Basic while loop question

[Iengo]

Hi everyone,

I am just starting any programming in C++ and I can't manage to make the following code work.

What I am trying to do basically is : 1) Ask the user for a number of periods
2) For period from 0 to the number of periods entered by the user in 1) have 3 vectors created of cash flows, discount rates and periods concerned with each cash flow (= from start_period to end_period each time until end_period = total number of periods).

#include <cmath>
#include <algorithm>
#include <vector>
#include <cstdio>
#include <cstdlib>
#include <iostream>
using std::cout;
using std::cin;
using std::endl;
using namespace std ;
#include "fin_recipes.h"
#include "cash_flow_irr_discrete.h"
#include "cash_flow_pv_discrete.h"
#include "test_present_value.h"
int main()
{
	int number_of_periods=1;
	int period = 0;
	int start_period = 0;
	int end_period = 0;
	int counter = 0;
	double cash_flow;
	double r;
	vector<double> times;
	vector<double> cflows;
	vector<double> discountrate;
	cout <<"enter total number of cash flow periods including 
                zero cash flow periods if any :";
	cin >> number_of_periods;

	while( period != number_of_periods )
	{
		period = end_period;
		cout <<"enter cash flow amount :";
		cin>> cash_flow ;
		cout<<"from period :";
		cin>> start_period ;
		if (start_period < end_period) { 
                                cout <<"error : starting cash-flow period
                                last preceding ending cash-flow period" ; } ;
		cout<<"to period :";
		cin>> end_period ;

                                if (end_period > number_of_periods) 
		{ 
	                cout <<"error : last cash-flow period > total number of 
                                periods" ;
		end_period=start_period;
		} ;
		if (end_period < start_period) { cout <<"error : end 
                                period for the cash-flow < start period for the cash-
                                flow" ; } ;

		cout<<"enter discount rate :";
		cin>> r ;
			
		for (int counter = start_period; counter <= end_period; 
                                counter++)
		{
		cflows.push_back(cash_flow);
		times.push_back(counter);
		discountrate.push_back(r);
		};
	}
cout <<"calculation starting" ;
}