What I am doing should seem very possible, however, it is not working for me. I am trying to get an input and get the number of characters in the string, and put that as an integer of some kind. every time I try a various string of characters, it gives the same negative number. It is also always the same number, -858993460.

int encryption(string encry)
{
    int encry_size;
    string encry2;
    encry2=encry;
    stringstream convert(encry.size());
    convert >> encry_size;
    cout<<encry_size<<"\n";
    return encry_size;
}

If you are to print the value of "encry2" it will give you a spade, like from a deck of cards.

 

strlen should do the trick.

/* strlen example */
#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>

int main ()
{
  char szInput[256];
  printf ("Enter a sentence: ");
  gets (szInput);
  printf ("The sentence entered is %u characters long.\n",strlen(szInput));
  return 0;
}

This is quoted from:
http://www.cplusplus.com/reference/clibrary/cstring/strlen/