c++: Function is ambiguous when passing pointers to vectors - c++

In my program I have a function that works with two vectors (actually, the program must sum two numbers which have a huge amount of digits but I think it is not relevant to that). Here is the code
#include <iostream>
#include <vector>
using namespace std;
void plus (vector <int> *n1, vector <int> *n2)
{
// my code here
}
int main()
{
unsigned int i;
vector <int> n1, n2;
for (i = 1; i < 5; ++i)
{
n1.push_back (i);
}
for (i = 9; i > 5; --i)
{
n2.push_back (i);
}
plus (&n1, &n2);
return 0;
}
When I try to compile it, it says that "reference to 'plus' is ambiguous". What is the problem?
Thanks in advance.

While all the answers given here are technically correct, I think there is only one sustainable solution:
Remove using namespace std;. Unfortunately, using this is taught by lots of tutorials and books, but it comes with many problems, one of which you have just witnessed. For a better overview of using and namespaces, read Herb Sutter's article on this issue: http://www.gotw.ca/publications/migrating_to_namespaces.htm

There is a function std::plus which is confusing the compiler.
Rename your function or say ::plus to call it.

http://www.cplusplus.com/reference/functional/plus/
plus is a function in standard C++ library.
Avoid it with ::plus

When a function is "ambiguous," it means that there already exists a function of that same name and structure. So, as others mentioned, std::plus is conflicting with your definition, and the compiler doesn't know which to use.
Rename the method, or call ::plus.

Related

C++: Vector bounds

I am coming from Java and learning C++ in the moment. I am using Stroustrup's Progamming Principles and Practice of Using C++. I am working with vectors now. On page 117 he says that accessing a non-existant element of a vector will cause a runtime error (same in Java, index out of bounds). I am using the MinGW compiler and when I compile and run this code:
#include <iostream>
#include <cstdio>
#include <vector>
int main()
{
std::vector<int> v(6);
v[8] = 10;
std::cout << v[8];
return 0;
}
It gives me as output 10. Even more interesting is that if I do not modify the non-existent vector element (I just print it expecting a runtime error or at least a default value) it prints some large integers. So... is Stroustrup wrong, or does GCC have some strange ways of compiling C++?
The book is a bit vague. It's not as much a "runtime error" as it is undefined behaviour which manifests at runtime. This means that anything could happen. But the error is strictly with you, not with the program execution, and it is in fact impossible and non sensible to even talk about the execution of a program with undefined behaviour.
There is nothing in C++ that protects you against programming errors, quite unlike in Java.
As #sftrabbit says, std::vector has an alternative interface, .at(), which always gives a correct program (though it may throw exceptions), and consequently one which one can reason about.
Let me repeat the point with an example, because I believe this is an important fundamental aspect of C++. Suppose we're reading an integer from the user:
int read_int()
{
std::cout << "Please enter a number: ";
int n;
return (std::cin >> n) ? n : 18;
}
Now consider the following three programs:
The dangerous one: The correctness of this program depends on the user input! It is not necessarily incorrect, but it is unsafe (to the point where I would call it broken).
int main()
{
int n = read_int();
int k = read_int();
std::vector<int> v(n);
return v[k];
}
Unconditionally correct: No matter what the user enters, we know how this program behaves.
int main() try
{
int n = read_int();
int k = read_int();
std::vector<int> v(n);
return v.at(k);
}
catch (...)
{
return 0;
}
The sane one: The above version with .at() is awkward. Better to check and provide feedback. Because we perform dynamic checking, the unchecked vector access is actually guaranteed to be fine.
int main()
{
int n = read_int();
if (n <= 0) { std::cout << "Bad container size!\n"; return 0; }
int k = read_int();
if (k < 0 || k >= n) { std::cout << "Bad index!\n"; return 0; }
std::vector<int> v(n);
return v[k];
}
(We're ignoring the possibility that the vector construction might throw an exception of its own.)
The moral is that many operations in C++ are unsafe and only conditionally correct, but it is expected of the programmer that you make the necessary checks ahead of time. The language doesn't do it for you, and so you don't pay for it, but you have to remember to do it. The idea is that you need to handle the error conditions anyway, and so rather than enforcing an expensive, non-specific operation at the library or language level, the responsibility is left to the programmer, who is in a better position to integrate the checking into the code that needs to be written anyway.
If I wanted to be facetious, I would contrast this approach to Python, which allows you to write incredibly short and correct programs, without any user-written error handling at all. The flip side is that any attempt to use such a program that deviates only slightly from what the programmer intended leaves you with a non-specific, hard-to-read exception and stack trace and little guidance on what you should have done better. You're not forced to write any error handling, and often no error handling ends up being written. (I can't quite contrast C++ with Java, because while Java is generally safe, I have yet to see a short Java program.)</rantmode>
This is a valuable comment by #Evgeny Sergeev that I promote to the answer:
For GCC, you can -D_GLIBCXX_DEBUG to replace standard containers with safe implementations. More recently, this now also seems to work with std::array. More info here: gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/libstdc++/manual/debug_mode.html
I would add, it is also possible to bundle individual "safe" versions of vector and other utility classes by using gnu_debug:: namespace prefix rather than std::.
In other words, do not re-invent the wheel, array checks are available at least with GCC.
C and C++ does not always do bounds checks. It MAY cause a runtime error. And if you were to overdo your number by enough, say 10000 or so, it's almost certain to cause a problem.
You can also use vector.at(10), which definitely should give you an exception.
see:
http://www.cplusplus.com/reference/vector/vector/at/
compared with:
http://www.cplusplus.com/reference/vector/vector/operator%5B%5D/
I hoped that vector's "operator[]" would check boundary as "at()" does, because I'm not so careful. :-)
One way would inherit vector class and override operator[] to call at() so that one can use more readable "[]" and no need to replace all "[]" to "at()". You can also define the inherited vector (ex:safer_vector) as normal vector.
The code will be like this(in C++11, llvm3.5 of Xcode 5).
#include <vector>
using namespace std;
template <class _Tp, class _Allocator = allocator<_Tp> >
class safer_vector:public vector<_Tp, _Allocator>{
private:
typedef __vector_base<_Tp, _Allocator> __base;
public:
typedef _Tp value_type;
typedef _Allocator allocator_type;
typedef typename __base::reference reference;
typedef typename __base::const_reference const_reference;
typedef typename __base::size_type size_type;
public:
reference operator[](size_type __n){
return this->at(__n);
};
safer_vector(_Tp val):vector<_Tp, _Allocator>(val){;};
safer_vector(_Tp val, const_reference __x):vector<_Tp, _Allocator>(val,__x){;};
safer_vector(initializer_list<value_type> __il):vector<_Tp, _Allocator>(__il){;}
template <class _Iterator>
safer_vector(_Iterator __first, _Iterator __last):vector<_Tp,_Allocator>(__first, __last){;};
// If C++11 Constructor inheritence is supported
// using vector<_Tp, _Allocator>::vector;
};
#define safer_vector vector

C++ for each With a Pointer

I am trying to use a pointer to an array inside of a for each loop in C++. The code below won't work because the "for each statement cannot operate on variables of type 'int *'". I'd prefer to use the new operator so that the array is on the heap and not the stack, but I just can't seem to figure out the syntax here. Any suggestions?
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main() {
int total = 0;
int* array = new int[6];
array[0] = 10; array[1] = 20; array[2] = 30;
array[3] = 40; array[4] = 50; array[5] = 60;
for each(int i in array) {
total += i;
}
cout << total << endl;
}
That for each thing you are using is a Visual C++ extension that's not even recommended by some microsoft employees (I know I've heard STL say bad things about it, I can't remember where).
There are other options, like std::for_each, and range-based for from C++11 (though I don't think Visual C++ supports that yet). However, that's not what you should be using here. You should be using std::accumulate, because this is the job that it was made for:
total = std::accumulate(array, array + 6, 0);
If you're really just interested in how to use this Microsoft for each construct, well, I'm pretty sure you can't if you just have a pointer. You should use a std::vector instead. You should be doing that anyway.
C++0x introduced a ranged-based for loops, which work equal to foreach in other languages. The syntax for them is something like this:
int arr[5]={1,2,3,4,5};
for( int & tmp : arr )
{
//do something
}
These loops work for C-style arrays, initializer lists, and any type that has begin() and end() functions defined for it that return iterators.
I strongly believe that int * doesn't have begin() and end() functions for them that return iterators, because it's just a raw pointer. I also believe that other foreach-equivalents such as foreach in Qt, or what you've posted, work the same way, so you can't use them like this. msdn says that it works for collections:
for each (type identifier in expression) {
statements
}
expression:
A managed array expression or collection. The compiler must be able
to convert the collection element from Object to the identifier type.
expression evaluates to a type that implements IEnumerable, IEnumerable,
or a type that defines a GetEnumerator method. In the
latter case, GetEnumerator should either return a type that implements
IEnumerator or declares all the methods defined in IEnumerator.
Once again, you have a raw pointer, so it will not work.
you can always use for loop like this:
for (int i = 0; i < 6;i++)
{
total += array[i];
}
Although, answer for using "for each" using "gcnew" is already being given so I am omitting that. As an alternative, you can also use vectors as follows:
#include <iostream>
#include <vector>
using namespace std;
int _tmain(int argc, _TCHAR* argv[])
{
int total = 0;
vector<int> myarray;
myarray.push_back(10);
myarray.push_back(20);
myarray.push_back(30);
myarray.push_back(40);
myarray.push_back(50);
myarray.push_back(60);
for each(int i in myarray) {
total += i;
}
cout << total << endl;
return 0;
}
Hope this will help...
The only way I can think about is iterating over array of reference types especially if you want your storage on the heap
Here Microsoft shows you how to do so
But for your case, the simplest alternative (if you want your array on the heap) would be as follows:-
array<int>^ arr = gcnew array<int>{10, 20, 30, 40. 50, 60};
int total = 0;
for each (int i in arr){
total+=i;
}
gcnew creates an instance of a managed type (reference or value type) on the garbage collected heap. The result of the evaluation of a gcnew expression is a handle (^) to the type being created.
You have to use an standard library collection such as std::vector or std::arrayto use for each.
Please note that this codee I not standard C++, therefore not portable, because for each is a Visual C++ extension. I recommend to use std::for_each or C++11 auto ranged loops.
VC++ is not different from ISO/ANSI C++. Anybody who tells you that it is, is wrong. Now, to answer your question of the for each statement. There is no such statement in the ISO C++ specification. Microsoft supports the 'foreach' statement in C#, as part of the .Net framework. As a result, there might be a chance that this is supported in Visual Studio, although I would recommend not using it.
Like the user shubhansh answered a few replies back, try using a vector. However, I'm guessing you would like to use a generic size, rather than hard-coding it in. The following for loop would help you in this regard:
for(vector<int>::size_type i =0; i<myarray.size();i++)
{
total+=1;
}
This is the perfect way to iterate through a vector, as defined by the ISO standard.
Hope this helps you in your development.
Cheers!

C++ Sorting Function

So I'm trying to get a sort function to work. It should sort by firstname, but if the first names are the same it should sort by last names. I keep getting an error in mySort() that says "unexpected primary-expression before ')' token" on line where inOrder = arr. What's happening to this and how can I fix it? I need to pass my objects into a function in a seperate class. I'll link them in pastebin.
Here's the driver
#include <iostream>
#include <fstream>
#include <string>
#include "phoneEntry.h"
using namespace std;
void mySort(PhoneEntry& arr, int size)
{
bool inOrder = false;
for (int i = size - 1; i > 0 && !inOrder; i--)
{
inOrder = true;
for (int j = 0; j < i; j++)
{
inOrder = arr.alphaGreater(arr&);
}
}
};
int main()
{
const int MAXNUM = 500;
PhoneEntry entry[MAXNUM];
ifstream filezilla;
filezilla.open("phone.txt");
int count = 0;
if(filezilla)
{
while(count < MAXNUM && entry[count].readEntry(filezilla))
{
count++;
}
mySort(entry&, count);
for(int i = 0; i < count; i++)
{
entry[i].writeEntry(cout) << endl;
}
}
else
{
cout << "Four Oh Four - File Not Found" << endl;
}
return 0;
}
Phone Entry Header
Phone Number Header
Sorting Text (http://pastebin.com/HE8Rsmbg)
You want to pass a reference, so the argument has to be defined as call-by-reference in the function definition/declaration, which is already done:
bool PhoneEntry::alphaGreater(const PhoneEntry& item) const;
As you can see, PhoneEntry::alphaGreater takes a constant PhoneEntry reference. So simply use
inOrder = arr.alphaGreater(arr);
There are several things wrong with your code. The first, the one the
compiler is complaining about, is that there is no postfix operator &
in C++. I don't know exactly what you're trying to do with it, or what
you think it means, but it doesn't exist in C++.
The second is that mySort takes a reference to a single PhoneEntry;
you have an array of PhoneEntry, so you'll have to select one to pass
it. Except that the name of the function and the fact that you pass a
count as well suggest that you really want to pass an array.
And I can't figure out what mySort is supposed to be doing. It
certainly doesn't sort anything; in fact, it seems to be fundamentally
an expensive no-op, since it doesn't return anything, it doesn't modify
arr, and it doesn't access or modify any global state.
For the rest, you need more error checking on the input (did the open
succeed, etc.), and you really should be using std::vector, rather
than a C style array. (There are cases where C style arrays are
appropriate, but this isn't one of them.)
More fundamentally, I'd suggest you get a good book and study it. (I'd
recommend Stroustrup's Programming Principles and Practice Using C++.)
You can't write a program in any language without knowing at least the
most basic fundamentals and basic syntax.
you can pass it as pointers also

Why use std::for_each over a for loop? [duplicate]

This question already has answers here:
Closed 11 years ago.
Possible Duplicate:
Advantages of std::for_each over for loop
So I was playing around with some C++11 features and I'm curious as to why std::for_each is beneficial. Wouldn't it be easier and look cleaner to do a for loop or is it because I'm so used to doing it this way?
#include <iostream>
#include <tuple>
#include <vector>
#include <algorithm>
typedef std::tuple<int, int> pow_tuple;
pow_tuple pow(int x)
{
return std::make_tuple(x, x*x);
}
void print_values(pow_tuple values)
{
std::cout << std::get<0>(values) << "\t" << std::get<1>(values) << std::endl;
}
int main(int argc, char** argv)
{
std::vector<int> numbers;
for (int i=1; i < 10; i++)
numbers.push_back(i);
std::for_each(numbers.begin(), numbers.end(),
[](int x) { print_values(pow(x)); }
);
std::cout << "Using auto keyword:" << std::endl;
auto values = pow(20);
print_values(values);
return 0;
}
the standard algorithms handle all of the looping issues correctly, reducing the chance of making one-off errors and such, allowing you to focus on the calculation and not the looping.
It depends somewhat on the local coding conventions, but there are two
potential advantages. The first is that it states clearly that the code
iterates over all of the elements in the sequence; unless the local
coding conventions say otherwise (and they are enforced), you have to
consider that some cowboy programmer might have inserted a break. The
second is that it names the operation you are performing on each
element; this once can easily be handled by calling a function in the
loop, and of course, really trivial operations may not need a name.
There's also the advantage, at least if you aren't yet using C++11, that
you don't have to spell out the iterator types; the spelled out iterator
types create a lot of verbiage, in which the important logic can get
lost or overlooked.
one could say that this form allows you write this piece of code without the unnecessary index to manipulate and make mistakes with.
It is also an idiom which exists in other languages, and since you are getting anonymous functions, this feature can be a good example of higher level functions (educational purpose?).
I agree that it does not feel like c++ ...

Why is it bad to have a local functor?

For example, whats wrong with declaring the class doubler within the main function, if the predicate will only be used once?
#include <list>
#include <algorithm>
#define SIZE 10
int main()
{
std::list<int> myList;
for(int i=0; i<SIZE ;++i)
{
myList.push_back(i);
}
class doubler
{
public:
doubler(){}
int operator()(int a)
{
return a + a;
}
} pred;
std::for_each(myList.begin(), myList.end(), pred);
return 0;
}
The problem with this setup is that, at least in C++03, you cannot use a local functor as a template argument because it doesn't have external linkage. This means that technically speaking, the above code isn't legal. However, they're fixing this in C++0x since it's a pretty silly restriction, and since VS2010 has rudimentary C++0x support the above code is totally fine.
In short, the answer to your question is that there's nothing wrong with it if you're using C++0x-compliant compilers, but otherwise you should probably refrain from doing so to maximize cross-compiler compatibility.
It is illegal before C++0x
In C++0x, there is a better solution (lambdas/closures)
So in either case you should use a different solution.