Re: how to maximize reusability?
Jack wrote:
I wonder what are the general methods to reuse a class component as much
as possible?
Like the case I showed you guys a few days ago
class CPerson : public CPathFinder
{
};
Why is a person a pathfinder? That doesn't make sense to me!
class CSupervisor : public CPerson
{
};
By the same logic, every supervisor is a person (which sounds reasonable)
but every supervisor is also a pathfinder, which seems weird.
I'd like to declare and define once for one single method...
Some behaviours of classes are common, but don't know if I should put it
in the base class or derived class....
Why 'the base class'? Remember, you can have multiple baseclasses!
For example:
class CPathFinder
{
Render()
};
Render() is used in CPerson and CSupervisor.
Used but not overridden? In that case, you could put it into a baseclass
which you derive from to get the functionality. Typically, this baseclass
doesn't need any virtual members, except perhaps the destructor. For the
destructor, you need to decide whether a public virtual one or a protected
nonvirtual one makes more sense.
If it must be overridden by derived classes, you could define the interface
in an abstract baseclass:
struct Drawable {
virtual void Draw( Canvas&) const = 0;
};
Then you derive from that basic interface and implement it accordingly.
Other than that, it might make perfect sense not to force each and every bit
of functionality into a class. A simple function to draw a CPerson object
(on a certain canvas) might provide much better separation of modules.
Optionally, you might want to overload that function for different types,
keep in mind that the overload is selected from the static type of an
object, so you might have to first determine whether it's a CPerson or a
different one derived from it. The so-called 'visitor pattern' would help
with that, but I guess that's still a bit too complicated for a beginner.
But Render() in CPathFinder doesn't make sense cos it is not a tangiable
object at all. How do I do classifications and encapsulations here? also
if I put render in CPerson, Do all classes derived from CPerson needn't
to declare and define the same method again?
Please look that last question up in your C++ book or alternatively try it
with the compiler.
Uli