Thread: Don't know how to code this. I'm new to C++.

I’m starting to use C++ and I have some problems I hope you people can help me.
I have the following classes on their own file.

Code:

/**
 * Basic application class.
 * Any application needs this.
 */
class App
{
public:
	~App(); /**< Destructor. */

	int init(); /**< Application initiation. */
	void checkExtensions(); /**< Check that required extensions are available. */

	void idle(); /**< Function called every frame. */
	void render(); /**< Render basic info, etc. */

	void keyPress(int key); /**< Check if a valid key was pressed. */
};

Code:

/**
 * Class that deals with Win32 specific stuff.
 * This includes mouse handling, basic loop, window creation, etc.
 */
class WinApp
{
public:
	WinApp(); /**< Constructor. */
	~WinApp(); /**< Destructor. */

	int setVideoMode(int width, int height, int fs = 0); /**< Set the video mode for the application. */
	void setTitle(const char *title); /**< Set the title of the window. */

	void checkExtension(const char *extension); /**< Check if a needed extension is available. */
	void error(); /**< Check if there was any error. */

	void main(); /**< Deal with Window's messages, main loop. */

	int windowWidth; /**< Width of the window. */
	int windowHeight; /**< Height of the window. */
	int fullScreen; /**< Fullscreen. */
	char title[1024]; /**< Title of the window. */

	int mouseX; /**< Location of the mouse pointer along the X axis. */
	int mouseY; /**< Location of the mouse pointer along the Y axis. */
	int mouseButton; /**< Check what mouse button was pressed. */

	float fps; /**< Frames per second. */
};

The application needs just one instance of App and one instance of WinApp. And that single instance of WinApp needs to be inside my single instance of App in such way that there is no WinApp without App, and in such way that WinApp can call functions of App. How do I do that without using inheritance? I was using inheritance and I didn’t have any problem but it was blending everything too much, making it WinApp more of a part of App and not some “service module” which is what I want.

PS: Sorry for the name of the topic, I couldn't come up with anything better.

So what would be the best solution without using inheritance? I don't want to use inheritance because both classes are not that related, WinApp should some kind of "service module".

>So what would be the best solution without using inheritance?

Heh... I just wrote out an example of inheritance and then read your last post after finishing. All hail the backspace key.

Anyway, for what you are saying here it seems like inheritance is actually exactly what you are looking for. So why not use it?

Originally Posted by master5001

Anyway, for what you are saying here it seems like inheritance is actually exactly what you are looking for. So why not use it?

Cause many operations of App aren't really true for WinApp, it isn't a true reflection of what the class does, and I would be inheriting a whole load of data that isn't useful or appropriate for WinApp.

It sounds like you should make WinApp a member of the App class. WinApp doesn't pass the 'is a' test: WinApp 'is an' App? Nope. However, WinApp does pass the 'has a' test: App 'has a' WinApp.

So if I add the following line to the App class in the public part

Code:

WinApp winApplication;

and I access the functions of WinApp with for example

Code:

App *myApplication = new App();
myApplication->winApplication.setVideoMode(windowWidth, windowHeight, 0);

How do I call for example myApplication->idle() from the setVideoMode function that's inside WinApp?

So, after reading a lot I came up with a solution for my problem, it works great so maybe it will help other people that had the same problem (and that didn't read too much).

I removed the inheritance and for my App and WinApp classes I made the following function:

Code:

static App * Instance()
{
	static App instance;
	return &instance;
}

Now I just use the following kind of line to access what I want:

Code:

WinApp::Instance()-><whatever here>

.
Thanks for the help master5001 and 7stud.

Thanks for the idea Hunter2, I came up with the pseudo-Singleton solution after realizing that there should never be more than one instance of App which means that there should never be more than one instance of WinApp so I got away by just using singletons for both and removing the WinApp member in App.