Thread: Inheritance

Sorry for the newbish question... I searched the forums and googled it but I got different answers =\

Code:

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

class Base
{
private:
	int Num;

public:
	Base()
	{
		Num = 3;
	}

	Base( int _Num )
	{
		Num = _Num;
	}

	int GetNum()
	{
		return Num;
	}
};

class Derived : public Base
{
};

int main()
{
	Derived Mine;

	cout << Mine.GetNum() << endl;
}

Outputs 3.

So I have a Derived called Mine... and it inherits from Base. Base has a private integer called Num. But Num is private! How can Derived have it also, if it's private? Private members shouldn't be inherited!

Some sources say that private members are not inherited, and not accessible from the outside (except for friends). Yet if they're not inherited, then why does Derived have it?

Thanks for your help!

- Evan

You're not acessing the variable Num from base but you're calling GetNum from base which is public. what's GetNum does doesn't matter.

Thanks for the help! I get how the private thing works.

And the underscore is just my way of saying "the new one" so if i have a class called Moo with an int Beep, I would have a function called SetBeep( int _Beep ). I could put SetBeep( int NewBeep ) but I hate long names.

Anyway, thanks for the help!

And the underscore is just my way of saying "the new one"

Yes. The question is whether it is legal or not.

I could put SetBeep( int NewBeep ) but I hate long names.

...then use:

SetBeep(int b)

Or as Stoned_Coder said, use Beep_ instead of _Beep.