CODEWITHSUNDEEP
c++headerincludeforward-declaration
Deohboeh
Deohboeh

Reputation: 37

include classes in header files in other header files

I have two classes Screen and Window_Mgr(C++ Primer 5th Edition Chapter 7).

  1. Screen is a class that contains three string::size_types and a string as data members.
  2. Window_Mgr is a class that contains an object Screens of type vector<Screen>.
  3. It initializes the vector<Screen> with the values (24,80,’ ‘) with a constructor in Screen.
  4. void Window_Mgr::clear(vector::size_type i) is a function that accesses the private members of string and clears them of all data.

I want to write this code in such a way that only Window_Mgr::clear is a friend of Screen.

The problems I am faced with are:

  1. If I define Window_Mgr before Screen with an incomplete declaration I can’t initialize Screens.
  2. If I define Screen before Window_Mgr with an incomplete declaration I can’t declare Window_Mgr::clear as a friend of Screen.

I tried including them with separate header files but that was a real mess.

#include <iostream>
#include <vector>

class Screen;

struct Window_Mgr{
public:
    //    using Screen_Index = std::vector<Screen>::size_type;
    typedef std::vector<Screen>::size_type Screen_Index;

    void clear(Screen_Index i);

    Window_Mgr() = default;

private:
    std::vector<Screen> Screens;
};



struct Screen{

    typedef std::string::size_type pos;

    friend void Window_Mgr::clear(Screen_Index i);

    Screen() = default;
    Screen(pos h, pos w, char s): height(h), width(w), contents(h*w,s){};

    char get() const { return contents[cursor];}
    char get(pos ht, pos width)const;
    Screen &move(pos r, pos c);
    Screen &set(char);
    Screen &set(pos, pos, char);
    Screen & display(std::ostream &);
    const Screen & display (std::ostream &) const;

    pos size() const;


private:
    pos cursor = 0;
    pos height = 0, width = 0;
    std::string contents;
    const Screen do_display (std::ostream& os) const
    {
        os << contents;
        return *this;
    }
};

Upvotes: 0

Views: 277

Answers (2)

thermite
thermite

Reputation: 512

consider using classes instead and your forward declaration is for a class, where you create screen as a struct. This might be causing some of your issues. and instead of using a friend how about two separate clear functions one for Window_mgr that calls a different clear function in Screen.

your window_mgr clear would be something like

void Window_Mgr::clear(int i)
{
    Screens.at(i).clear();
}

and your Screen clear would be something like

void Screen::clear()
{
    //whatever you want to do to private variables here
}

And as one of my professors beat into our heads "Friends of classes are not friends of programmers"

Upvotes: 2

Thomas Matthews
Thomas Matthews

Reputation: 57698

You are violating encapsulation by having Screen call Window_Mgr.

The Window_Mgr is a container of Screens. The Window_Mgr should call the clear method of a screen. 

struct Screen
{
  void clear()
  {
     //...
  }
};


struct Window_Mgr
{
  std::vector<Screen> Screen_Container;
  void clear_screen(unsigned int screen_index)
  {
    Screen_Container[screen_index].clear();
  }
};

Due to simplicity, I have not placed in checks for index ranges.

Edit 1: Friendship.
There is no need for friendship here. The Window_Mgr can only access what the Screen class has defined in its interface.

Also, the Screen class should have no knowledge of whether it is in a container or not; that concept belongs to the Window_Mgr class.

Upvotes: 1

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