c++ 3d array function returns - c++

So i've got this 3 dimensional array that looks like this:
int map[100][100][100];
and I want to use it as a return type for a function, whether as a pointer or whatever like so:
int* World::CreateCell() {
int map[100][100][100];
return map;
}
However I cannot find the appropriate return type for a 3d array, it will not let me use an int* like you can for a 2D array.
Even things like this don't work:
int a[100][100][100];
int* b = a;
VS seems to think the data type is int*(100)(100) but that makes no sense and doesn't work.
For what it's worth, I've googled this and seen no solutions. Thank you

Since you want 3D C-style array, you need to have a pointer to a pointer to a pointer, i.e., int***. Also, you need to allocate the memory if you use a creation function like this. Otherwise, you return the statically allocated memory from that function.
Here is a quick example of how to do it:
#include <iostream>
static int*** create_cell() {
constexpr std::size_t n = 100;
int*** map = new int**[n];
for (std::size_t i = 0u; i < n; ++i) {
map[i] = new int*[n];
for (std::size_t j = 0u; j < n; ++j) {
map[i][j] = new int[n];
}
}
return map;
}
static void delete_cell(int***& map) {
constexpr std::size_t n = 100;
for (std::size_t i = 0u; i < n; ++i) {
for (std::size_t j = 0u; j < n; ++j) {
delete[] map[i][j];
}
delete[] map[i];
}
delete[] map;
}
int main()
{
int*** a = create_cell();
a[0][0][0] = 1;
std::cout << "a[0][0][0] = " << a[0][0][0] << std::endl;
delete_cell(a);
return 0;
}
It depends on your use case: BUT for modern c++ you can ease your life using containers from the stl such as std::vector and std::array. Check here for reference: std::array and std::vector
For example, you can define your 3D types:
#include <array>
#include <vector>
using vector_3d = std::vector<std::vector<std::vector<int>>>;
using array_3d = std::array<std::array<std::array<int, 100>, 100>, 100>;
and then use them as:
array_3d b;
b[0][0][0] = 1;
std::cout << "b[0][0][0] = " << b[0][0][0] << std::endl;

First you should
Never return a reference or a pointer to a local non-static variable.
Now coming to your question:
I want to use it as a return type for a function, whether as a pointer or whatever like so.However I cannot find the appropriate return type for a 3d array.
This(below) is how you can do it for a 3D array. Basically there are 2 ways to solve this:
Method 1
//CreateCell is a function that returns a pointer to a 3D array of the size 100,100,100
int (*CreateCell())[100][100][100] {
int map[100][100][100];
return &map;
}
Method 1 works as can be seen here.
Method 2
//CreateCell is a function that returns a pointer to a 3D array of the size 100,100,100
auto CreateCell() -> int(*)[100][100][100] {
int map[100][100][100];
return &map;
}
Method 2 uses trailing return type and works as can be seen here.
Note
Both methods return a pointer to a local variable which must be avoided. I have given/written the answer just so that you can see how to return a pointer for a 3D array as you desired. You can instead create and return a 3D `std::vector` by value.

Consider using a simple wrapper around your matrix:
struct Wrapper { int Mat[100][100][100] = {0}; };
The signature would then become something like:
Wrapper *foo(...) { ... }
Here is simple working example:
#include <iostream>
struct Wrapper { int Mat[100][100][100] = {0}; };
Wrapper *inc(Wrapper *w)
{
for (int i=0;i<100;i++)
for (int j=0;j<100;j++)
for (int k=0;k<100;k++)
w->Mat[i][j][k] += (i+j+k);
return w;
}
int main(int argc, char **argv)
{
Wrapper w;
Wrapper *out = inc(&w);
std::cout << out->Mat[5][6][7] << "\n";
return 0;
}

Related

Create matrix (2d-array) of size specified by parameter input in C++

I am learning C++ with experiencein mostly Python, R and SQL.
The way arrays (and vectors which differes somehow from 1d-arrays? and matrices which are 2d-arrays?) work in C++ seems quite different as I cannot specify the size of dimension of the array with an argument from the function.
A toy-example of my goal is some thing like this:
Have a function my_2d_array which takes two arguments M and N and returns a matrix or 2d-array of dimension (MxN) with elements indicating the position of that element. E.g. calling my_2d_array(4,3) would return:
[[00, 01, 02],
[10, 11, 12],
[20, 21, 22],
[30, 31, 32]]
The main function should execute my_2d_array and be able to potentially perform calculations with the result or modify it.
This is my attempt (with errors):
int my_2d_array(int N, int M) {
int A[N][M];
for (int i = 0; i < N; i++) {
for (int j = 0; j < M; j++) {
std::string element = std::to_string(i) + std::to_string(j);
A[i][j] = element;
}
}
return A;
}
void main() {
int N, M;
N = 4;
M = 3;
int A[N][M] = my_2d_array(N, M);
// Print the array A
for (int i = 0; i < N; i++) {
for (int j = 0; j < M; j++) {
std::cout << A[i][j] << " ";
}
std::cout << "\n";
}
}
One (1) dimensional attempt of #JustLearning's suggestion:
int my_array(int N) {
std::array<int, N> A;
for (int i = 0; i < N; i++) {
A[i] = i;
}
return A;
}
int main() {
int N = 4;
int A[N] = my_array(N);
// Print the array A
for (int i = 0; i < N; i++) {
std::cout << A[i] << " ";
}
}
You can use a 2d vector like this
vector<vector int> A;
It works the same way as a 2d array
Welcome to C++! Your function my_2d_array has a couple of issues:
the return type is int, however you are attempting to return an array of ints.
the identifier of an array in C++ is actually a pointer to the first element of that array. Therefore, when you return A, you must be aware of how it should be passed to a new variable in the main part of the code. In particular, your code is passing a reference to a temporary variable A, which is not permitted or safe.
In addition, in C++, unless you know what you're doing, main should always return an int:
int main() { ... }
What is not clear from your question is whether you are attempting to implement your own "array" class, or simply want to use arrays already established in the standard. For the latter, std::array is a good place to start. The advantage is that you can return std::arrays from functions like you return ints or doubles.
std::arrays are good if you plan to work with arrays of fixed size, as the size becomes part of the type: std::array<int, 3> my_array;. Then you can fill it in manually or with member functions of the class (see dox linked above).
If for some reason you prefer to work with arrays of dynamical size (sizes that will change during running your program), std::vector is the way to go.
Finally, if you are actually learning C++ by attempting to implement a container MyArray, you should specify that in your question and be a bit more specific in what help you need.
Here's a working example in 1d:
#include <iostream>
#include <array>
template <int N>
std::array<int, N> my_array() {
std::array<int, N> A;
for (int i = 0; i < N; i++) {
A[i] = i;
}
return A;
}
int main() {
const int N = 4;
std::array<int, N> arr = my_array<N>();
// Print the array A
for (int i = 0; i < N; i++) {
std::cout << arr[i] << " ";
}
}
Since the size of a std::array is included it its type, you need to create a function template, which is basically a function that works for different types. (In C++, std::array<int, 3> and std::array<int, 4> are considered different types.)
In order to use this in main, the index is promoted to a const int, as plain ints can vary during run time, and therefore are not suitable for defining types. (In C++ jargon, look up constant expressions).
Finally, note that both the return type and the type of the variable that receives the value returned by the function must be std::array, not int as you tried in your 1d code.
Following your comment, I can see why you are confused in your attempts to use a matrix in code.
There are many types of containers in C++. Many of them you can find in the standard library (std::vector, std::list, std::set, ...), others you can create yourself or use other libraries. Plain arrays (like int a[5]) are a somewhat unique case because they come from C and are part of the language itself.
A plain array lives on the stack (not very important but you might want to read up on stack vs heap allocations), and refers to a contiguous region of memory.
If you declare some array a like int a[5], you get a region of 5 integers one after the other, and you can point to the first one by just writing a. You can access each of them using a[i] or, equivalently, *(a+i).
If you declare a like int a[5][3], you now get a region of 15 integers, but you can access them slightly differently, like a[i][j], which is equivalent to *(a+i*3+j).
The important thing to you here is that the sizes (5 and 3) must be compile-time constants, and you cannot change them at runtime.
The same is true for std::array: you could declare a like std::array<std::array<int, 3, 5> a and get a similar region of 15 integers, that you can access the same way, but with some convenience (for example you can return that type, whereas you cannot return a plain array type, only a pointer, losing the size information in the process).
My advice is not to think of these arrays as having dimensionality, but as simple containers that give you some memory to work with however you choose. You can very well declare a like std::array<int, 15> a and access elements in a 2D way by indexing like this: a[i*3+j]. Memory-wise, it's the same.
Now, if you want the ability to set the sizes at runtime, you can use std::vector in a similar way. Either you declare a like std::vector<std::vector<int>> a(5, std::vector<int>(3)) and deal with the nested vectors (that initialization creates 5 std::vector<int> of size 3 each), or you declare a as a single vector like std::vector<int> a(15) and index it like a[i*3+j]. You can even make your own class that wraps a vector and helps with the indexing.
Either way, it's rare in C++ to need a plain array, and you should generally use some kind of container, with std::vector being a good choice for a lot of things.
Here is an example of how your code would look like using vectors:
#include <vector>
#include <string>
#include <iostream>
std::vector<std::string> my_2d_array(int N, int M) {
std::vector<std::string> A(N*M);
for (int i = 0; i < N; i++) {
for (int j = 0; j < M; j++) {
std::string element = std::to_string(i) + std::to_string(j);
A[i*M+j] = element;
}
}
return A;
}
int main() {
int N, M;
N = 4;
M = 3;
std::vector<std::string> A = my_2d_array(N, M);
// Print the array A
for (int i = 0; i < N; i++) {
for (int j = 0; j < M; j++) {
std::cout << A[i*M+j] << " ";
}
std::cout << "\n";
}
}
And here is a very crude example of a Matrix class used to wrap the vectors:
#include <vector>
#include <string>
#include <iostream>
template<typename T>
class Matrix {
public:
Matrix(int rowCount, int columnCount) : v(rowCount*columnCount), columnCount(columnCount) {}
T& operator()(int row, int column) {
return v[row*columnCount + column];
}
private:
std::vector<T> v;
int columnCount;
};
Matrix<std::string> my_2d_array(int N, int M) {
Matrix<std::string> A(N, M);
for (int i = 0; i < N; i++) {
for (int j = 0; j < M; j++) {
std::string element = std::to_string(i) + std::to_string(j);
A(i, j) = element;
}
}
return A;
}
int main() {
int N, M;
N = 4;
M = 3;
Matrix<std::string> A = my_2d_array(N, M);
// Print the array A
for (int i = 0; i < N; i++) {
for (int j = 0; j < M; j++) {
std::cout << A(i, j) << " ";
}
std::cout << "\n";
}
}

Initializing an adjacency matrix in c++

I'm working on graph implementations in C++ and came across an implementation for an adjacency matrix that mostly made sense to me. The implementation uses an "init" function to initialize the matrix:
void init(int n) {
numVertex = 0;
numEdge = 0;
mark = new int[n]; //initialize mark array
for (int i = 0; i < numVertex; i++) {
mark[i] = 0;
}
matrix = (int**) new int*[numVertex]; //make matrix
for (int i = 0; i < numVertex; i++) {
matrix[i] = new int[numVertex];
}
for (int i = 0; i < numVertex; i++) { //mark all matrix cells as false
for (int j = 0; j < numVertex; j++) {
matrix[i][j] = 0;
}
}
}
The line I'm confused about is:
matrix = (int**) new int*[numVertex]; //make matrix
What does the (int**) aspect do? Why would I choose to use this instead of matrix = new int**[numVertex];?
Thanks so much!
(int**)value is a C-style cast operation.
Notes:
Don't use those in C++, it tends to cause or hide problems, like mismatches between right and left side of an assignment.
The code is relatively low quality, proper C++ would rather use std::vector.
The code is also not complete, so little can be said with certainty about how it functions.
Note that matrix = new int**[numVertex]; as mentioned by you would create (for this example) a 3D array, because you'd have numVertex entries of int**.
The (int**) cast does not accomplish much, if anything at all, because if matrix is of type int**, there is no need for the cast (you get back an int** already from the new).
If column dimension is fixed, you can use vector of array there.
godbolt
wandbox
#include <vector>
#include <array>
#include <iostream>
#include <iomanip>
template<typename T, int col>
using row_templ = std::array<T,col>;
template<typename T, int col, template <typename,int> typename U = row_templ>
using mat_templ = std::vector<U<T,col>>;
int main()
{
constexpr int numVertex = 30;
constexpr int numEdge = 30;
constexpr int numCol = numVertex;
int numRow = numEdge;
using row_t = row_templ<int, numCol>; // alias to the explicit class template specialization
using mat_t = mat_templ<int, numCol>;
auto make_mat = [&](){ return mat_t(numRow); }; // define a maker if lazy
mat_t my_mat(numRow);
mat_t my_mat2 = make_mat(); // or just use our maker
// Due to that default allocator uses value initialization, a.k.a T().
// At this point, all positions are value init to int(), which is zero,
// from value init of array<int, col>() by the default allocator.
// numVertex x numEdge is one solid contaguous chunk and now ready to roll.
// range for
for (row_t r : my_mat) {
for (int n : r) {
std::cout << std::setw(4) << n;
}
std::cout << '\n';
}
// classic for
for (int i = 0; i < numRow; ++i) {
for (int j = 0; j < numCol; ++j) {
std::cout << std::setw(4) << (my_mat2[i][j] = i*numRow + numCol);
}
std::cout << '\n';
}
}

How to return an array of structs

struct zone {
int a;
double b;
};
zone *abc() {
static zone r[10];
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
r[i].a = 2 * i;
[r[i].b=0.5*i;
cout << r[i].a << " " << r[i].b << endl;
}
return r;
}
int main() {
zone *PP;
zone P[10];
PP = abc();
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
P[i] = (PP + i);
cout << "work" << P[i].a << endl;
}
getch();
}
I need to return an array of structs that is formed in a function called by main. I managed to retrieve an array with a pointer, but with struct it doesn't work.
How do I return a struct array?
You are assigning a value of variable with a pointer:
P[i] = (PP + i);
To get a copy of internal value, you need access struct:
P[i] = PP[i];
Would be like this:
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
struct zone {
int a;
double b;
};
zone *abc() {
static zone r[10];
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
r[i].a = 2 * i;
r[i].b=0.5*i;
cout << r[i].a << " " << r[i].b << endl;
}
return r;
}
int main() {
zone *PP;
zone P[10];
PP = abc();
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
P[i] = PP[i];
cout << "work" << P[i].a << endl;
}
}
Your struct contains just digits, however, if it contains strings or pointer, you will need make a deep copy.
Well fairly simple - by using another struct to encapsulate the returned array in order to get over 'C' language limitations.
struct zone {
int a;
double b;
};
struct zone_array_of_10 {
zone arr[10];
};
zone_array_of_10 abc() {
zone_array_of_10 r;
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
r.arr[i].a = 2 * i;
r.arr[i].b=0.5*i;
cout << r.arr[i].a << " " << r.arr[i].b << endl;
}
return r;
}
int main() {
zone_array_of_10 PP;
PP = abc();
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
cout << "work" << PP.arr[i].a << endl;
}
getch();
}
It's fact that in 'C' language arrays can't be passed by value. However structures can. So whenever you want to pass the actual content of some array without much hassle - just encapsulate it in a structure.
A cool feature of C++ is the use of references. The best part of references is that they allow you to pass data in an out of a function without copying the data (you are using the same data inside and pass back out). So if you make a function.
Another method is to use a pointer to a pointer. You can pass a pointer pointer or address of a pointer and malloc within the function.
structure* a;
funct(&a);
printf("%s\n", a[0].printfunction());
printf("%s\n", a[1].printfunction());
...
void funct(structure** a, int size){
*a = (structure*)malloc(sizeof(structure) * size);
(*a)[0] = ...
(*a)[1] = ..
(*a)[ size-1] = ...
}
You can access the array outside of the function. Just be sure to free/delete anything you call with malloc/new. The above code can use new I'm just better with c. You can easily pull the malloc outside of the function and just pass in a pointer to the array.
In C, a function can't take or return an array. This is annoying, and I've never heard a good reason given for it. Anyway, C++ fixed this a long time ago, but it never really caught on, for reasons that will become plain in a moment.
Obligatory "for anything larger than a toy application you should strongly reconsider using naked pointers and/or raw arrays!"
C++ introduced references. They are really just syntactic sugar around pointers, but aren't all variables just syntactic sugar around pointers? In C++, a function can take and/or return a reference to an array. Like so:
int takes (char (&arr)[10])
{
std::cout << sizeof(arr); // 10
}
int (&returns())[10]
{
return some_array; // Not a pointer!
}
int (&takes_and_returns (int (&arr)[10])) [10]
{
return arr;
}
Of course, I don't have to tell you that this is extremely ugly and difficult to read. Modern C++ to the rescue!
template <size_t n, typename T>
using array<n,t> = T[n];
int takes (array<10,int>& arr);
array<10,int>& returns();
array<10,int>& takes_and_returns (array<10,int>& arr);
Note, however, that due to the way new works, it is an ordeal to properly construct and then return a reference to a dynamic array. This is how I did it, but I'm not even sure if this is correct; there might lurk some UB:
int (&returns())[10]
{
int* x = new int[10];
return *(int(*)[10]) x;
}
Of course, we can tidy this up a bit:
using arr10 = int[10];
arr10& returns()
{
int* x = new int[10];
return *(arr10*) x;
}
And then, at the call site, you'd assign it to a reference like so:
int (&my_array)[10] = returns();
// doing stuff ...
delete[] &my_array;
As you can see, at the end of the day, getting all this to work correctly and to interoperate with existing features is a bit of an ordeal. If you need a function to take or return an array, this is how you do it. But for most purposes, it is better (easier, safer) to use standard library containers.

Fill in the int array from zero to defined number

i need to fill in the int[] array in C++ from zero to number defined by variable, but ISO C++ forbids variable length array...
How to easily fill in the array? Do i need to allocate/free the memory?
int possibilities[SIZE];
unsigned int i = 0;
for (i = 0; i < SIZE; i++) {
possibilities[i] = i;
}
btw. if you would ask - Yes, i need exactly standard int[] arrays, no vectors, no maps etc.
In c++11 you can use std::iota and std::array. Example below fills array sized 10 with values from 1 to 10.
std::array<int, 10> a;
std::iota(a.begin(), a.end(), 1);
Edit
Naturally std::iota works with vectors as well.
As you've found, you cannot create a variable-length array on the stack. So your choices are either to allocate it on the heap (introduces memory-management issues), or to use a std::vector instead of a C-style array:
std::vector<int> possibilities(SIZE);
for (int i = 0; i < SIZE; i++)
{
possibilities[i] = i;
}
If you want to get even more flashy, you can use STL to generate this sequence for you:
// This is a "functor", a class object that acts like a function with state
class IncrementingSequence
{
public:
// Constructor, just set counter to 0
IncrementingSequence() : i_(0) {}
// Return an incrementing number
int operator() () { return i_++; }
private:
int i_;
}
std::vector<int> possibilities(SIZE);
// This calls IncrementingSequence::operator() for each element in the vector,
// and assigns the result to the element
std::generate(possibilities.begin(), possibilities.end(), IncrementingSequence);
If you have access to boost then you already have access to an incrementing iterator.
#include <vector>
#include <boost/iterator/counting_iterator.hpp>
std::vector<int> possibilities(
boost::counting_iterator<int>(0),
boost::counting_iterator<int>(SIZE));
The counting iterator essentially wraps incrementing a value. So you can automatically tell it the begin and end values and vector will populate itself properly.
As mentioned elsewhere, the resulting vector can be used directly with std::next_permutation.
std::next_permutation(possibilities.begin(),possibilities.end());
std::vector<int> possibilities;
unsigned int i = 0;
for (i = 0; i < SIZE; i++) {
possibilities.push_back(i);
}
Use std::vector(you need to include <vector>)
If you want pass vector to std::next_permutation you need to write:
std::next_permutation(possibilities.begin(),possibilities.end());
also you can use vector as C style arrays. &vec[0] returns pointer to C style array.
You can use the std::generate_n function:
std::generate_n( myarray, SIZE, increment() );
Where increment is an object that generates numbers:
struct increment {
int value;
int operator() () { return ++value; }
increment():value(0){}
};
If you make SIZE a constant (macro or const), you can use it to specify the size of your static array. If it is not possible to use a constant, for example you are reading the intended size from outside the program, then yes you will need to allocate the memory.
In short, if you don't know the size at compile time you probably need to allocate the memory at runtime.
std::generate() can be used with a mutable lambda function to be more concise. The following C++ snippet will place the values 0..9 inclusive in a vector A of size 10 and print these values on a single line of output:
#include <iostream>
#include <vector>
#include <algorithm>
using namespace std;
int main() {
size_t N = 10;
vector<int> A(N);
generate(A.begin(), A.end(), [i = 0]() mutable { return i++; });
copy(A.begin(), A.end(), ostream_iterator<int>(cout, " "));
cout << endl;
return 0;
}
Assuming SIZE is a constant expression and you're allowed to use std::array, you can create a function template that will allow you to do this at compile time. Note from C++17, std::array<T, N>::begin is constexpr so that you can do all this at compile time.
C++17 Version
template<std::size_t N> std::array<int, N> constexpr make_array()
{
std::array<int, N> tempArray{};
int count = 0;
for(int &elem:tempArray)
{
elem = ++count;
}
return tempArray;
}
int main()
{
const int SIZE = 8;
//-------------------------------V-------->number of elements
constexpr auto arr = make_array<SIZE>();
//lets confirm if all objects have the expected value
for(const auto &elem: arr)
{
std::cout << elem << std::endl; //prints 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 with newline in between
}
}
C++17 demo
C++11 Version
But prior to C++17, std::array<T, N>::begin was not constexpr, we will need to modify the above example slightly for C++11 as shown below:
template<std::size_t N> std::array<int, N> make_array()
{
std::array<int, N> tempArray{};
int count = 0;
for(int &elem:tempArray)
{
elem = ++count;
}
return tempArray;
}
int main()
{
const int SIZE = 8;
//---------------------VVVV---->number of elements
auto arr = make_array<SIZE>();
//lets confirm if all objects have the expected value
for(const auto &elem: arr)
{
std::cout << elem << std::endl; //prints 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 with newline in between
}
}
C++11 demo
Simply use a dynamic arrays?
type * pointer;
pointer = new type[number_of_elements];
void main()
{
int limit = 0; // Your lucky number
int * pointer = NULL;
cout << "Please, enter limit number: ";
cin >> n;
pointer = new int[limit+1]; // Just to be sure.
for (int i = 0; i < n; i++)
{
pointer[i] = i; // Another way is: *(pointer+i) = i (correct me if I'm wrong)
}
delete [] pointer; // Free some memory
pointer = NULL; // If you are "pedant"
}
I don't pretend this is the best solution. I hope it helps.
it should be help u man
int* a = NULL; // Pointer to int, initialize to nothing.
int n; // Size needed for array
cin >> n; // Read in the size
a = new int[n]; // Allocate n ints and save ptr in a.
for (int i=0; i<n; i++) {
a[i] = 0; // Initialize all elements to zero.
}
. . . // Use a as a normal array
delete [] a; // When done, free memory pointed to by a.
a = NULL; // Clear a to prevent using invalid memory reference

How to allocate a 2D array of pointers in C++

I'm trying to make a pointer point to a 2D array of pointers. What is the syntax and how would I access elements?
By the letter of the law, here's how to do it:
// Create 2D array of pointers:
int*** array2d = new (int**)[rows];
for (int i = 0; i < rows; ++i) {
array2d[i] = new (int*)[cols];
}
// Null out the pointers contained in the array:
for (int i = 0; i < rows; ++i) {
for (int j = 0; j < cols; ++j) {
array2d[i][j] = NULL;
}
}
Be careful to delete the contained pointers, the row arrays, and the column array all separately and in the correct order.
However, more frequently in C++ you'd create a class that internally managed a 1D array of pointers and overload the function call operator to provide 2D indexing. That way you're really have a contiguous array of pointers, rather than an array of arrays of pointers.
It depends. It can be as simple as:
int main()
{
int* data[10][20]; // Fixed size known at compile time
data[2][3] = new int(4);
}
If you want dynamic sizes at runtime you need to do some work.
But Boost has you covered:
int main()
{
int x;
int y;
getWidthAndHeight(x,y);
// declare a 2D array of int*
boost::multi_array<int*,2> data(boost::extents[x][y]);
data[2][3] = new int(6);
}
If you are fine with jagged arrays that can grow dynamically:
int main()
{
std::vector<std::vector<int*> > data;
data.push_back(std::vector<int*>(10,NULL));
data[0][3] = new int(7);
}
Note: In all the above. I assume that the array does not own the pointer. Thus it has not been doing any management on the pointers it contains (though for brevity I have been using new int() in the examples). To do memory management correctly you need to do some more work.
int *pointerArray[X][Y];
int **ptrToPointerArray = pointerArray;
That's how you make a true (contiguous in memory) multidimensional array.
But realize that once you cast a multidimensional array to a pointer like that, you lose the ability to index it automatically. You would have to do the multidimensional part of the indexing manually:
int *pointerArray[8][6]; // declare array of pointers
int **ptrToPointerArray = &pointerArray[0][0]; // make a pointer to the array
int *foo = pointerArray[3][1]; // access one element in the array
int *bar = *(ptrToPointerArray + 3*8 + 1); // manually perform row-major indexing for 2d array
foo == bar; // true
int *baz = ptrToPointerArray[3][1]; // syntax error
double** array = new double*[rowCnt];
for (int row = 0; row < rowCnt; ++row)
array[row] = new double[colCnt];
for (int row = 0; row < rowCnt; ++row)
for (int col = 0; col < colCnt; ++col)
array[row][col] = 0;
You could try Boost::MultiArray.
Check out this page for details.
:)
I had these once in a piece of code I wrote.
I was the laughing stock of the team when the first bugs leaked out. On top of that we use Hungarian notation, leading to a name like papChannel - a pointer to an array of pointers...
It's not nice. It's nicer to use typedefs to define a 'row of columns' or vice versa. Makes indexing more clear, too.
typedef int Cell;
typedef Cell Row[30];
typedef Row Table[20];
Table * pTable = new Table;
for( Row* pRow = *pTable; pRow != *pTable+_countof(*pTable); ++pRow ) {
for( Cell* pCell = *pRow; pCell != *pRow + _countof(*pRow); ++pCell ) {
... do something with cells.
}
}
You can define a vector of vectors:
typedef my_type *my_pointer;
typedef vector<vector<my_pointer> > my_pointer2D;
Than create a class derived from my_pointer2D, like:
class PointersField: public my_pointer2D
{
PointsField(int n, int m)
{
// Resize vectors....
}
}
PointsField pf(10,10); // Will create a 10x10 matrix of my_pointer
I prefer to use the () operator. There are lots of reasons for this (C++ FAQs 13.10). Change the internal representation to a std::vector if you like:
template <class T, int WIDTH, int HIEGHT>
class Array2d
{
public:
const T& operator ()(size_t col, size_t row) const
{
// Assert col < WIDTH and row < HIEGHT
return m_data [( row * WIDTH + col)];
}
T& operator ()(size_t col, size_t row)
{
// Assert col < WIDTH and row < HIEGHT
return m_data [( row * WIDTH + col)];
}
private:
T m_data[WIDTH * HIEGHT];
};
You can use it like this:
Array2d< Object*, 10, 10 > myObjectArray;
myObjectArray(5,6) = new Object();
See my code. It works on my FC9 x86_64 system:
#include <stdio.h>
template<typename t>
struct array_2d {
struct array_1d {
t *array;
array_1d(void) { array = 0; }
~array_1d()
{
if (array) {
delete[] array;
array = 0;
}
}
t &operator[](size_t index) { return array[index]; }
} *array;
array_2d(void) { array = 0; }
array_2d(array_2d<t> *a) { array = a->array; a->array = 0; }
void init(size_t a, size_t b)
{
array = new array_1d[a];
for (size_t i = 0; i < a; i++) {
array[i].array = new t[b];
}
}
~array_2d()
{
if (array) {
delete[] array;
array = 0;
}
}
array_1d &operator[](size_t index) { return array[index]; }
};
int main(int argc, char **argv)
{
array_2d<int> arr = new array_2d<int>;
arr.init(16, 8);
arr[8][2] = 18;
printf("%d\n",
arr[8][2]
);
return 0;
}
Effo UPD: a response to "Isn't that an array of pointers to arrays?", adding the example of array of pointers, very simple:
int main(int argc, char **argv)
{
array_2d<int*> parr = new array_2d<int*>;
int i = 10;
parr.init(16, 8);
parr[10][5] = &i;
printf("%p %d\n",
parr[10][5],
parr[10][5][0]
);
return 0;
}
Did I still misunderstand your question?
And you could even
typedef array_2d<int*> cell_type;
typedef array_2d<cell_type*> array_type;
int main(int argc, char **argv)
{
array_type parr = new array_type;
parr.init(16, 8);
parr[10][5] = new cell_type;
cell_type *cell = parr[10][5];
cell->init(8, 16);
int i = 10;
(*cell)[2][2] = &i;
printf("%p %d\n",
(*cell)[2][2],
(*cell)[2][2][0]
);
delete cell;
return 0;
}
It also works on my FC9 x86_64 system.