I come from Java and Ruby so I have a hard time coding simple stuff in c++, c++ being harder to tame...
I want to initialize an array in the class constructor with predefined values that can be accessed by all methods in the class. Yeah, basic stuff.
In other words, I want to do something like this:
Box.h
class SomeClass
{
public:
SomeClass(int something);
SomeMethod();
DoSomething(int thing);
protected:
int _something;
int[] arr;
};
Box.cpp
SomeClass::SomeClass(int something) : something(_something)
{
arr ={16,2,45,65,45};
for (int x = 0; x < 5; x++)
arr[i] = arr[i] * _something;
}
SomeClass::SomeMethod(){
for (int x = 0; x < 5; x++)
DoSomething(arr[i]);
}
SomeClass::DoSomething(int thing){
//whatever
}
How?
#include <iostream>
//#include <initializer_list>
#include <array>
#include <algorithm>
class foo
{
public:
foo() : values({{16,2,45,65,45}})
{
// I left the below commented out in case you want to research more and use other kinds of types for doing it.
//std::initializer_list<int> list = {16,2,45,65,45};
//std::copy(std::begin(list), std::end(list), std::begin(values));
}
void print()
{
std::for_each(std::begin(values), std::end(values),
[](int v) { std::cout << v << ' '; });
}
private:
static const int SIZE = 5;
std::array<int, 5> values;
};
int main()
{
foo fooInstance;
fooInstance.print();
return 0;
}
The above is the best that I could do in a short period of time. I tested with the following compiler. You could use that as a starting point and see if you can learn other ways of doing it. Algorithms such as generate can also be used with lamda expressions in order to generate a controlled set of values (as opposed to a hard coded list as in our examples).
http://www.compileonline.com/compile_cpp11_online.php
You have options for initializing array data members, and two types or array you can use:
Using a C-style array,
struct Foo
{
int a[5] = {1,2,3,4,5}; // initialization at point of declaration
};
struct Bar
{
int a[5];
Bar() : a{1,2,3,4,5} {} // initialization in constructor initialization list
};
Or using an std::array:
struct Foo
{
std::array<int,5> a = {{1,2,3,4,5}}; // initialization at point of declaration
};
struct Bar
{
std::array<int,5> a;
Bar() : a{{1,2,3,4,5}} {} // initialization in constructor initialization list
};
If you can use C++11, there is support for uniform initialization which allows you to assign brace-enclosed lists of values in more contexts than the special case in C.
Related
I have a class like this:
class MyClass {
MyClass(double *v, int size_of_v){
/*do something with v*/
};
};
My question: Is there any way, I can initialize such class without defining an array of double and feeding it to the constructor?
I would like to do something like:
auto x = MyClass({1.,2.,3.}, 3);
It is called list initialization and you need a std::initilizer_list constructor, that to be achieved in your MyClass.
#include <initializer_list>
class MyClass
{
double *_v;
std::size_t _size;
public:
MyClass(std::initializer_list<double> list)
:_v(nullptr), _size(list.size())
{
_v = new double[_size];
std::size_t index = 0;
for (const double element : list)
{
_v[index++] = element;
}
};
~MyClass() { delete _v; } // never forget, what you created using `new`
};
int main()
{
auto x = MyClass({ 1.,2.,3. }); // now you can
//or
MyClass x2{ 1.,2.,3. };
//or
MyClass x3 = { 1.,2.,3. };
}
Also note that providing size_of_v in a constructor is redundant, as it can be acquired from std::initializer_list::size method.
And to completeness, follow rule of three/five/zero.
As an alternative, if you can use std::vector, this could be done in a much simpler way, in which no manual memory management would be required. Moreover, you can achieve the goal by less code and, no more redundant _size member.
#include <vector>
#include <initializer_list>
class MyClass {
std::vector<double> _v;
public:
MyClass(std::initializer_list<double> vec): _v(vec) {};
};
Well you can use std::vector instead the double*v & it would fit perfectly for your goal
class MyClass {
MyClass(vector<double> v){
/*do something with v*/
};
};
I can easily declare and initialize a constant array member in a header file like so:
class MyClass {
public:
const int arr[4] = {1, 2, 3, 4};
}
But when the data is defined by a function, I cannot initialize it in the header:
#include <cmath>
#define BASE 2
class MyClass {
public:
const int arr[4];
for (i=0;i<4;i++) {
arr[i] = pow(BASE, i);
}
}
When I try to initialize the array in the class constructor in the .cpp file, I get the obvious uninitialized member with 'const' typeerror, as the array should already be initialized.
How can I initialize a const int array in the header file with a preprocessor macro and cmath functions?
It's possible to use BOOST_PP_REPEAT, if your array can have at most 256 elements (fewer if you're stuck with MSVC). Something like:
#define my_elem(z, n, data) pow(BASE, n)
const int data[4] = {BOOST_PP_REPEAT(4, my_elem, "ignored - extra data not needed")};
But you should really, really, ask yourself why you need a non-static butconst member variable, since that is almost never a useful thing to do, and places major limitations on what your program can do (e.g. it deletes the assignment operator).
You can do something like this (if the array is not too long):
#include <iostream>
#include <cmath>
#include <functional>
constexpr int BASE = 2;
class A {
public:
A(std::function<int(int)> f);
const int arr[4];
};
A::A(std::function<int(int)> f) :
arr{ f(1),f(2), f(3), f(4) }
{
}
int main() {
auto f = [](int i) { return pow(BASE, i); };
A a(f);
for (const auto val : a.arr) {
std::cout << val << std::endl;
}
return 0;
}
I mean: I've a bunch of various structures/classes and all this a splendor shall be initialized with known in advance values. Those structures/classes will never be used other way except the preinitialized one, so there is no any need for constructor -- it's just a waste of extra memory, extra CPU cycles in program, and extra space in source code.
If you have access to a C++11 compiler, you can mark your constructors as constexpr to have them run at compile time. The benefit of this is that way down the road you can still construct your objects at runtime. e.g.
struct Point2D {
constexpr Point2D(int x, int y) : x_{x}, y_{y} {}
int x_, y_;
};
And now you can use Point2D's constructor to initialize it at compile time, instead of runtime:
Point2D p{3, 4}; // no runtime overhead.
Structures and classes can be initialized, in limited circumstances.
struct splendor {
int i, j;
char *name;
};
splendor iforus = { 1, 2, "Extra!" };
Additionally, if you never need the name of the type of the structure:
struct {
int k;
float q;
} anon_e_mouse = { 1, 2.3 };
You can just initialize the members at the point of declaration:
struct Foo
{
int i = 42;
double x = 3.1416;
std::string name = "John Doe";
};
This will set up the default values for all instances:
Foo f;
std::cout << f.i << std::endl; // prints 42
Note that this does not work with C++03, it requires C++11 support.
If a class (or struct) doesn't have a constructor, you can initialize it like so:
MyClass a = MyClass();
or
MyClass * b = new MyClass();
This is called value initialization and it usually amounts to zero-initialization.
C++11 gives you initializer_list.
#include <iostream>
struct s
{
int i;
};
int main() {
s s1={666};
s s2={42};
std::cout<<s1.i<<" "<<s2.i<<std::endl;
return 0;
}
You can also do in-class initialization for member.
#include <iostream>
struct s
{
int i=0;
};
int main() {
s s1; //s1.i = 0
//s s2={42}; //fails
std::cout<<s1.i<<" "<<std::endl;
return 0;
}
But you cant do bot at the same time.
It sounds like you are trying to implement the Singleton Pattern. When you do that, you still need a constructor (in fact, if you want to force it to be a singleton, you have to declare the default constructor as private).
class MySingleton
{
private:
// my data
MySingleton() { /* initialize my data */ }
public:
static MySingleton& GetInstance()
{
static MySingleton instance;
return instance;
}
// other functions
};
In C++ how initialize all values of a member array for a class?
#define MAX_MATRIX 20
Class Matrix {
public:
Matrix(); //constructor
protected:
int n[MAX_MATRIX]; // note cannot do = { 0} or w/e here
};
Matrix::Matrix()
{
// how to set all n to -1?
}
You can use std::fill:
std::fill(begin(n), end(n), -1);
(These begin and end functions can be found in namespace std in C++11, or you can easily implement them yourself in C++03)
This was a glaring shortcoming of C++03. In C++11 this has been fixed, and you can now initialize everything, including arrays:
class Matrix
{
public:
Matrix() : n { } { }
protected:
static const unsigned int MAX_MATRIX = 20;
int n[MAX_MATRIX];
};
(The nasty preprocessor macro is also not needed in C++.)
In C++03, you simply cannot initialize an array member, but you can set it to something meaningful in the constructor body, e.g. via std::fill(n, n + MAX_MATRIX, 0);.
(Of course it would be a lot nicer to say std::array<int, MAX_MATRIX> n;.)
There's a type for this:
class Matrix {
public:
Matrix() : n() { n.fill(-1); }
protected:
std::array<int, 20> n;
};
for (unsigned i = 0; i < MAX_MATRIX; ++i) n[i] = -1;
#include <cstring>
...
Matrix::Matrix()
{
static bool init=false;
static int n_init[MAX_MATRIX];
if (!init){
for(int i=0; i<MAX_MATRIX; i++){
n_init[i] = -1;
}
init = true;
}
memcpy(n,n_init,MAX_MATRIX*sizeof(int));
}
The array n_init is initialized exactly once and stored in memory, then all subsequent constructions are a quick memory copy with no loops. You should not see much decrease in speed if you increase the size of MAX_MATRIX as you would when looping through the index, particularly if you are calling Matrix::Matrix() many times.
I have the following class in C++:
class a {
const int b[2];
// other stuff follows
// and here's the constructor
a(void);
}
The question is, how do I initialize b in the initialization list, given that I can't initialize it inside the body of the function of the constructor, because b is const?
This doesn't work:
a::a(void) :
b([2,3])
{
// other initialization stuff
}
Edit: The case in point is when I can have different values for b for different instances, but the values are known to be constant for the lifetime of the instance.
With C++11 the answer to this question has now changed and you can in fact do:
struct a {
const int b[2];
// other bits follow
// and here's the constructor
a();
};
a::a() :
b{2,3}
{
// other constructor work
}
int main() {
a a;
}
Like the others said, ISO C++ doesn't support that. But you can workaround it. Just use std::vector instead.
int* a = new int[N];
// fill a
class C {
const std::vector<int> v;
public:
C():v(a, a+N) {}
};
It is not possible in the current standard. I believe you'll be able to do this in C++0x using initializer lists (see A Brief Look at C++0x, by Bjarne Stroustrup, for more information about initializer lists and other nice C++0x features).
std::vector uses the heap. Geez, what a waste that would be just for the sake of a const sanity-check. The point of std::vector is dynamic growth at run-time, not any old syntax checking that should be done at compile-time. If you're not going to grow then create a class to wrap a normal array.
#include <stdio.h>
template <class Type, size_t MaxLength>
class ConstFixedSizeArrayFiller {
private:
size_t length;
public:
ConstFixedSizeArrayFiller() : length(0) {
}
virtual ~ConstFixedSizeArrayFiller() {
}
virtual void Fill(Type *array) = 0;
protected:
void add_element(Type *array, const Type & element)
{
if(length >= MaxLength) {
// todo: throw more appropriate out-of-bounds exception
throw 0;
}
array[length] = element;
length++;
}
};
template <class Type, size_t Length>
class ConstFixedSizeArray {
private:
Type array[Length];
public:
explicit ConstFixedSizeArray(
ConstFixedSizeArrayFiller<Type, Length> & filler
) {
filler.Fill(array);
}
const Type *Array() const {
return array;
}
size_t ArrayLength() const {
return Length;
}
};
class a {
private:
class b_filler : public ConstFixedSizeArrayFiller<int, 2> {
public:
virtual ~b_filler() {
}
virtual void Fill(int *array) {
add_element(array, 87);
add_element(array, 96);
}
};
const ConstFixedSizeArray<int, 2> b;
public:
a(void) : b(b_filler()) {
}
void print_items() {
size_t i;
for(i = 0; i < b.ArrayLength(); i++)
{
printf("%d\n", b.Array()[i]);
}
}
};
int main()
{
a x;
x.print_items();
return 0;
}
ConstFixedSizeArrayFiller and ConstFixedSizeArray are reusable.
The first allows run-time bounds checking while initializing the array (same as a vector might), which can later become const after this initialization.
The second allows the array to be allocated inside another object, which could be on the heap or simply the stack if that's where the object is. There's no waste of time allocating from the heap. It also performs compile-time const checking on the array.
b_filler is a tiny private class to provide the initialization values. The size of the array is checked at compile-time with the template arguments, so there's no chance of going out of bounds.
I'm sure there are more exotic ways to modify this. This is an initial stab. I think you can pretty much make up for any of the compiler's shortcoming with classes.
ISO standard C++ doesn't let you do this. If it did, the syntax would probably be:
a::a(void) :
b({2,3})
{
// other initialization stuff
}
Or something along those lines. From your question it actually sounds like what you want is a constant class (aka static) member that is the array. C++ does let you do this. Like so:
#include <iostream>
class A
{
public:
A();
static const int a[2];
};
const int A::a[2] = {0, 1};
A::A()
{
}
int main (int argc, char * const argv[])
{
std::cout << "A::a => " << A::a[0] << ", " << A::a[1] << "\n";
return 0;
}
The output being:
A::a => 0, 1
Now of course since this is a static class member it is the same for every instance of class A. If that is not what you want, ie you want each instance of A to have different element values in the array a then you're making the mistake of trying to make the array const to begin with. You should just be doing this:
#include <iostream>
class A
{
public:
A();
int a[2];
};
A::A()
{
a[0] = 9; // or some calculation
a[1] = 10; // or some calculation
}
int main (int argc, char * const argv[])
{
A v;
std::cout << "v.a => " << v.a[0] << ", " << v.a[1] << "\n";
return 0;
}
Where I've a constant array, it's always been done as static. If you can accept that, this code should compile and run.
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
class a {
static const int b[2];
public:
a(void) {
for(int i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
printf("b[%d] = [%d]\n", i, b[i]);
}
}
};
const int a::b[2] = { 4, 2 };
int main(int argc, char **argv)
{
a foo;
return 0;
}
You can't do that from the initialization list,
Have a look at this:
http://www.cprogramming.com/tutorial/initialization-lists-c++.html
:)
A solution without using the heap with std::vector is to use boost::array, though you can't initialize array members directly in the constructor.
#include <boost/array.hpp>
const boost::array<int, 2> aa={ { 2, 3} };
class A {
const boost::array<int, 2> b;
A():b(aa){};
};
How about emulating a const array via an accessor function? It's non-static (as you requested), and it doesn't require stl or any other library:
class a {
int privateB[2];
public:
a(int b0,b1) { privateB[0]=b0; privateB[1]=b1; }
int b(const int idx) { return privateB[idx]; }
}
Because a::privateB is private, it is effectively constant outside a::, and you can access it similar to an array, e.g.
a aobj(2,3); // initialize "constant array" b[]
n = aobj.b(1); // read b[1] (write impossible from here)
If you are willing to use a pair of classes, you could additionally protect privateB from member functions. This could be done by inheriting a; but I think I prefer John Harrison's comp.lang.c++ post using a const class.
interestingly, in C# you have the keyword const that translates to C++'s static const, as opposed to readonly which can be only set at constructors and initializations, even by non-constants, ex:
readonly DateTime a = DateTime.Now;
I agree, if you have a const pre-defined array you might as well make it static.
At that point you can use this interesting syntax:
//in header file
class a{
static const int SIZE;
static const char array[][10];
};
//in cpp file:
const int a::SIZE = 5;
const char array[SIZE][10] = {"hello", "cruel","world","goodbye", "!"};
however, I did not find a way around the constant '10'. The reason is clear though, it needs it to know how to perform accessing to the array. A possible alternative is to use #define, but I dislike that method and I #undef at the end of the header, with a comment to edit there at CPP as well in case if a change.