Hey, so if I have a Base class and 2 derived classes...
class Base
{
virtual void Output()
{
cout << "OUTPUTTING A BASE OBJECT" << endl;
}
};
class Derived : public Base
{
void Ouput()
{
cout << "OUTPUTTING A DERIVED" << endl;
}
};
class OtherDerived : public Base
{
};
As I understand it, if I try to call Output from OtherDerived, it would fail. Is there a way to override Output for some derived versions of Base but not others?
Calling Output for objects of the OtherDerived class fails not because it's virtual, but because it's declared private in Base (well not explicitly - but private is the default in classes when nothing else is specified)
Change the declaration of Base to:
class Base
{
public:
virtual void Output()
{
cout << "OUTPUTTING A BASE OBJECT" << endl;
}
};
And this will work. protected will also work. Since Output isn't pure virtual, it can be called from subclasses that don't override it.
It would not fail - it would call Base::Output. What you want, ie. overriding "for some derived classes, but not others" is how inheritance works. You don't need to do anything further.
Related
I'm a newbie in C++ and have a question. I can't find any related stuff for this question on Google.
Is it possible in C++ for code in a virtual function to be called from the base class without invoking it with Base::func() in the derived class?
Here is an example of what I mean:
class Base {
public:
virtual void func(void) { cout << "Base func()" << endl; }
};
class Derived : Base {
public:
virtual void func(void) { cout << "Derived func()" << endl; }
};
The output should be the following when the function func is called from Derived:
Base func()
Derived func()
Is this even possible in C++? Or, is there another way to implement this behavior?
Is that intention even possible in C++? Or is there a other way to implement this behavior in C++?
You can get that behavior only if you add
Base::func();
in the implementation of Derived::func(). The language does not provide a mechanism to make that automatic.
You can make the base class get the calls first by making the interface non-virtual, and then call the (private) derived function from there:
class Base {
public:
void func()
{
cout << "Base func()" << endl;
derived_func();
}
private:
virtual void derived_func() { }
};
class Derived : Base {
private:
virtual void derived_func() { cout << "Derived func()" << endl; }
};
You have call the base class in derived class implementation to make that happen
class Base {
public:
virtual void func(void) { cout << "Base func()" << endl; }
};
class Derived : Base {
public:
virtual void func(void)
{
Base::function();
cout << "Derived func()" << endl;
}
};
But this is still calling Base::func() from Derived::func()
You can, however, achieve what you want if the func() was actually your constructor.
1.In the main function below, why does d.foo(9.5) not select the Base::foo(double) method from the base class? Doesn't the derived class inherit that method?
2.What causes the compile error?
class Base {
public:
virtual void foo(int){
cout << "Base::foo(int)" << endl;
}
virtual void foo(double){
cout << "Base::foo(double)" << endl;
}
};
class Derived : public Base {
public:
virtual void foo(int){
cout << "Derived::foo(int)" << endl;
}
};
void main() {
Derived d;
Base b, *pb = &d;
d.foo(9); // selects Derived::foo(int)
d.foo(9.5); // selects Derived::foo(int)
pb->foo(9); // selects Derived::foo(int)
pb->foo(9.5); // selects Base::foo(double)
Derived * d;
d->foo(9); // compile error
}
The compilation error is because of two variables with the same name in main().
As to your problem with inherited functions not being called for an instance of your Derived (except via pointer to Base)
The standard describes the "hiding rule", which makes this happen. Essentially, member functions declared in derived classes hide inherited functions with the same name but different signature inherited from the base class. The hiding rule is independent of whether the inherited functions are virtual or not.
The common solution is to introduce all inherited functions from the base class with using Base::foo. For example,
class Base {
public:
virtual void foo(int){
cout << "Base::foo(int)" << endl;
}
virtual void foo(double){
cout << "Base::foo(double)" << endl;
}
};
class Derived : public Base {
public:
using Base::foo;
virtual void foo(int){
cout << "Derived::foo(int)" << endl;
}
};
Another solution is to remember to explicitly override all inherited versions of the function (implement the derived class version to simply call the base class version of each function). This works with older compilers that do not support a using directive like the above. The catch is that it is necessary to explicitly do this with every inherited overload, and it is easy to miss one.
In the main function below, why does d.foo(9.5) not select the Base::foo(double) method from the base class? Doesn't the derived class inherit that method?
Yes, but it's hidden by the function with the same name in the derived class. You can unhide it with a using-declaration in the derived class:
using Base::foo;
What causes the compile error?
You're trying to declare a second variable called d. Change the name to something that's not already used; and initialise it to point to a valid object, otherwise you'll have a runtime error or other undefined behaviour.
Derived * pd = &d;
pd->foo(9); // selects Derived::foo(int)
Also, main has the wrong return type. It must return int.
1) Because this is exactly how polymorphism work. If a virtual function is redefined in a derived class, this (and only this) redefined version will be called. If the function is not virtual it's vice versa: only the base class function will be called.
//Example 1: non-virtual function
class Base
{
public:
void foo()
{
std::cout << "Base";
}
}
class Derived : public Base
{
public:
void foo()
{
std::cout << "Derived";
}
}
Base * base = new Base();
base->foo()//prints "Base"
Base * derived = new Derived();
derived->foo()//prints "Base", since the function is not virtual, and the version from the base class is called
//Example 2: virtual function
class Base
{
public:
virtual void foo()
{
std::cout << "Base";
}
}
class Derived : public Base
{
public:
void foo()
{
std::cout << "Derived";
}
}
Base * base = new Base();
base->foo()//prints "Base"
Base * derived = new Derived();
derived->foo()//prints "Derived", since the function is virtual, and the redefined version from Derived class is called
2) The compile error happens because you have a conflicting declaration - two objects are called d.
Derived * d;
d->foo(9); // compile error
You don't have instantiated the object:
Derived * d = new Derived;
If you not create the object the compiler use the previous declaration of d: Derived d that is not a pointer.
I'm attempting to call a method from a base class with the same name as a method in the derived class. Here's a simplified example:
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
class Base
{
public:
void print() {
cout << "Printing from base" << endl;
}
void print(int num) {
cout << "Printing number from base: " << num << endl;
}
};
class Derived : public Base
{
using Base::print;
public:
void print() {
cout << "Printing from derived" << endl;
}
};
int main()
{
Derived x;
x.print();
x.Base::print(1);
//x.print(1); // Gives a compilation error
return 0;
}
Basically, I'd like to be able to call x.print(1) and get "Printing number from base: 1", that is, automatically call the method which matches the signature, even though it resides in the base class.
Without the using Base::print;, I get error: no matching function for call to 'Derived::print(int)', which makes perfect sense due to name hiding.
Thus, I added that line, but now the error is error: 'void Base::print(int)' is inaccessible
Why is this the case? I use public inheritance, so I would have thought it was readily available?
As demonstrated in the example, it works fine to manually call x.Base::print(1);, but I would like to do it more transparently. Then of course I can re-implement a wrapper to the function in the derived class, but that does not seem very elegant either.
I apologize if this has been covered in an earlier question, I read a bunch of them and found a lot of similar cases, but nothing that helped me.
The placement of the using directive decides about the visibility. Simply place it into the public area and you should be fine:
//...
class Derived : public Base
{
public:
using Base::print;
void print() {
cout << "Printing from base" << endl;
}
};
//...
http://ideone.com/06NNk
You can make your functions virtual. Any virtual functions inherited from the base class that aren't overloaded will be called through the derived class.
class base
{
public:
virtual void Foo() {}
}
class Derived
{
}
Derived d;
d.foo(); // calls base::foo()
I have a question about inheritance and template methods. Suppose I have this two classes
class Base
{
public:
template<typename T>
void print(const T& s) {std::cout << "Base (templated) prints " << s << "\n";}
virtual void print(int i) {std::cout << "Base prints " << i << "\n";}
};
class Derived : public Base
{
public:
void print(int i) {std::cout << "Derived prints " << i << "\n";}
}
int main()
{
Derived d;
d.print(3); // works fine
std::string s = "hi";
d.print(s); // does not compile
return 0;
}
The compiler tells me ''no matching function for call to ‘Derived::print(std::string&)’'.
But Derived, inheriting from Base, should also allow a call to the template method print(..), no?
Things are also weird cause if I don't define a method "print" in the derived class, then everything works fine and the compiler calls the base class template method.
Things work fine also if I define the template method also in the derived class, which calls the base class one, but that does not seem right to me...
Thanks for your help.
Declaring a function in the derived class hides any functions with the same name in the base class. You can unhide them with a using declaration:
class Derived : public Base
{
public:
// Add this
using Base::print;
void print(int i) {std::cout << "Derived prints " << i << "\n";}
}
This is a standard base name hide, and has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that the base class function is a template. It could be the second coming of Jesus and the compiler would still hide it. It's normal behaviour, implemented to try and protect derived classes from unexpected changes in base classes.
I am using native C++ with VSTS 2008. A quick question about virtual function. In my sample below, any differences if I declare Foo as "virtual void Foo()" or "void Foo()" in class Derived? Any impact to any future classes which will derive from class Derived?
class Base
{
public:
Base()
{
}
virtual void Foo()
{
cout << "In base" << endl;
}
};
class Derived : public Base
{
public:
Derived()
{
}
void Foo()
{
cout << "In derived " << endl;
}
};
No difference. But for the sake of readbility I always keep the virtual whenever it is.
No, as long as it has the same signature as the member function in the base class, it will automatically be made virtual. You should make it explicitly virtual, however, to avoid confusing anyone reading the code.