Re: linker error in virtual function

From:
Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com>
Newsgroups:
comp.lang.c++
Date:
Mon, 14 Apr 2008 19:54:17 +1200
Message-ID:
<66ggt8F2kg6m6U10@mid.individual.net>
Rahul wrote:

Hi Everyone,

 I have the following polymorphic classes,

class Shape
{
public : virtual void draw()
         {
         }

Trying to write Java are we :)

        virtual void sample();

If you intend this to be pure virtual (no body defined) it should be

virtual void sample() = 0;

};

class Circle : public Shape
{
public : virtual void draw()
         {
             cout<<"Circle::draw"<<endl;
         }

You must have a sample() method here if it is pure virtual in Shape.

};

int main()
{
    Shape *ptr = new Circle;
    ptr->draw();
        return(0);


return isn't a function.

}

and i get a linker error saying undefined external sumbol __sample...
But i haven't really invoked the function sample(). Note that the code
works fine when i change sample() to a non-virtual function prototype,
why is this the case?


Virtual function have to be defined in order to build the objects
virtual function table.

--
Ian Collins.

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