question about Microsoft C++ 6

ok I am still new with c++ and the whole interface and code and everything, but i just created 1 base class with 3 derived classes and 1 .cpp source file and everything is coded and i compiled all 4 cpp files and all came up with no errors, my question is if i coded it right i could start coding the main, and depending if i put the right code in it "technically" work fine? I think i asked this in the right way...

Hobbes

erm, if I understand correctly, you're basically asking: "if I coded it right, will it work"

the answer is "yes" to that... but I doubt that's what you were trying to get at...

When you are working with an IDE ("interface and code and everything") your .cpp files go in your Project list (they are not #include'd into the main), and then the class declaration goes in a .h which is #include'd into the files requiring that class (like derived requiring base).

Code:

////////main.cpp
#include "main.h"

BaseClass::BaseClass() //constructor to class from main.h
{
}

int main ()
{
}

////////main.h
class BaseClass
{
public:
  BaseClass(); //constructor declared here, defined in main.cpp
};

////////derived1.cpp
#include "main.h"

class Derived1 : public BaseClass /*you could put this part in its own .h too, and include it into this .cpp file*/
{
public:
  Derived1(); //constructor

};

Derived1::Derived1 ()
{
}

And your Project list would be: main.cpp, derived1.cpp, derived2.cpp, etc. If that compiles, then yah the code would be right.

ok well what i got is in my workspace: Under source Files - building.cpp, business.cpp, home.cpp, main.cpp, school.cpp, and under Header files: building.h(base class) business.h, home.h, school.h(all derived classes), im just following this book that i bought and that is how the code is in the book, i dunno if this way is good or not, but all cpp file compiled with no errors and no warnings, i should look for a different book...

>in my workspace: Under source Files - building.cpp, business.cpp, home.cpp, main.cpp, school.cpp, and under Header files: building.h(base class) business.h, home.h, school.h(all derived classes),

Sounds reasonable so far. Now use main.cpp to act as a driver program to see if the functionality of the other classes is intact. To do that add lines like:

Code:

#include <iostream>
#include "building.h"
#include "business.h"
#include "home.h"
#include "school.h"

int main()
{
   building building1;
   business business1;
   home home1;
   school school1;
   
   building1.display();
   business1.display();
   home1.display();
   school1.display();
}

This assumes that the classes all have some default data that can be displayed calling a public accessor method called display() that is overloaded for each class. My preference, however, is to build the driver program to test each new function I add to each class along the way. That way I only have to debug a few things at a time, hopefully, rather than trying to figure out a multitude of bugs before I can test out functionality in addition to syntax.