CODEWITHSUNDEEP
c++c
u17
u17

Reputation: 2824

Should I create multiple classes?

This applies to several cases in my application:

I have 3 or 4 functions that belong together, one is a starting function that creates and frees the required memory structures and calls the other functions as appropriate. The other functions also call themselves repeatedly. Only the starting functions is called from outside, and only once or not at all per application-run.

Currently, I pass pointers to the memory structures from the starting function as function arguments, but the argument list is getting quite long in some cases.

Is there any argument against creating classes for all these cases and making the pointers to the memory structures members?

Upvotes: 1

Views: 167

Answers (4)

IanH
IanH

Reputation: 4048

It seems to be a quite typical use case for classes: Just add the "memory structure" as protected member of the class and initiliaze it in the constructor.

The member functions (aka "method") than can work on the data.

If you have different, but similiar use cases, you may also make use of subclassing, so you create a base class with default implementation and create some derived class that overwrites some of the methods with an own implementation.

But note, that you could also use other members varibales to set the behaviour at runtime (e.g. a bool that is used to toggle on or off a specific behaviour).

Your question is too abstract to see what is the best solution for your case. Remember, often there are a lot of solutions - and so there is more than one good solution.

Upvotes: 2

Poni
Poni

Reputation: 11317

Yes, relate them all within a class.

This will also give you a cleaner code which might help you minimize the functions' arguments lists.

In simple words an object can be anything you decide. Say a person. This is an object which I'll decide to define as a class if I'll write a program that needs to keep information regarding people.
There are much better explanations than this, just google/wikipedia it.

Upvotes: 0

Will A
Will A

Reputation: 24988

It sounds to me like these functions belong in a class - with the internal functions private or protected - likewise with the members.

Upvotes: 0

Karel Petranek
Karel Petranek

Reputation: 15154

Definitely go for a class here. That's what objects and classes are designed for.

Upvotes: 3

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