Are Class Constructors really needed?
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I was wondering why do we need constructors and destructors? In all my classes i have made i have had no problems with not having a constructor or destructor. What are they used for exactly?
thanks.
Wait till you have complex classes which cannot be used without having at least base assumptions on data validation. If your class contains data, it should be initialized to a default value if not explicitly specified. That''s what constructors are for.
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Thanks to Kylotan for the idea!
[ GDNet Start Here | GDNet Search Tool | GDNet FAQ | MS RTFM [MSDN] | SGI STL Docs | Google! ]
Thanks to Kylotan for the idea!
constructors have many uses.
one common uses of constructors is to initialize objects.
in C++, all objects and variables have implicit constructors and destructors.
its possible to make explicit contructors for your udts.
explicit constructors and destructors allow implicit object management. this means that you dont call the functions yourself, they are managed by the compiler. otherwise, you would need to write your own init and deinit functions.
constructors allow initializer lists.
while constructors are useful for initializing data, constructors and destructors are most useful for managing dynamic data. if you create data dynamically, then you can make sure its released in the destructor. inversely, you can make sure its alloted in the constructor, or you can initialize pointers to NULL.
you can pass an object using a constructor.
in this example, we have a temp variable that is created and passed to the function, and then destroyed after the call.
neato huh!
one common uses of constructors is to initialize objects.
in C++, all objects and variables have implicit constructors and destructors.
int i(10); // initializes i to 10int* pi = new int(10); //creates a new int and initialize to 10 its possible to make explicit contructors for your udts.
explicit constructors and destructors allow implicit object management. this means that you dont call the functions yourself, they are managed by the compiler. otherwise, you would need to write your own init and deinit functions.
constructors allow initializer lists.
class A{ B _b; int _length;public: A(): _length(10), _b(10, NULL){} A(int length): _length(length), _b(length, NULL) {}}; while constructors are useful for initializing data, constructors and destructors are most useful for managing dynamic data. if you create data dynamically, then you can make sure its released in the destructor. inversely, you can make sure its alloted in the constructor, or you can initialize pointers to NULL.
class A{ DATA* _data; public: A() //default constructor { _data = new DATA[10];} A(int length) //overloaded constructor { _data = new DATA[length];} ~A()//destructor { SafeDeleteArray(_data);}}; you can pass an object using a constructor.
void myFunc( A a);myFunc( A(10, pi, x) ); in this example, we have a temp variable that is created and passed to the function, and then destroyed after the call.
neato huh!
A simple example is: imagine making a even number class which can only be used to represent even numbers. Using a constructor is the only way you can guarentee that it is created with the correct type of information (i.e. not an odd number).
The idea is that you create objects that validate the data they contain (i.e. check it is correct) and then you can safely use them from then on knowing they are correct. If, for example, you just used C style structures, there is no good way you can stop parts of your program filling them up with invalid information.
The idea is that you create objects that validate the data they contain (i.e. check it is correct) and then you can safely use them from then on knowing they are correct. If, for example, you just used C style structures, there is no good way you can stop parts of your program filling them up with invalid information.
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