Re: Enumeration scope in namespace

From:
"Alf P. Steinbach" <alfps@start.no>
Newsgroups:
comp.lang.c++
Date:
Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:57:27 +0100
Message-ID:
<gpllsa$drp$1@news.motzarella.org>
* Barzo alias Daniele:

I'm a little bit confusing about the enumerations scope into
namespaces.
I have this situation where MyLib.h is the interface header supplied
to the customers.

1. Is this a valid approch?


Probably, but see below.

2. The MyLib.cpp build fails...I have to specify the
IMyBaseClass::MyEnum for each enumeraton?


See the FAQ's advice on how to post a question about Code That Does Not Work.

Generally the key idea is to be as specific as possible.

MyLib.h
--------
namespace MyNamespace
{
  class IMyBaseClass
  {
    enum MyEnum
    {
      VAL_A,
      VAL_B
    }

    virtual MyEnum f() = 0;
  }


Missing semicolon. That means that this is code you have typed in instead of
copied and pasted. And so it's *not* the code you're having problems with.

And that means that we can only guess about whatever the problem is.

  class IMyClass : public IMyBaseClass
  {
    virtual void g( MyEnum value) = 0;
  }

}

MyLibImpl.h
------------
#include "MyLib.h"

namespace MyNamespace
{
  class MyClass : public IMyClass
  {
    virtual MyEnum f();
    void g( MyEnum value );
  }
}

MyLibImpl.cpp
-------------
#include "MyLib.h"
#include "MyLibImpl.h"

using namespace MyNamespace;


OK.

using MyNamespace::IMyBaseClass;


This latter using declaration is superflous; you have already brought
IMyBaseClass into the global namespace.

MyEnum MyClass::f()


Should be e.g.

   MyClass::MyEnum MyClass::f()

I don't like the C++ rules here, but anyway, you have to imagine a compiler with
a very very narrow field of view and attention, scanning from left to right.
While scanning the result type it doesn't yet know that this is in the context
of a MyClass member function, and it doesn't look ahead to make sense of the
type specification. So it needs to be force-fed that information.

When the compiler gets to the formal arguments, however, it has understood that
yes, we're dealing with MyClass.

{
  ...
};

void MyClass::g( MyEnum value )
{
  ...
};

Thanks.
Daniele.


You're welcome.

Cheers & hth.,

- Alf

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