class constructor help needed

[The Gweech]

I am trying to get the hang of classes and I am using football management as the context.

I have the following code so for

// classes again

#include<iostream>
#include<string.h>
using namespace std;

class Footballer
{
public:
    Footballer(char* name, int age, int passing, int shooting, int tackling);
    ~Footballer();

private:
    char _name[256];
    int _age;
    int _passing;
    int _shooting;
    int _tackling;
};

Footballer::Footballer(char* name, int age, int passing, int shooting, int tackling)
{
    strcpy(_name,name);
    _age=age;
    _passing=passing;
    _shooting=shooting;
    _tackling=tackling;
}

Footballer::~Footballer()
{
}

int main(void)
{

    Footballer Mark("Mark Sandles",26,5,2,8);

    return(0);
}

but to get the true representation of a footballer eventually i would want maybe twice as many parameters for the constructor. I am sure this would not be the way to go so can any one give me an insight into how they would approach the problem

Thanks.

[matheo917]

why would you need twice as many parameters again???
and once again what seams to be the problem, b/c i just don't see your question here???


matheo917

[elad]

if you have a complex object it may take twice as many data members. If you want each object to have the potential for unique data member values, then you may want a constructor with 20 parameters or 20 different mutators or whatever. Take a look at some of the structs in winAPI to see some examples of structs using a large number of parameters. If you need a lot of parameters then making a column of parameters is sometimes easier.

player:layer(int age,
int height,
int weight,
char gender,
char eyeColor,
int armReach,
int yearOfEntry,
int numberOfYearsInLeague,
char maritalStatus,
int numberOfDivorces,
long salary,
char * agentsName[80],
char * cityOfBirth[80],
char teamsPlayedOn[12][20],
long largestFine,
int maxBenchPressed,
int whatever)
{
//etc.

[The Gweech]

so basicly if a class needs 20 parameters then so be it.

I just thought that either my program design would be at fault to use that many parameters and that there would be an alternative.

[SilentStrike]

You can use default parameters where a parameter is often the same value, but you don't want to assume it will be the same value in every case.

[KingoftheWorld]

Originally posted by elad
if you have a complex object it may take twice as many data members. If you want each object to have the potential for unique data member values, then you may want a constructor with 20 parameters or 20 different mutators or whatever. Take a look at some of the structs in winAPI to see some examples of structs using a large number of parameters. If you need a lot of parameters then making a column of parameters is sometimes easier.

player:layer(int age,
int height,
int weight,
char gender,
char eyeColor,
int armReach,
int yearOfEntry,
int numberOfYearsInLeague,
char maritalStatus,
int numberOfDivorces,
long salary,
char * agentsName[80],
char * cityOfBirth[80],
char teamsPlayedOn[12][20],
long largestFine,
int maxBenchPressed,
int whatever)
{
//etc.

You can redesign this big class with divide it into subclasses( small component). Use abstract class as base class and you can
use inheritance technique to incorporate all classes to together.
By doing this you can eliminate a class with a bundle of data members.
For example:

class person
{
    // only specific attributes of a person(human)
   // weigh, height, gender....

}
class footballplayer::person
{
   //add additional attributes for a specific football player;
   //score, numoftouchdown.............
} 
class personal_information
{
// married status, salary....

}
and so on...

Hope you go an idea

KingoftheWorld

[blundstrom]

You could also define a struct in the .h that takes all those parameters and the constructor can just take one of those. Also, thing that uses it must include the .h file and therefore the struct:

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

// --------------------------
//	Footballer.h
// --------------------------
typedef struct _structPLAYER
{
	int age;
	int height;
	int weight;
	char gender;
	char eyeColor;
	int armReach;
	int yearOfEntry;
	int numberOfYearsInLeague;
	char maritalStatus;
	int numberOfDivorces;
	long salary;
	char * agentsName;
	char * cityOfBirth;
	char teamsPlayedOn[12][20];
	long largestFine;
	int maxBenchPressed;
	int whatever;
} PLAYER;

class Footballer
{
public:
	Footballer();
	Footballer(PLAYER player);
	// overridables
	virtual ~Footballer();

protected:
	PLAYER playr;
};

//---------------------------
//	Footballer.cpp
//---------------------------
Footballer::Footballer()
	{}
Footballer::Footballer(PLAYER player) : playr(player)
	{}
Footballer::~Footballer()
	{}

//------------------
// Main
//------------------
#include "Footballer.h"

int main()
{
	PLAYER p;
	p.age = 10;
	p.agentsName = "Test";
	p.armReach = 12;
	p.cityOfBirth = "Stockholm";
	//etc
	Footballer foot = Footballer(p);

	return 0;
}

[crystalike]

when you do inheritance, shouldn;t you deploy of thoseulic friend private......?

[elad]

if you use inheritance then you have to be sure you get everything set up correctly and you still need to initialize each of the individual variables contained within each of the subclasses. Therefore, you don't save anything in terms of input, you create a complex heirachy of classes you need to keep track of, etc. I won't argue, you could reuse some of the classes in other projects, etc. --some day-- and in that regard (maybe) save time, but you introduce other potential problems, too. Either way works, though, so go with what you feel most comfortable as you are working on the project. Down the road, you or your employer may want to change tactics however.