Friend and templates

1. What does actually a friend (keyword) do (isn´t a good friend to me :-) )? I think it has something to do with classes and functions??? Have found some examples but I really cannot grasp it.

2. I have a function that returns a template

Code:

template <class T> Person<T> CreateAPersonTemplate()
{
Person<int> Steve(35);
return Steve;
}

//Also a class Person
template <class T> class Person
{
public:
Person(T age) {itsAge=age;}
~Person(){}
void SetAge(T age) {itsAge = age;}
T GetAge() const {return itsAge;}
private:
T itsAge;
};

My problem is when a call the function, CreateAPersontemplate<int>(). Why cannot I just call CreateAPersonTemplate()??? Why do I have to tell the compiler which type I´m sending? The type is defined in the function.

Thx in Advance

1. What does actually a friend (keyword) do (isn´t a good friend to me :-) )? I think it has something to do with classes and functions??? Have found some examples but I really cannot grasp it.

With friends you are able to grant access to your classes members without making them public.

My problem is when a call the function, CreateAPersontemplate<int>(). Why cannot I just call CreateAPersonTemplate()??? Why do I have to tell the compiler which type I´m sending? The type is defined in the function.

You are using templates, that's why. If you know which type you are using then why do you use templates?

If you want to call it like CreateAPersonTemplate(), then you have to define the function as:

Code:

Person<int> CreateAPersonTemplate()
{
        Person<int> Steve(35);
        return Steve;
}

Of course, where is my head , dahhhh ^^.

I´ve tried to to use friends but apparently I´m doing something wrong because it doesn´t work!!!. Maybe you can tell whats wrong.

Code:

class Test1
{
public:
private:
int number;
}

class Test2 : public Test1
{
public:
friend GetNumber() const {return number;}
friend SetNumber(int numb) {number = numb;}
}

When a call GetNumber() or SetNumber() I get a compile error.

I know that this isn´t the perfect example but I only want to see how it works.

Thx in Advance

Code:

class Test1
{
public:
private:
int number;
}
class Test2 : public Test1
{
public:
friend GetNumber() const {return number;}
friend SetNumber(int numb) {number = numb;}
}

The friend keyword grants access, it doesn't get them

If you want class Test2 to access Test1's private variables, you had better tell class Test1 that Test2 is a friend of it.

Code:

class Test1
{
public:
private:
  int number;
  friend class Test2;
};

class Test2 : public Test1
{
public:
  int GetNumber() const {return number;}
  void SetNumber(int numb) {number = numb;}
};

But note that you could define the variable number protected. Then you don't need to make class Test2 Test1's friend because it inherits it.