🔒 Locked

style: assignment operator verus functional notation

Started by Whitty Dec 11, 2002 at 12:44 AM 6 replies 750+ views

Original Post

Dec 11, 2002 at 12:44 AM

Just curious, when is it considered(if at all) in good style to use the assignment operator, and under what circumstances is better accepted to use functional notation? ---------- I am the dancing tooth fairy and I have come to take your teeth!

Zipster

Dec 11, 2002 at 12:55 AM

By functional notation, I assume you mean int i(5); I usually only that notation in a initialization list, pretty much because you have to (

), but otherwise, not really at all. If anything, it''s an extra character to type

Whitty

Dec 11, 2002 at 1:13 AM

Actually, you also have to use it in the circumstance of using an explicit constructor.

----------
I am the dancing tooth fairy and I have come to take your teeth!

Zipster

Dec 11, 2002 at 3:12 AM

Right, that's also known as an initialization list (as opposed to equal-operator). Or rather, initializer list. Bah, same thing to me

I was thinking about initialization lists when I wrote the "because you have to" part.

[edited by - Zipster on December 11, 2002 4:17:11 AM]

Fruny

Dec 11, 2002 at 3:36 AM

Kylotan

Dec 12, 2002 at 5:28 PM

Zipster

Dec 13, 2002 at 2:53 AM

I guess so. Having to remember that initialization is a special case could get a bit confusing.

Brobanx

Dec 27, 2002 at 8:36 PM

When initializing a variable, assignment actually calls the copy constructor rather than a default constructor.

Take for example a class foo.


foo bob;
foo jack = bob;
foo george(bob);

the last two lines of that code both call the copy constructor, sending bob as a reference.

Topic Locked

This topic has been locked by a moderator. New replies are not allowed.