CODEWITHSUNDEEP
c++
JensB
JensB

Reputation: 939

How can I override a purely virtual method, yet still force child classes to implement the same method?

I have an abstract base class with one purely virtual method:

class Base
{
public:
    virtual void update() = 0;
};

Is there any way I could create a class that inherits from Base, overrides the update method, but still forces its children to implement an update method? Like this:

class Base2 : public Base
{
public:
    void update() override
    {
        if(bSomeCondition)
        {
            update(); //Calls child's update method
        }
    }
    virtual void update() = 0; // Obviously not like this
};

I know I could create two new purely virtual methods with slightly different names in Base2, and just override those in child classes, but I would really like to keep these method names if that would be possible.

I'm guessing this isn't possible?

Upvotes: 3

Views: 644

Answers (2)

Yksisarvinen
Yksisarvinen

Reputation: 22176

You can provide a definition for a pure virtual function, just not inline.

class Base2 : public Base
{
public:
    void update() override = 0;
};

void Base2::update() // Base2 is abstract regardless of this
{
    if(bSomeCondition)
    {
        update(); 
    }
}

However, this is not useful with the current implementation of Base2::update. Because a child class must override it anyway, Base2 version will not be called unless used explicitly:

class Child: public Base2
{
public:
    void update() override
    {
        Base2::update(); //infinite recursion with such implementation
    }
};

// the other way would be to require calling it explicitly at call site

std::unique_ptr<Base2> ptr = std::make_unique<Child>();
ptr->Base2::update();

What you should do is to provide an implementation and another pure virtual function (possibly protected) to be called:

class Base2 : public Base
{
public:
    void update() override;

protected:
    virtual void doStuff() = 0;
};

void Base2::update()
{
    if(bSomeCondition)
    {
        doStuff(); //Calls child's update method
    }
}

Upvotes: 2

slsy
slsy

Reputation: 1304

No, it is not possible and in my opinion it would be very illegible.

Upvotes: -1

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