy(this->name, name);  }  void students::setoitid(char *oitid) {  if(this->oitid) delete [] this->oitid;  //set new id this->oitid = new char[strlen(oitid)+1]; strcpy(this->oitid, oitid);  }  ostream& operator<< (ostream& out, const students& student) {  //out << setw(20) << student.name     //<< setw(15) << student.pccid     //<< setw(8) << fixed << setprecision(2) << student.gpa; return out; } 

here errors get

syntax error : missing ';' before '&'
: error c2433: 'ostream' : 'friend' not permitted on data declarations
error c4430: missing type specifier - int assumed. note: c++ not support default-int
error c2061: syntax error : identifier 'ostream'
error c4430: missing type specifier - int assumed. note: c++ not support default-int
error c2805: binary 'operator <<' has few parameters
1>generating code...
1>compiling...
1>students.cpp

my eyes burning , cant figure out why unhappy overloaded operator..

you using ostream without qualifying namespace std::

the compiler errors/warnings vaguely telling has encountered type has not been declared yet.

friend std::ostream& operator << (std::ostream& out,const students& student);