c++ newbie needs help with strings?

[John]

//I'm trying to make a simple encryption program, which first
//asks the user for all the letters of the alphabet and the user // can input them in random order.

//i.e

string encryptkey;
cin >> encryptkey;

// i.e
//qazxcsdwerfvbgtyhnmjuiklo
//q= 0, a = 1, z = 3... etc

//the program will then ask the user for a word that will be //encrypted. i.e

string encryptword;
cin >> encryptword;

// user inputs a word
//i.e dafdhg


//the program will encrypt the word so that it will check where //each of the characters are in the vector and will then make a //new vector which is the encrypted word. The encryption works //so that it replaces the characters according to the alphabet.

//i.e
//qqqaz is encrypted into aaabc

//because q is the first char so it switches to a. a is the second //so it switches to b etc..




for ( i = 0; i < encryptword.length(); ++i )

// THIS IS WHERE I NEED HELP
// the program will check the first char of the encryptword and //find the character in the encryptkey.
// How can I do this?

//i.e if the word is
//daafg;

// the program will search the encryptionkey and find out, where //the first character is.

int firstchar=static_cast <int> (encryptkey.find("d"));

// in this case firstchar = 7 and the 7th letter of the alphabet is
// g
// the program will then insert this character to a vector

encrypted.push_back('g')


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