Object pointer doesn't work - c++

My task was to create an object in class, initialize it and output(using pointer to class). This code compiles perfectly, but the output doesn't appear. I would really appreciate any help, thank you in advance!
#include <iostream>
#include <string>
using namespace std;
class family
{
public:
void setWife(string w)
{w = wife;};
string getWife()
{return wife;};
void setHusband(string h)
{husband = h;};
string getHusband()
{return husband;};
void setSon(string s)
{s = son;};
string getSon()
{return son;};
void setDaughter1(string d1)
{d1 = daughter1;};
string getDaughter1()
{return daughter1;};
void setDaughter2(string d2)
{daughter2 = d2;};
string getDaughter2()
{return daughter2;};
double* getPointer()
{return &pointer;};
void initialize()
{
setWife("Shirley Collin");
setHusband("Donald Collin");
setSon("Collin Collin");
setDaughter1("Harriet Collin");
setDaughter2("Hillary Collin");
}
friend void output(family* Collin);
private:
string wife;
string husband;
string son;
string daughter1;
string daughter2;
double pointer;
};
void output(family* Collin)
{cout << "Husband is " <<Collin->getHusband()<< endl;
cout << "wife is " << Collin ->getWife() << endl;
cout << "son is " << Collin->getSon() << endl;
cout << "daughter1 is " << Collin->getDaughter1() << endl;
cout << "daughter2 is " << Collin->getDaughter2()<< endl;
};
int main()
{family Collin;
Collin.initialize();
family *pointer = new family;
output (pointer);
cin.ignore();
}

family Collin;
Collin.initialize();
This constructs an instance of the family class, and initializes it with the values defined in the initialize() method.
family *pointer = new family;
output (pointer);
This constructs a second instance of the family class, does not initialize it in any way, and calls the output() method, to display the contents of the completely uninitialized second instance of this family class.
This is why this program produces no useful output.
You probably want to replace these four lines with:
family *pointer=new family;
pointer->initialize();
output(pointer);

Related

Constructor error anytime I use private variables in VS Code

We're learning about constructors in class and I was trying to experiment with an overloaded constructor. When I run my program I keep getting an error written in the color red that says...
~
The ampersand (&) character is not allowed. The & operator is reserved for future use; wrap an ampersand in double quotation marks ("&") to pass it as part of a string.
^This only happens when I try to use private variables, when everything is public nothing goes wrong.
///Here's my code
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
class JCole {
private:
string song;
string album;
int albumNum;
JCole::JCole(string _song, string _album, int _Num) {
song = _song;
album = _album;
albumNum = _Num;
}
};
int main() {
JCole album1("Punchin the clock", "The Off-Season", 6);
JCole album2("ATM","KOD",5);
cout << album1.song << " " << album1.album << " " << album1.albumNum << endl;
cout << album2.song << " " << album2.album << " " << album2.albumNum << endl;
return 0;
}
Your constructor is declared as private because you haven't changed the access setting.
Try this:
class JCole {
private:
string song;
string album;
int albumNum;
// Insert:
public:
JCole::JCole(string _song, string _album, int _Num) {
song = _song;
album = _album;
albumNum = _Num;
}
};
A private constructor is a nasty thing; only members of the class can call it. Thus wreaking havoc with external code that wants to instantiate this class.
Also, you can use many public:, private:, protected: within your class and in any order.

How to pass const pointer values in classes in C++

I'm new to the world of C++ (and OOP).
I'm learning about classes and pointers at this moment, but I'm stuck and hope someone can explain to me what I'm missing or should dig deeper into to broaden my understanding.
Example 1 works:
#include <iostream>
#include <string.h>
using namespace std;
class MyClass
{
private:
char* age;
public:
MyClass(const char* initData)
{
age = NULL;
cout << "In default constructor working on pointers" << endl;
age = new char [strlen(initData)+1];
strcpy(age,initData);
//age = initData;
}
~MyClass()
{
cout << "In destructor working on pointers" << endl;
delete [] age;
}
const char* GetAge()
{
return age;
}
};
int main()
{
//MyClass firstClass(10);
//cout << "First attempt: " ;
//cout << firstClass.GetAge() << endl;
MyClass secondClass("A test from B");
cout << "Second attempt: ";
cout << secondClass.GetAge() << endl;
return 0;
}
However This does not work:
#include <iostream>
#include <string.h>
using namespace std;
class MyClass
{
private:
int* age;
public:
MyClass(const int* initData)
{
cout << "In default constructor working on pointers" << endl;
age = new int;
//strcpy(age,initData);
age = initData;
}
~MyClass()
{
cout << "In destructor working on pointers" << endl;
delete age;
}
const int* GetAge()
{
return age;
}
};
int main()
{
MyClass firstClass(10);
cout << "First attempt: " ;
cout << firstClass.GetAge() << endl;
//MyClass secondClass("B");
//cout << "Second attempt: ";
//cout << secondClass.GetAge() << endl;
return 0;
}
I feel that it has to do with the fact that I pass an int to a constant pointer.
And then try to assign a constant from r-value to l-value with the = operator.
Although it think this is permitted, since I say 'const int* initData' and this tells the compiler to keep the data from changing but memory address can change?
So in my understanding, I pass value 10 to the class that makes a pointer in the default constructor, this makes a memory address and stores it in initData.
I then pass the r-value InitData (mem address) to the l-value age pointer, that accepts memory addresses.
If I try with the exact same code, but use char and copy data over in my first example it works...
Can anyone explain to me what I'm missing, Thanks in advance!
Edit:
I Think I found my solution and understand it better.
Could anyone verify that this is correct, or which is the (more) correct form:
Scenario 1:
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
class MyClass
{
private:
int* age;
public:
MyClass(const int *initData)
{
cout << "In default constructor working on pointers" << endl;
age = new int;
(*age) = (*initData);
}
~MyClass()
{
cout << "In destructor working on pointers" << endl;
delete age;
}
const int* GetAge()
{
return age;
}
};
int main()
{
int aNum = 10;
MyClass firstClass(&aNum);
cout << "First attempt: " ;
cout << *firstClass.GetAge() << endl;
return 0;
}
Or Scenario 2:
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
class MyClass
{
private:
int* age;
public:
MyClass(const int &initData)
{
cout << "In default constructor working on pointers" << endl;
age = new int;
(*age) = (initData);
}
~MyClass()
{
cout << "In destructor working on pointers" << endl;
delete age;
}
const int* GetAge()
{
return age;
}
};
int main()
{
MyClass firstClass(10);
cout << "First attempt: " ;
cout << *firstClass.GetAge() << endl;
return 0;
}
I Would think solution 2, as that uses reference to memory and thus speeds up the execution?
Thanks for the assistance already, and sorry for the long post...
First: you can not set a const pointer to a non-const pointer, you can circumvent this using a const_cast<int*>(initData) which gets rid of the const-ness of initData when assigning to age.
But i do not think this is what you want to achieve.
So first of all a pointer is just pointing to memory - that memory must therefore be managed by someone else than the pointer. Usually you only need a pointer if you want to reference something or iterate - if you intend to be the owner of that memory you might not want to use a pointer.
Secondly: if you start learning C++ now, try to learnt 'modern' C++ and utilize smart_pointers (see smart pointers form cppreference).
A rule of thumb: if you do not necessarily need a pointer (no need for iteration, direct memory access) use by reference instead.
But bottom line: your example looks like it is not meant to be used with pointers at all. Just store the int value.
class MyClass
{
private:
int age;
public:
// pass by const reference, this is cheap and good practice
MyClass(const int& initData)
{
cout << "In default constructor working on pointers" << endl;
// here the value of initData is actually copied into age
age = initData;
}
And if you really want to try pointers: start with the std::shared_ptr which is a ref-counting pointer easy to use.
Example:
#include <memory>
#include <iostream>
class test
{
private:
std::shared_ptr<int> age;
public:
// cheap and quick const ref
test(const std::shared_ptr<int>& data)
{
age = data;
}
void print()
{
std::cout << *age << std::endl;
std::cout << "Use count: " << age.use_count() << std::endl;
}
};
int main()
{
// here we store the data
int i = 17;
// here we have the shared_ptr
std::shared_ptr<int> p = std::make_shared<int>(i);
// here we pass it to the object
test t(p);
t.print();
return 0;
}

Passing array of strings to a function

I am trying to create a program that uses class, arrays, and functions to show information about two students(Name, id#, classes registered). The part I am struggling with is passing arrays to a function. How do I do that?
#include <string>
#include <iostream>
#include <iomanip>
using namespace std;
class Student // Student class declaration.
{
private:
string name;
int id;
string classes;
int arraySize;
public:
void setName(string n)
{
name = n;
}
void setId(int i)
{
id = i;
}
void setClasses(string c, int num)
{
classes = c;
arraySize = num;
}
string getName()
{
return name;
}
int getId()
{
return id;
}
void getClasses()
{
for (int counter=0; counter <arraySize; counter++) {
cout << classes[counter] << endl;
}
}
};
int main()
{
//Student 1
string s1Name = "John Doe";
int s1Id = 51090210;
int const NUMCLASSES1 = 3;
string s1Classes[NUMCLASSES1] = {"C++","Intro to Theatre","Stagecraft"};
//Student 2
string s2Name = "Rick Harambe Sanchez";
int s2Id = 666123420;
int const NUMCLASSES2 = 2;
string s2Classes[NUMCLASSES2] = {"Intro to Rocket Science","Intermediate Acting"};
//
Student info;
info.setName(s1Name);
info.setId(s1Id);
//info.setClasses(s1Classes, NUMCLASSES1);
cout << "Here is Student #1's information:\n";
cout << "Name: " << info.getName() << endl;
cout << "ID: " << info.getId() << endl;
//cout << "Classes: " << info.getClasses() << endl;
info.setName(s2Name);
info.setId(s2Id);
// info.setClasses(s2Classes, NUMCLASSES1);
cout << "\n\nHere is student #2's information:\n";
cout << "Name: " << info.getName() << endl;
cout << "ID: " << info.getId() << endl;
//cout << "Classes: " << info.getClasses() << endl;
return 0;
}
The usual way to pass around variable-length lists in C++ is to use an std::vector. A vector is a single object that you can easily pass to a function, copying (or referencing) its contents. If you are familiar with Java, it's basically an ArrayList. Here is an example:
#include <vector>
#include <string>
using namespace std;
class foo {
private:
vector<string> myStrings;
public:
void setMyStrings(vector<string> vec) {
myStrings = vec;
}
}
//...
foo myObj;
vector<string> list = {"foo","bar","baz"};
myObj.setMyStrings(list);
If don't want to use the standard library though, you can pass an array C-style. This involves passing a pointer to the first element of the array, and the length of the array. Example:
void processStrings(string* arr, int len) {
for (int i = 0; i < len; i++) {
string str = arr[i];
//...
}
}
string array[] = {"foo","bar","baz"};
processStrings(array, 3); // you could also replace 3 with sizeof(array)
Passing raw arrays like this, especially if you wanted to then copy the array into an object, can be painful. Raw arrays in C & C++ are just pointers to the first element of the list. Unlike in languages like Java and JavaScript, they don't keep track of their length, and you can't just assign one array to another. An std::vector encapsulates the concept of a "list of things" and is generally more intuitive to use for that purpose.
Life lesson: use std::vector.
EDIT: See #nathanesau's answer for an example of using constructors to initialize objects more cleanly. (But don't copy-paste, write it up yourself! You'll learn a lot faster that way.)
You can pass array of any_data_type to function like this
void foo(data_type arr[]);
foo(arr); // If you just want to use the value of array
foo(&arr); // If you want to alter the value of array.
Use std::vector. Also, don't add functions you don't need. Here's an example of using std::vector
#include <string>
#include <iostream>
#include <vector>
using std::string;
using std::vector;
class Student // Student class declaration.
{
private:
vector<string> classes;
string name;
int id;
public:
Student (const vector<string> &classesUse, string nameUse, int idUse) :
classes (classesUse),
name (nameUse),
id (idUse)
{
}
void print ()
{
std::cout << "Name: " << name << std::endl;
std::cout << "Id: " << id << std::endl;
std::cout << "Classes: ";
for (int i = 0; i < classes.size (); i++)
{
if (i < classes.size () - 1)
{
std::cout << classes[i] << ", ";
}
else
{
std::cout << classes[i] << std::endl;
}
}
std::cout << std::endl;
}
};
int main()
{
Student John ({"C++","Intro to Theatre","Stagecraft"},
"John",
51090210);
John.print ();
Student Rick ({"Intro to Rocket Science","Intermediate Acting"},
"Rick",
666123420);
Rick.print ();
return 0;
}
Name: John
Id: 51090210
Classes: C++, Intro to Theatre, Stagecraft
Name: Rick
Id: 666123420
Classes: Intro to Rocket Science, Intermediate Acting
In the private variables of class Student, you are storing a string:
String classes;
where as you should be storing an array of strings like:
String classes[MAX_NUM_CLASSES];
then in the set classes function, pass in an array of strings as the first argument, so it should be :
void setClasses(string[] c, int num)
{
classes = c; //not sure if simply setting them equal will work, rather copy entire array using a for loop
arraySize = num;
}
This should point you in the right direction
Also, use std::vector instead of string[], it will be easier.

C++: Derived classes, "no matching constructor" error

I've been working on this assignment for a while. Here's the instructions:
You are to design an abstract class called Employee whose members are
as given below (make them protected):
Data members: char *name, long int ID
Two constructors: A Default constructor // intitialize data memebrs to
the default values and a copy constructor
Methods: setPerson (char *n, long int id) //allows user to set
information for each person A function called Print () // should be a
virtual function, that prints the data attributes of the class. and a
destructor
Also define two classes that derived from class Employee, called
Manager and Secretary. Each class should inherit all members from the
base class and has its own data members and member functions as well.
The Manager should have a data member called degree for his/her
undergraduate degree (e.g. diploma, bachelor, master, doctor), the
Secretary should have her contract (can be a Boolean value 1/0 for
permanent/temporary).
All member functions of derived class should be overrided from their
base class.
Write the following main() to test your classes
int main() {
Employee * p = new Manager(“Bruce Lee”, 0234567, “Dr.”);
P.print();
Secretary p2;
p2.setPerson(“Wilma Jones”, 0341256, “permanent”);
delete p;
p = & p2;
p.Print();
return 0;
}
This is everything I've come up with so far, but I'm pretty sure it's riddled with mistakes and that my arguments and variable types are all off.
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
class Employee{
protected:
char *name;
long int ID;
public:
Employee();
Employee(Employee&);
void setPerson(char * n, long int eID) {
name = n;
ID = eID; };
virtual void Print(){
cout << "Name: " << name << endl;
cout << "ID: " << ID << endl; };
};
class Manager: public Employee {
protected:
char *degree;
public:
void setPerson(char * n, long int eID, char * d){
name = n;
ID = eID;
degree = d;
};
void Print() {
cout << "Name: " << name << endl;
cout << "ID: " << ID << endl;
cout << "Degree: " << degree << endl;
};
};
class Secretary: public Employee {
protected:
bool contract;
public:
void setPerson(char * n, long int eID, string c){
name = n;
ID = eID;
if (c == "permanent") contract = true;
else contract = false;
};
void Print(){
cout << "Name: " << name << endl;
cout << "ID: " << ID << endl;
cout << "Contract: " << contract << endl;
};
};
int main() {
Employee * P = new Manager("Bruce Lee", 0234567, "Dr.");
P.Print();
Secretary P2;
P2.setPerson("Wilma Jones", 0341256, "permanent");
delete P;
P = & P2;
P.Print();
return 0;
}
I'm getting an error on line 62 (the first line of the main code):
No matching constructor for initialization of Manager
I've tried reading similar questions, but they haven't helped me much. I think the most confusing thing is contract being a bool value and the use of char arguments. Any guidance at all is appreciated.
The error you're getting is pretty straight-forward: you don't have any constructor for Manager (or Employee) that takes a string, integer (?), and string as arguments.
You have declared the constructor employee but not defined it.
Look at the class employee, Under publc you have declared
Employee();
Employee(Employee&);
But you have not defined the function. You need
Employee :: Employee()
{
bla bla bla
}
and another one for the other signature.

C++ string member variable not present in vector

I am creating a vector that contains pointers to a base class. In this vector I'm dynamically storing pointers to derived classes which contain some member variables, one of them being a string variable name.
#include "stdafx.h"
#include <iostream>
#include <vector>
#include <string>
#include <cstdlib>
bool hasDirection = false;
bool hasDiameter = false;
int direction;
float diameter;
int starDimension = 0;
int animalDimension = 0;
int fishDimension = 0;
class MovingObject
{
protected:
std::string name;
int direction;
float diameter;
int dimension;
float movingSpeed;
public:
std::string getName(){ return name;};
int getDirection(){ return direction;};
float getDiameter(){ return diameter;};
float getMovingSpeed(){ return movingSpeed;};
int getDimension(){ return dimension;};
void setName(std::string v){ name = v;};
void setDirection(int d){ direction = d;};
void setDiameter(float f){ diameter = f;};
void setMovingSpeed(float s){ movingSpeed = s;};
void setDimension (int d){ dimension = d;};
virtual void PrintContents()=0;
};
static std::vector<MovingObject*> data;
class starObject : public MovingObject
{
public:
void PrintContents()
{
std::cout << "(" << getName() << "," << getDiameter() << "," << getDirection() << ")";
}
};
class animalObject : public MovingObject
{
public:
void PrintContents()
{
std::cout << "(" << getName() << "," << getDiameter() << "," << getDirection() << ")";
}
};
class fishObject : public MovingObject
{
public:
void PrintContents()
{
std::cout << "(" << getName() << "," << getDiameter() << "," << getDirection() << ", [" << getDimension() << "], " << getMovingSpeed() << ")";
}
};
I later set all these member variables inside a main function. The problem is when I try to output the contents of the member variables, all of them show up except for the string name.
Now, I've checked to make sure that the string gets set before calling the PrintContent() method, and it shows that the value is in the vector. However, when I debug through the code, the value is no longer there, instead containing an empty string.
Could someone with better c++ knowledge explain to me why this is happening? This is the main class:
int main()
{
std::string type;
Reader reader;
while (!std::cin.eof())
{
try
{
std::string type;
std::cin >> type;
if (type =="int")
{
reader.ReadDirection();
}
else if (type =="float")
{
reader.ReadDiameter();
}
else if (type == "string")
{
std::string name;
std::cin >> name;
if (hasDirection && hasDiameter)
{
int dimension;
if (diameter > 0 && diameter < 10)
{
//fish
fishObject fish;
fish.setName(name);
fish.setDiameter(diameter);
fish.setDirection(direction);
dimension = fishDimension;
fishDimension += 50;
fish.setDimension(dimension);
fish.setMovingSpeed(0.1);
data.push_back(&fish);
}
else if (diameter >= 10 < 500)
{
//animal
animalObject animal;
animal.setName(name);
animal.setDiameter(diameter);
animal.setDirection(direction);
dimension = animalDimension;
animalDimension += 800;
animal.setDimension(dimension);
animal.setMovingSpeed(5.0);
data.push_back(&animal);
}
else if (diameter >=500)
{
//star
starObject star;
star.setName(name);
star.setDiameter(diameter);
star.setDirection(direction);
dimension = starDimension;
starDimension += 5000;
star.setDimension(dimension);
star.setMovingSpeed(30.0);
data.push_back(&star);
}
}
else
{
throw (IncompleteData(name));
}
}
}
catch (IncompleteData e)
{
std::cerr << "No diameter or direction given for object " << e.objectName << "\n";
}
}
The objects you push to the data vector are local because they are declared inside if/else blocks (see the declarations of fish and animal).
When you push the address of such an object to the vector, it will continue to point to the local object, which ceases to exist at the end of the local scope. You need to create objects that live beyond the local scope. One way of doing this is to create copies of the local objects on the heap and push those to the vector:
data.push_back(new fishObject(fish));
Of course this means that you get a memory leak unless you make sure you explicitly delete the elements of the vector some time before the end of the program. The usual recommendation to avoid having to think of this is to use a vector of std::unique_ptr<MovingObject> instead of a vector of naked pointers.