{

// 0 1 2 3 4 5 6, to erase [2] through [5], str.erase(2, 5 - 2 + 1)

string x = " a house in the middle of nowhere ";

string *s = &x;

cout << x << "|" << endl;

int leftTrimStartIdx = 0, leftTrimEndIdx = 0;

for (int i = 0; (*s)[i] == ' '; i++)

leftTrimEndIdx = i;

(*s).erase(leftTrimStartIdx, leftTrimEndIdx - leftTrimStartIdx + (leftTrimEndIdx==0?0:1));

cout << x << "|" << endl;

int rightTrimEndIdx = (*s).length() - 1, rightTrimStartIdx = (*s).length() - 1;

for (int i = (*s).length() - 1; (*s)[i] == ' '; i--)

rightTrimStartIdx = i;

(*s).erase(rightTrimStartIdx, rightTrimEndIdx - rightTrimStartIdx + (rightTrimStartIdx == ((*s).length() - 1)? 0 : 1));

cout << x << "|" << endl;

return 0;