Defining my very own copy constructor - c++

I was writing this program where I defined a class X and manually defined its constructors and destructor so that I could have a print statement in each of them and see when they are called.
However, the problem seems to be with my definition of the copy constructor.
It gives the following error:
warning: passing const X as this argument of int X::getI() discards const
What's the cause of this error?
Code snippet of class:
class X {
public:
X() {
cout << "Default Constructor called\n";
i = 0;
}
X(int i) {
cout << "Parameterized Constructor called\n";
this->i = i;
}
X(const X& x) {
cout << "Copy Constructor called\n";
i = x.getI();
}
~X() {
cout << "Destructor called\n";
}
int getI() {
return i;
}
private:
int i;
};

You are attempting to call the non-const member function getI through a const reference. This is not allowed. Since getI doesn't modify this object, it should be declared as const.
int
getI() const
{
return this->i;
}
Then you'll be able to call it even through a const reference.

getI() not a const member function. You are not allowed to call it on objects that are const. In the copy constructor, x is a const object. Hence, you can't call
x.getI();
Change getI() to a const member function.
int getI() const {
return i;
}

#include <iostream>
using namespace::std;
class X {
public:
X() {
cout << "Default Constructor called\n";
i = 0;
}
X(int i) {
cout << "Parameterized Constructor called\n";
this->i = i;
}
X(const X& x) {
cout << "Copy Constructor called\n";
i = x.getI();
}
~X() {
cout << "Destructor called\n";
}
int getI() const {
return i;
}
private:
int i;
};
int main()
{
}
Here is the correct code, u have to make getI as const

Related

Unexpected default constructor call when using move semantics

I have two similar pieces of code. The first version unexpectedly calls the default constructor while the second doesn't. They both call the move operator / move constructor, respectively, as expected.
class MyResource
{
public:
MyResource() : m_data(0) { std::cout << "Default Ctor" << std::endl; }
MyResource(int data) : m_data(data) { std::cout << "Int Ctor" << std::endl; }
MyResource(MyResource const& other) = delete;
MyResource& operator=(MyResource const& other) = delete;
MyResource(MyResource&& other) noexcept : m_data(other.m_data) { std::cout << "Move Ctor" << std::endl; }
MyResource& operator=(MyResource&& other) noexcept { std::cout << "Move Op" << std::endl; m_data = other.m_data; return *this; }
~MyResource() { std::cout << "Dtor" << std::endl; }
private:
int m_data = 0;
};
class MyWrapper
{
public:
MyWrapper(MyResource&& resource)
// : m_resource(std::move(resource)) // Version 2
{
// m_resource = std::move(resource); // Version 1
}
private:
MyResource m_resource;
};
My test usage is:
MyWrapper* wrapper = new MyWrapper(MyResource(1));
delete wrapper;
With Version 1, I get:
Int Ctor
Default Ctor
Move Op
Dtor
Dtor
While Version 2 outputs:
Int Ctor
Move Ctor
Dtor
Dtor
What's the reason behind this difference?
Why does version 1 call the default constructor?
Members are initialized before the construct body runs. A much simpler example to see the same:
#include <iostream>
struct foo {
foo(int) { std::cout << "ctr\n";}
foo() { std::cout << "default ctr\n";}
void operator=(const foo&) { std::cout << "assignment\n"; }
};
struct bar {
foo f;
bar(int) : f(1) {}
bar() {
f = foo();
}
};
int main() {
bar b;
std::cout << "---------\n";
bar c(1);
}
Output:
default ctr
default ctr
assignment
---------
ctr
You cannot initialize a member in the body of the constructor! If you do not provide an initializer, either in the member initializer list or as an in class initializer, then f is default constructed. In the constructor body you can only assign to an already initialized member.

copy constructor, operator= in a child class

I want to make an operator= and copy constructor, to be called in the inherited class.
For normal objects, it works fine, but when I'm trying to call, for example, operator= with a pointer, it is just copying the object address.
So my question is, how can I call those methods with pointers?
#include <iostream>
// base class
class a {
public:
//constructors
a(): x(0), y(1), z(0){ std::cout << "no parameter constructor A\n"; }
a(int a, int b, int c) :x(a), y(b), z(c){ std::cout << "parameter constructor A\n"; }
a(const a& ob):x(ob.x), y(ob.y), z(ob.z)
{
std::cout << "copy constructor A\n";
}
//operator
a& operator=(const a& obj)
{
if (this != &obj)
{
x = obj.x;
y = obj.y;
z = obj.z;
}
std::cout << "operator = A\n";
return *this;
}
protected:
int x, y, z;
};
//child class
class b : public a
{
public:
//constructors
b() : p(0){ std::cout << "no parameter constructor B\n"; }
b(int X, int Y, int Z, int B) : a(X, Y, Z), p(B) { std::cout << "parameter constructor B\n"; }
b(const b& obj) :p(obj.p), a(obj)
{
std::cout << "copy constructor B\n";
}
//operator =
b& operator=(const b &obj)
{
if (this != &obj)
{
p = obj.p;
&a::operator=(obj);
}
std::cout << "operator = B\n";
return *this;
}
private:
int p;
};
int main()
{
b obj0(4, 8, 16, 32);
b obj1(obj0); // copy constructor
b obj2;
obj2 = obj1; // operator =
std::cout << std::endl << std::endl;
std::cout << "for pointers:\n\n";
a* obj3 = new b(4, 8, 16, 32);
a* obj4(obj3);
obj4 = obj3;
return 0;
}
One of the purposes of using pointers (or references) is to avoid needing to create a copy of the object. Passing a pointer to the object allows the receiver to refer to and manipulate on the original object.
If you wish the pointer to receive a new object, then you would use new.
When dealing with polymorphism as in your example, you would probably need a virtual method that creates a proper clone (sometimes called a deep copy).
class a {
//...
virtual a * clone () const = 0;
};
class b : public a {
//...
b * clone () const {
return new b(*this);
}
};
//...
a *obj4 = obj3->clone();
//...
We leverage that b * is a covariant return type for a *, so that b::clone() can return a b *, but a::clone() can use the b::clone() as an override and still return an a *.

Empty default constructor, copy constructor and copy assignment: Why with a singleton the member variables are not random?

I am studying constructor, copy constructors and copy assignment a while and I read a fair amount of contents mainly from here as In which situations is the C++ copy constructor called? and What is The Rule of Three? and others, but I still no deeply understanding their exactly behavior. I am performing some tests with the class Boo and Foo bellow and their results are not the ones that I was expecting. In the class Boo I explictly declared its default constructor, copy constructor and copy assingment, and I defined them to do nothing. From this I was expecting that the objects from this class would have member variables with random values, what was indeed observed. Nevertheless, this behavior was not seen with the objects from the class Foo. The only difference between these classes are that the later is a singleton, but its default constructor, copy constructor and copy assignment still explicit declared and defined to do nothing. From this I state my question: Why the values of the member variables of objects from class Foo are not randomly initialized, but always has de same value of "0" and " "?
#include <iostream>
class Boo {
private:
int x;
char y;
public:
int getInt() { return x; }
char getChar() { return y; }
Boo () { std::cout << "Boo default constructor\n"; }
Boo ( const Boo& other ) { std::cout << "Boo copy constructor\n"; }
Boo& operator= ( const Boo& other) { std::cout << "Boo copy assinment\n";
return *this;}
};
class Foo {
private:
int x;
char y;
static Foo *instance;
protected:
Foo() { std::cout << "Foo default constructor\n"; }
Foo ( const Foo& other ) { std::cout << "Foo copy constructor\n"; }
Foo& operator=( const Foo& other) { std::cout << "Foo copy assignment\n"; }
public:
static Foo & uniqueInst();
int getInt() { return x; }
char getChar() { return y; }
};
Foo *Foo::instance = 0;
Foo & Foo::uniqueInst(){
if(!instance) instance = new Foo();
return *instance;
};
int main(){
Boo b1; // default constructor
Boo b2; // default constructor
Boo b3 = b1; // copy constructor
b2 = b1;
std::cout << b1.getInt() << std::endl; // Random values since the constructor does nothing
std::cout << b1.getChar() << std::endl;
std::cout << b2.getInt() << std::endl; // Random values since the copy assignment does nothing
std::cout << b2.getChar() << std::endl;
std::cout << b3.getInt() << std::endl; // Random values since the copy constructor does nothing
std::cout << b3.getChar() << std::endl;
Foo *foo;
foo = &Foo::uniqueInst(); // defaulf construtor
std::cout << foo << std::endl;
std::cout << foo->getInt() << std::endl; // Why not random values?
std::cout << foo->getChar() << std::endl;
};

vector push back clarifying

I can't figure out how push_back(const value_type& val) exactly works, in docs it says about val that
val is Value to be copied (or moved) to the new element ...
How it can be copied when it takes val by reference ?
Will that copying ever call the copy constructor of val ?
and what's exactly happening here ?
#include <iostream>
#include <vector>
using namespace std;
struct x
{
x(int v = 0) : v(v) {}
int v;
};
vector<vector<x>> parts;
void fillParts()
{
vector<x> values = { x(1), x(2), x(3) };
parts.push_back(values);
}
int main()
{
fillParts();
parts[0][0].v = -123;
cout << parts[0][0].v; // -123
return 0;
}
this runs with no erros,
is parts[0] is a reference to local vector values or a copy ?
if it is a reference shouldn't it at least give some warnings saying that your accessing and modifying local objects of freed stack ?
How it can be copied when it takes val by reference?
Think of a copy constructor.
It takes parameter by reference, and it performs copying perfectly.
class Bar
{
public:
Bar(const Bar & rhs); // by reference, to copy.
};
Will that copying ever call the copy constructor of val ?
Copy operation uses copy constructor.
You can actually see if it's copied, or moved by providing user-defined constructors.
struct x
{
public:
x(const x & rhs)
{
// Some copy operation.
std::cout << "Copied" << std::endl;
}
x(x && rhs)
{
// Some move operation.
std::cout << "Moved" << std::endl;
}
};
You can try this
class A
{
public:
A() {}
A(const A&) { cout << "copy cons" << endl; }
A& operator= (A &&) { cout << "move" << endl; };
A& operator= (const A &) { cout << "copy" << endl; };
};
vector<A> parts;
void fillParts()
{
A a;
parts.push_back(a);
}
int main()
{
fillParts();
return 0;
}
I got copy cons called in both debug and release builds.

How do I invoke the move constructor?

In the code show below, how do I assign rvalue to an object A in function main?
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
class A
{
public:
int* x;
A(int arg) : x(new int(arg)) { cout << "ctor" << endl;}
A(const A& RVal) {
x = new int(*RVal.x);
cout << "copy ctor" << endl;
}
A(A&& RVal) {
this->x = new int(*RVal.x);
cout << "move ctor" << endl;
}
~A()
{
delete x;
}
};
int main()
{
A a(8);
A b = a;
A&& c = A(4); // it does not call move ctor? why?
cin.ignore();
return 0;
}
Thanks.
Any named instance is l-value.
Examples of code with move constructor:
void foo(A&& value)
{
A b(std::move(value)); //move ctr
}
int main()
{
A c(5); // ctor
A cc(std::move(c)); // move ctor
foo(A(4));
}