inherited function inaccessable in C++ - c++

I am writing a small program in Visual C++ 2010.
This is code of the base class:
class BaseInfo {
private:
std::map <std::string, std::string> info;
std::vector<std::string> extra_info_key;
public:
uint get_id ();
//Other function is hidden
};
uint BaseInfo::get_id () {
return (uint)atoi ((info["ID"]).c_str());
}
Then I make a derived class, which is announced as:
class test:BaseInfo {
public:
void f();
};
void test::f (test& inf) {
cout<<inf.get_id()<<endl;
}
But I got an error:
function "BaseInfo::get_id is inaccessible.
I am confused, it seems all is in the c++ rules.

You're using private inheritance, that's why.
Change:
class test : BaseInfo
to:
class test : public BaseInfo
For more info about public, protected and private inheritance, look here

Related

Why does CLion's implement methods shortcut make the method private?

I have the following base class:
class OpCode {
public:
OpCode(const std::shared_ptr<CharacterContext> &characterContext);
virtual void operator()(std::uint_fast32_t argument) = 0;
protected:
std::shared_ptr<CharacterContext> character_context;
};
If I declare a class like this:
class xxx : OpCode {
public:
using OpCode::OpCode;
}
and then do ^I to implement methods and select operator() it creates:
private:
void operator()(std::uint_fast32_t argument) override {
}
Why is it making this private? Shouldn't it be public? I'm wondering if there's some underlying C++ idiom that I don't know.

Polymorphic subtyping in C++

I'm quite new to C++, and I need a clarify porting a project from Java.
In Java I can declare a base class and its derived, with generics, in this way:
public class GenericHost{
public enum HostType{
server,
client
}
public HostType type_;
}
public class MyClient extends GenericHost{
public String clientName;
}
public class MyServer extends GenericHost{
public String serverName;
}
public abstract class GenericNetwork<hostType extends GenericHost> {
public enum NetworkType{
central,
peripheral
}
private NetworkType type_;
protected hostType masterHost;
public hostType getMasterHost(){
return masterHost;
}
public abstract String getName();
}
public class CentralNetwork extends GenericNetwork<MyServer>{
#Override
public String getName(){
return masterHost.serverName;
}
}
public class PeripheralNetwork extends GenericNetwork<MyClient>{
#Override
public String getName(){
return masterHost.clientName;
}
}
This allows me to:
In derived classes I'm allowed to use methods and variables of specified derived class (e.g. serverName / clientName in CentralNetwork / PeripheralNetwork) and not only of the base class
Derived class is tiped, so the compiler / editor can suggest me every method & variable during code editing
I'm forced to use a class that is derived from the base class (GenericNetwork / GenericHost), every error is at compile time and not run time
Every method / variable that use generics will be treated in derived class as the child class and not the base class (e.g. in CentralNetwork, the getMasterHost will return the derived MyServer, not the base GenericHost).
I wish to know if does exist anything similar in C++.
I already looked for templates, inheritance and subtyping but I can't find a way to do something smarter like I did in Java. I hope I missed something...
EDIT:
This what I tried in C++:
class GenericHost{
public enum HostType{
server,
client
}
public HostType type_;
}
class MyClient : public GenericHost{
public String clientName;
}
class MyServer : public GenericHost{
public String serverName;
}
template<class hostType : GenericHost> <--WISH, forced base class
class GenericNetwork {
public enum NetworkType{
central,
peripheral
}
private NetworkType type_;
protected hostType masterHost;
public hostType getMasterHost(){
return masterHost; <--WISH, should return MyServer / Myclient in derived class
}
public virtual std::string getName();
}
class CentralNetwork<MyServer> : public GenericNetwork{
public std::string getName(){
return masterHost.serverName; <--WISH, tiped and suggested by editor / compiler
}
}
class PeripheralNetwork<MyClient>: public GenericNetwork{
public std::string getName(){
return masterHost.clientName; <--WISH, tiped and suggested by editor / compiler
}
}
I don't have the C project with me now, so I rewrote it on the fly, sorry for any mistake...
As far as I know there's no explicit feature that lets you do this. You can use static_cast though, which will give you a compile time error if the types are not compatible.
template <class hostType>
class GenericNetwork {
public:
GenericNetwork() {
static_cast<GenericHost*>((hostType*)nullptr); // or 0 or NULL if not C++11
}
};
If hostType and GenericHost are compatible, the cast will succeed but do nothing. Otherwise, you'll get a compile time error.
There's no dedicated feature to explicitly constrain template arguments (*), but you can use (C++11's)
static_assert( std::is_base_of<GenericHost, hostType>::value,
"The template argument must be derived from GenericHost" );
(*) There'll be template constraints hopefully in C++17.
This is a compile-time assertion and can be used as a declaration:
template<class hostType>
class GenericNetwork {
static_assert( std::is_base_of<GenericHost, hostType>::value,
"The template argument must be derived from GenericHost" );
public:
enum NetworkType{
central,
peripheral
}
virtual ~GenericNetwork(); // you typically want a virtual dtor in an ABC
hostType& getMasterHost(){ // you might want to return a (const) reference
return masterHost;
}
virtual std::string getName() = 0; // abstract
private:
NetworkType type_;
hostType masterHost; // or protected
// consider making the copy ctor and copy assignment op protected
// to prevent unintended slicing
}
As everybody points out, C++ templates can implement this so it doesn't merit dedicated syntax.
Here's a rather literal translation that enforces the baseclass requirement by simply doing it.
#include <string>
struct GenericHost {
enum HostType { server,client } type_;
};
template<class GenericHost=GenericHost>
struct MyClient : GenericHost { std::string clientName; };
template<class GenericHost=GenericHost>
struct MyServer : GenericHost { std::string serverName; };
template< template<class> class SpecificHost, class GenericHost=GenericHost >
struct GenericNetwork
{
typedef SpecificHost<GenericHost> hostType;
virtual ~GenericNetwork() { };
enum NetworkType { central, peripheral };
hostType getMasterHost() { return masterHost; }
virtual std::string getName() = 0;
protected: hostType masterHost;
private: NetworkType type_;
};
struct CentralNetwork : GenericNetwork<MyServer> {
std::string getName() { return masterHost.serverName; }
};
struct PeripheralNetwork : GenericNetwork<MyClient> {
std::string getName() { return masterHost.clientName; }
};
// testing: force instantiation:
struct CentralNetwork makeme;
struct PeripheralNetwork metoo;
std::string doit() { return makeme.getName() + metoo.getName(); }
I believe this gets all four desiderata, though the errors would be detected in different places. As others point out static_cast<requiredBase*>((testedClass*)0); can do that job, but bypassing the protection takes work, not just a mistake, and it would show up in the type system so I don't see the point.
(edit: add the virtual destructor, no dessert for me tonight. Bad dog.)

access protected variable - complicated situation with inheritance and sub-classes

Hmm... I'm trying to break down my problem...
There is a library with some classes that do almost what I want. I can't change classes of the library so I want to derive them and change what I need.
In this case there is a derived class in the library with two subclasses. Now I derive the class and the subclasses.
In the second sub-class there is a virtual method witch modifies a protected variable from the first sub-class.
I want to override the virtual method with a new virtual method which calls the old virtual wethod an then modify the protected variable again.
Why am I getting the error in mySubClass2 while accessing fResponse?
How can I solve my problem?
class libraryClass : pulic someLibraryBaseClass {
protected:
libraryClass::librarySubClass2 lookUpFunction(int ID) {
//some magic to find the obj
return obj;
}
public:
class librarySubClass2;
class librarySubClass1 {
public:
librarySubClass1(libraryClass baseObj) {
myBaseObj = baseObj;
}
void someCallingFunction(int ID) {
libraryClass::librarySubClass2 obj = myBaseObj->lookUpFunction(ID)
obj->someHandleFunction(this)
cout << fResponse;
}
protected:
friend class librarySubClass2;
unsigned char fResponse[200];
private:
libraryClass myBaseObj;
};
class librarySubClass2 {
protected:
virtual void someHandleFunction(libraryClass::librarySubClass1* obj) {
snprintf((char*)obj->fResponse, sizeof obj->fResponse, "Some Text...\r\n"
}
};
};
class myDerivedClass : public libraryClass {
public:
class mySubClass2 : public libraryClass::librarySubClass2;
class mySubClass1 : public libraryClass::librarySubClass1 {
protected:
friend class mySubClass2;
};
class mySubClass2 : public libraryClass::librarySubClass2 {
protected:
virtual void someHandleFunction(libraryClass::librarySubClass1* obj) {
libraryClass:librarySubClass2::someHandleFuntion(obj);
snprintf((char*)obj->fResponse, sizeof obj->fResponse, "Add some more Text...\r\n"
}
};
};
Edit: Forgot * in Method of mySubClass2
Possible solution:
class mySubClass2 : public libraryClass::librarySubClass2 {
protected:
virtual void someHandleFunction(libraryClass::librarySubClass1* obj) {
libraryClass:librarySubClass2::someHandleFuntion(obj);
myDerivedClass::mySubClass1* nowMyObj = (myDerivedClass::mySubClass*) obj;
snprintf((char*)nowMyObj->fResponse, sizeof nowMyObj->fResponse, "Add some more Text...\r\n"
}
};
Now I derive the class and the subclasses.
In your example code, you're only deriving the main class and not the subclass. You have to inherit also the subclass:
class libraryClass : pulic someLibraryBaseClass
{
class librarySubClass1 : public someLibraryBaseClass::someLibrarySubClass1 { };
// ....
};
But that can be done only if the subclass is accessible (protected/public).
As far as I can tell you wonder why you can't access obj->fResponse in
void mySubClass2::someHandleFunction(libraryClass::librarySubClass1 obj) { ... }
Well, obj is of type librarySubClass1 which inherits its share of fResponse from the common ancestor. However, that is the share of a relative of mySubClass2, not yours as you are mySubClass2! You can only access the fResponse member of objects which are known to be of type mySubClass which actually happens to be known to be not the case for a librarySubClass1 object.
Getting access to librarySubClass::fResponse is as if you got free access to your uncle's inheritance from your grandparents. Unless you have a very unusual family sharing its wealth freely among all family members, you probably won't have access to your uncle's inheritance either.
Because fResponse in mySubClass2 is treated as protected and at that point it is outside of libraryClass, it only worked on librarySubClass2 because it is inside libraryClass.

In C++, how can I create two interfaces for a class?

For example, when creating a class library, I would like to specify an internal API and a public API for each classes, so I can hide some details from the user. The internal API would be used by other classes in the library, and the public API would be used by the library user.
Is it possible?
In C++, interface could mean many things. It could mean pure virtual functions that you implement in the derived classes, as in the following example,
class Interface
{
public:
virtual void f() = 0 ;
};
class Implementation : public Interface
{
public:
virtual void f() {}
};
--
Or it could mean just public functions in your class:
class A
{
public:
void f() {} //public function - an interface that the outside world can
//use to talk to your class.
};
You can use either of these and can make use of access-specifiers ( public, protected, private) to make your interfaces public or internal/private!
Kind of.
Some libraries use friend classes/functions for this. Each class declares other classes as friends if they need access to more than the "public" interface:
class Car {
friend class Mechanic;
private:
Engine engine;
};
class Mechanic {
// something involving Car::engine...
};
It's not very pretty, but it works.
Another approach that might work for you is the pimpl (pointer-to-implementation) idiom:
class CarImpl; // declaration only
class Car {
private:
CarImpl *impl;
public:
CarImpl *getImpl(); // doesn't strictly belong in the pimpl pattern
// methods that simply call the corresponding methods on impl
};
The internal interface can be accessed through a getImpl() call. You would put the CarImpl declaration in a header file that is clearly marked as internal, so clients won't access it. For example, you could put such headers in a subdirectory called internal.
The obvious drawback is that the Car class has a bunch of trivial methods that you have to implement.
A third approach, that I do not recommend, is inheritance:
class Car {
public:
virtual void start() = 0;
static Car *create();
};
And in an internal header:
class CarImpl : public Car {
public:
virtual void start();
};
The Car class only exposes the public interface; to get access to the internal interface, internal code needs to do a downcast to CarImpl. This is ugly.
You can use many tricks to grant friendship or an "extended" interface to a given few, however it is soon cumbersome.
The simplest way to separate the external interface from the internal interface... is to have two interfaces, thus two classes.
If you take a peek at the set of Design Patterns proposed by the GoF, you'll notice the Proxy pattern.
You can use this by not exposing the class to the exterior of your library, but instead exposing a Proxy, in which you wrap the class, and which only exposes a subset of its interface.
class MyClass
{
public:
void foo();
void bar();
void printDebugInfo();
void test();
};
class MyClassProxy
{
public:
MyClassProxy(std::unique_ptr<MyClass> ptr): _ptr(ptr) {}
void foo() { _ptr->foo(); }
void bar() { _ptr->bar(); }
private:
std::unique_ptr<MyClass> _ptr;
};
I personally find this design rather clean. No down-casting, No subtle inheritance trick, No friendship list longer than my arm.
I'm not quite sure what you're asking, but if you have an abstract class defined:
class Loggable { ... };
You can inherit from it privately, like this:
class User : private Loggable { ... };
The class User now has the members of Loggable, but they are private.
Please see the C++ FAQ lite.
There is a number of ways to approach this. One is runtime polymorphism:
struct widget {
virtual debug_info diagnose() = 0;
virtual void draw() = 0;
};
struct window {
virtual void draw() = 0;
};
struct view : public window, public widget {
void draw();
debug_info diagnose(); // internal
};
Or with compile-time polymorphism:
struct view {
void draw();
debug_info diagnose(); // internal
};
template<class W>
void do_it(W window)
{
widget.draw();
}
template<class W>
void diagnose_it(W widget)
{
debug_info d = widget.diagnose();
}
Another approach is to expose private members to specific functions or classes:
struct widget {
virtual void draw() = 0;
};
struct view : public widget {
friend void diagnose_widget(widget w);
void draw();
private:
debug_info diagnose();
};
// internal
debug_info diagnose_widget(widget w)
{
debug_info d = w.diagnose();
}
A C++ class has 3 levels of protection: public, protected and private. Public things are accessible to everybody, protected only to descendant -- and then for themselves and not for other descendants --, private for the class and its friend.
Thus friendship is the only way to grant more than public access to a class/function which isn't a descendant, and it grants full access, which isn't always convenient.
An heavy solution which I've used with success was to write a wrapper which was a friend of the main class, and then provided additional access to its own friends (which were the only one able to construct the wrapper). I'm not really recommending it, it is tedious, but it could be useful if you have such a need.
class Main {
public:
...
private: // but wrapped
void foo();
protected:
...
private: // and not wrapped
void bar();
};
class Wrapper {
pubic:
void foo() { wrapped.foo(); }
private:
Wrapper(Main& m) : wrapped(ma) {}
Main& wrapped;
friend void qux(Main&);
};
void qux(Main& m) {
Wrapper mwrapped(m)
mwrapped.foo();
// still can't access bar
}

Public and private access for the same member functions

I have a class (class A) that is designed to be inherited by other classes written by other people.
I also have another class (class B), that also inherits from A.
B has to access some A's member functions that shouldn't be accessed by other inheriting classes.
So, these A's member functions should be public for B, but private for others.
How can I solve it without using 'friend' directive?
Thank you.
EDIT: Example why I need it.
class A
{
public:
void PublicFunc()
{
PrivateFunc();
// and other code
}
private:
virtual void PrivateFunc();
};
class B : public class A
{
private:
virtual void PrivateFunc()
{
//do something and call A's PrivateFunc
A::PrivateFunc(); // Can't, it's private!
}
};
You can't. That's what friend is for.
An alternative would be to change the design/architecture of your program. But for hints on this I'd need some more context.
What you say is: there are two sets of subclasses of A. One set should have access, the other set shouldn't. It feels wrong to have only one brand of subclasses (i.e. B) 'see' A's members.
If what you mean is: only we can use this part of functionality, while our clients can't, there are other resorts.
(Functionality reuse by inheritance often corners you with this kind of problems. If you go towards reuse by aggregation, you may get around it.)
A suggestion:
// separate the 'invisible' from the 'visible'.
class A_private_part {
protected:
int inherited_content();
public:
int public_interface();
};
class B_internal : public A_private_part {
};
class A_export : private A_private_part {
public:
int public_interface() { A_private_part::public_interface(); }
};
// client code
class ClientClass : public A_export {
};
But better would be to go the aggregation way, and split the current "A" into a visible and an invisible part:
class InvisibleFunctionality {
};
class VisibleFunctionality {
};
class B {
InvisibleFunctionality m_Invisible;
VisibleFunctionality m_Visible;
};
// client code uses VisibleFunctionality only
class ClientClass {
VisibleFunctionality m_Visible;
};
Well - if you want exactly what you've described, then friend is the best solution. Every coding standard recommends not using friend but where the alternative design is more complex - then maybe it's worth making an exception.
To solve the problem without friend will require a different architecture
One solution might be to use a form of the pImpl idiom where 'B' derives from the inner implementation object, while the other clients derive from the outer class.
Another might be to place an extra layer of inheritance between 'A' and the "other clients". Something like:
class A {
public:
void foo ();
void bar ();
};
class B : public A { // OK access to both 'foo' and 'bar'
};
class ARestricted : private A {
public:
inline void foo () { A::foo (); }; // Forwards 'foo' only
};
However, this solution still has it's problems. 'ARestricted' cannot convert to an 'A' so this would need to be solved by some other "getter" for 'A'. However, you could name this function in such a way as it cannot be called accidentally:
inline A & get_base_type_A_for_interface_usage_only () { return *this; }
After trying to think of other solutions, and assuming that your hierarchy needs to be as you describe, I recommend you just use friend!
EDIT: So xtofl suggested renaming the types 'A' to 'AInternal' and 'ARestricted' to 'A'.
That works, except I noticed that 'B' would no longer be an 'A'. However, AInternal could be inherited virtually - and then 'B' could derive from both 'AInternal' and 'A'!
class AInternal {
public:
void foo ();
void bar ();
};
class A : private virtual AInternal {
public:
inline void foo () { A::foo (); }; // Forwards 'foo' only
};
// OK access to both 'foo' and 'bar' via AInternal
class B : public virtual AInternal, public A {
public:
void useMembers ()
{
AInternal::foo ();
AInternal::bar ();
}
};
void func (A const &);
int main ()
{
A a;
func (a);
B b;
func (b);
}
Of course now you have virtual bases and multiple inheritance! Hmmm....now, is that better or worse than a single friend declaration?
I think you have a bigger problem here. Your design doesn't seem sound.
1) I think the 'friend' construct is problematic to begin with
2) if 'friend' isn't what you want, you need to re-examine your design.
I think you either need to do something that just gets the job done, using 'friend' or develop a more robust architecture. Take a look at some design patterns, I'm sure you'll find something useful.
EDIT:
After seeing your sample code, you definitely need to re-arch. Class A may not be under your control, so that's a little tricky, but maybe want you want to re-do Class B to be a "has-a" class instead of an "is-a" class.
public Class B
{
B()
{
}
void someFunc()
{
A a; //the private functions is now called and a will be deleted when it goes out of scope
}
};
I find this a interesting challenge. Here is how I would solve the problem:
class AProtectedInterface
{
public:
int m_pi1;
};
class B;
class A : private AProtectedInterface
{
public:
void GetAProtectedInterface(B& b_class);
int m_p1;
};
class B : public A
{
public:
B();
void SetAProtectedInterface(::AProtectedInterface& interface);
private:
::AProtectedInterface* m_AProtectedInterface;
};
class C : public A
{
public:
C();
};
C::C()
{
m_p1 = 0;
// m_pi1 = 0; // not accessible error
}
B::B()
{
GetAProtectedInterface(*this);
// use m_AProtectedInterface to get to restricted areas of A
m_p1 = 0;
m_AProtectedInterface->m_pi1 = 0;
}
void A::GetAProtectedInterface(B& b_class)
{
b_class.SetAProtectedInterface(*this);
}
void B::SetAProtectedInterface(::AProtectedInterface& interface)
{
m_AProtectedInterface = &interface;
}
If you where going to use this sort of pattern all the time, you could reduce the code by using templates.
template<class T, class I>
class ProtectedInterfaceAccess : public I
{
public:
void SetProtectedInterface(T& protected_interface)
{
m_ProtectedInterface = &protected_interface;
}
protected:
T& GetProtectedInterface()
{
return *m_ProtectedInterface;
}
private:
T* m_ProtectedInterface;
};
template<class T, class I>
class ProtectedInterface : private T
{
public:
void SetupProtectedInterface(I& access_class)
{
access_class.SetProtectedInterface(*this);
}
};
class Bt;
class At : public ProtectedInterface <::AProtectedInterface, Bt>
{
public:
int m_p1;
};
class Bt : public ProtectedInterfaceAccess<::AProtectedInterface, At>
{
public:
Bt();
};
class Ct : public At
{
public:
Ct();
};
Ct::Ct()
{
m_p1 = 0;
// m_pi1 = 0; // not accessible error
}
Bt::Bt()
{
SetupProtectedInterface(*this);
m_p1 = 0;
GetProtectedInterface().m_pi1 = 0;
}
If I understand:
A will be subclassed by other developers.
B will be subclassed by other developers and inherits from A.
A has some methods you don't want accessible to outside developers through B.
I don't think this can be done without using friend. There is no way I know of to make members of a superclass available only to direct inheritors.