Re: Doubts on type requirement for list/vector.

From:
Thomas Maeder <maeder@glue.ch>
Newsgroups:
comp.lang.c++.moderated
Date:
22 Aug 2006 14:17:36 -0400
Message-ID:
<m2bqqcn0qf.fsf@glue.ch>
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Amit Bhatia<amit.bhatia.nospam@nospam.gmail.com> writes:

I am trying to implement a tree as follows (I am using namespace std):

node.h->>

class Node
{
// some stuff ctors, dtors, etc, BUT NO Default ctor;

Node &parent_node; // I want to avoid copying. ??

vector< list<Node>::iterator > child_nodes; // ??


At this point, Node is an incomplete type. But the code attempts to
instantiate a Standard Library template for it; this has undefined
behavior.

};

tree.h ->>

class Tree
{
//again ctors, dtors, and some other stuff;

list< Node> treeofnodes;
};

So are the above declarations correct? I don't have a default ctor
for the Node class so am not sure if above would work.


Being default-constructible is not a requirement for Standard Library
container element types.

I want to avoid copying the same instance again and again, hence I
am using "Node &parent_node;" This would come from the list
"treeofnodes". If above does work, then I am also thinking if this
can be done:

can I do something like this:

list<Node &> treeofnodes; //??


No. Being copyable *is* a requirement for Standard Library container
element types. Reference types don't meet it.

The advantage that I see in this is that I won't have to waste time
copying an instance of class Node when I insert it into the list..
If none of this is supposed to work, then I guess I have no other option
but to resort to pointers and use
class Node
{
// some stuff ctors, dtors, etc, BUT NO Default ctor;

Node *parent_node; //
vector< Node * > child_nodes; //
};

class Tree
{
//again ctors, dtors, and some other stuff;
list< Node*> treeofnodes;
};


This can be made to work.

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