C++ Error message redefinition of functions - c++

Question

I am using two stacks to implement a queue class. My header file looks like:
#ifndef _MyQueue_h
#define _MyQueue_h
using namespace std;
template <typename T>
class MyQueue {
public:
MyQueue();
~MyQueue();
void enqueue(T element);
T peek();
void dequeue();
int size();
bool empty();
private:
int count;
stack<T> stk1;
stack<T> stk2;
};
# include "MyQueue.cpp"
# endif
And my cpp (implementation) file looks like:
#include <stack>
#include "MyQueue.h"
using namespace std;
template <typename T>
MyQueue<T>::MyQueue()
{
count = 0;
}
template <typename T>
MyQueue<T>::~ MyQueue()
{
}
template <typename T>
void MyQueue<T>::enqueue(T element)
{
stk1.push(element);
count ++;
}
(other functions omitted).
However, using Xcode 4.5, it keeps saying that my functions (MyQueue, ~MyQueue, enqueue, peek, etc.) are redefined. Can anyone help me to clarify where have I redefined them?
Thank you

Answer 1

You're trying something which I really don't like. It's a pretence.
Remove #include "MyQueue.cpp", replace it with the content of MyQueue.cpp, delete the file MyQueue.cpp. Now everything will work.
You are trying to pretend the template code can be split into header file and implementation file. But because it can't you have to cheat by including the implementation file in the header file. It's less confusing if you don't cheat or pretend and just have one file, the header file, with everything in it.
The precise reason that you get a redefinition is that you are compiling your cpp file, which includes your header file, which includes your cpp file again. So the content of the cpp file gets compiled twice.

Answer 2

In C and C++, #include behaves like a copy and paste.
Everytime you see
#include "file"
it should be treated as if you literally retyped the whole file in that one spot.
So if you compile MyQueue.cpp, the preprocessor will prepend the contents of MyQueue.h,
which itself tacks on a duplicate of MyQueue.cpp evidenced by
#include "MyQueue.cpp"
and then follows the native content of MyQueue.cpp.
So the result of
#include "MyQueue.cpp"
inside MyQueue.h, is the same as if you had written one big file with the contents
of MyQueue.h, MyQueue.cpp and MyQueue.cpp again. (with the include of stack in there as well of course)
That is why the compiler complained about functions getting redefined.
The Duplicate inserted from the
#include "MyQueue.cpp"
might also contain the line
#include "MyQueue.h"
but I think the include guards (ifndef,endif) protected against a recursive expansion since that did
not seem to be an issue.
I would like to point out that putting all the implementation code and declaration code in the same file for templates is not the only solution, as others suggest.
You just have to remember that templates are generated at compile time and include them wherever they are needed. Like Aaron has pointed out, you can even force generate a template for a specific type or function so it's accessible to all units.
In this way, the definition of a function can be embedded in an arbitrary module and the rest of the modules won't complain that a function isn't defined.
I like to declare small templates and template interfaces in header files
and put large implementations in special files that are just glorified headers. You could put some special extension like .tpp .cppt or whatever to remind yourself that it is code you have to include somewhere (which is what I do).
It is a suitable alternative to storing large implementations in header files that must be pasted around just to refer to the type (or function signature). And it works absolutely fine, for years now.
So for example, when I am ready to compile my big program, I might have a file called structures.cpp that I designate to implement lots of small structures I use, as well as instantiate all the templates for my project.
all the other .cpp files in the project need to include "mylib/template_structs.h" in order to create instances of templates and call functions with them. whereas structures.cpp only needs to include "mylib/template_structs.cppt" which in turn may include template_structs.h
or else structures.cpp would have to include that as well first.
If structures.cpp calls all the functions that any other .cpp files would call for that template then we are done, if not, then you'd need the extra step of something like
template class mynamespace::queue<int> ;
to generate all the other definitions the rest of the project's modules would need.

Answer 3

The problem is that, when compiling the cpp file, the cpp file includes the .h file and then the .h file includes the .cpp file. Then you have two copies of the cpp code in the same 'translation unit' at the same time.
But there are a few different solutions to this, it depends what your ultimate goal is.
The simplest, and most flexible solution is simply to remove all the template stuff from the .cpp file and put it into the .h file instead. You might think this is bad design, you've probably been taught to keep declarations and definitions in separate files, but this is how templates are usually implemented. (Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of C++ templates!)
But, perhaps these are to be 'private' templates, only to be used from one .cpp file. In that case, the best thing to do is simply to move everything from the .h file into the .cpp file.
There is a third approach, which doesn't get enough attention in my opinion. First, remove the #include "MyQueue.cpp" from your .h file, and recompile. It's quite possible that will just work for you. However, if your project has multiple .cpp files, you might get linker errors about undefined reference to MyQueue<string> :: MyQueue(). (where string is replaced with whatever you are putting in your queue. These linker errors can be fixed by placing template MyQueue<string>; at the end of the file that has the definitions of the templates (your MyQueue.cpp). This means you have to do this once for each type that you plan to store in your queue, but you might see this as an advantage as it helps you remember which types are supported by your queue.

Answer 4

when you include something it replaces the included file with the code within so when you call
#include "MyQueue.cpp"
it replaces that with the cpp file, then your cpp file redefines it.
Getting rid of the line will fix it.