struct with multiple objects in header file issues

Problem: I can't get this seemingly simple program to compile. I've tried searching for hours. It's a struct in a .h file along with a function prototype and its src file that uses the function to put values to the struct's objects. I'm using the Code::Blocks v10.05 compiler.

Compiler errors:
-------------------------
E:\My own programs\structure test\struct practice\fruit_struct.h|12|error: variable or field 'apple_f' declared void|
E:\My own programs\structure test\struct practice\fruit_struct.h|12|error: expected primary-expression before ')' token|
||=== Build finished: 2 errors, 0 warnings ===|

fruit_struct.h file

Code:

---

#ifndef GUARD_fruit_struct_h
#define GUARD_fruit_struct_h

// fruit_struct.h

#include <string>

struct fruit {
    std::string name;
    int weight;
    float price;
} apple, banana, melon;

void apple_f(apple&);

#endif

---

fruit_struct.cpp

Code:

---

// fruit_struct.cpp

#include <string>
#include "fruit_struct.h"

void apple_f(apple& apple)
{
    apple.name = "Apple";
    apple.weight = 2;
    apple.price = 2.0;
}

---

main.cpp

Code:

---

// main.cpp

#include <iostream>
#include <string>
#include "fruit_struct.h"

using namespace std;

int main()
{
    cout << apple.name;

    return 0;
}

---

I know I could put this all in one source file and be done, but it's not what I'm trying to accomplish doing this exercise.

Any help will be appreciated and noted!

You defined the fruit struct and made the objects apple, banana and melon. Then you make an apple_f function that accepts an argument of type apple&, forgetting that apple isn't a type!

OK, so I changed apple& to fruit&, and I got multiple definition errors having to do with apple, banana, or melon. After that I just got rid of the objects all together. Now it's giving me a "expected primary-expression before '.' error (yes I changed apple.name to fruit.name) in my main.cpp. If it's not one problem, it's the next. I'm thinking it has to do with scoping somehow, but I'm not sure how to alleviate it. However, changing my code around like that is not what I want to do. I want to know if there's a way to make the program that I wrote above to work as intended. I am really stuck, and I can't seem to find any information on how to alleviate this problem.

Quote:

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If it's not one problem, it's the next

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haha, too true eh, post your new code

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Darkroman

OK, so I changed apple& to fruit&, and I got multiple definition errors having to do with apple, banana, or melon. After that I just got rid of the objects all together. Now it's giving me a "expected primary-expression before '.' error (yes I changed apple.name to fruit.name) in my main.cpp. If it's not one problem, it's the next. I'm thinking it has to do with scoping somehow, but I'm not sure how to alleviate it. However, changing my code around like that is not what I want to do. I want to know if there's a way to make the program that I wrote above to work as intended. I am really stuck, and I can't seem to find any information on how to alleviate this problem.

---

Multiple definitions will occur if more than one source file includes your header.

Move the definitions of apple, banana, and melon out of the header file, and place them in exactly ONE .source file.

To illustrate, in the header.

Code:

---

#ifndef GUARD_fruit_struct_h
#define GUARD_fruit_struct_h

// fruit_struct.h

#include <string>

struct fruit {
    std::string name;
    int weight;
    float price;
};                          //  note the instances aren't being defined here

void apple_f(fruit &);

#endif

---

and, in one and only one of the source (for example, .cpp) files, define them....

Code:

---

#include "fruit_struct.h"

//    the definitions

fruit apple, banana, melon;

---

This assumes apple, banana, and melon only need to be used in one source file. If you need them in more than one source, add this line to the header (and still use ONE source file as above).

Code:

---

extern fruit apple, banana, melon;

---

This line is a declaration, not a definition. The extern keyword specifies that apple, banana, and melon are defined somewhere else, as above.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Darkroman

OK, so I changed apple& to fruit&, and I got multiple definition errors having to do with apple, banana, or melon. After that I just got rid of the objects all together. Now it's giving me a "expected primary-expression before '.' error (yes I changed apple.name to fruit.name) in my main.cpp. If it's not one problem, it's the next. I'm thinking it has to do with scoping somehow, but I'm not sure how to alleviate it. However, changing my code around like that is not what I want to do. I want to know if there's a way to make the program that I wrote above to work as intended. I am really stuck, and I can't seem to find any information on how to alleviate this problem.

---

My magic hat is guessing that you tried to access a variable in a class without first creating an instance of the class and accessing that class's instance of the variable.
You can't directly access variables inside a class since a class is a blueprint!

Thank you, guys! I got my program to work from following your suggestions + my own trial and error. I have one last question, and it pertains to correct use or not. So, I made an extra object for my structure called "contents" so I could call that to display whatever contents i set in my function files. Is this correct usage? Is there a better or more elegant way to do this? I'll put my new working source code.

fruit_struct.h

Code:

---

#ifndef GUARD_fruit_struct_h
#define GUARD_fruit_struct_h

// fruit_struct.h

#include <string>

struct fruit {
    std::string name;
    int weight;
    float price;
};

extern fruit contents, apple, banana, melon;

void fruit_f(fruit &);
void fruit_out(fruit &);

#endif

---

fruit_struct.cpp

Code:

---

// fruit_struct.cpp

#include <iostream>
#include <string>
#include "fruit_struct.h"

using std::cout; using std::endl;

fruit contents, apple, banana, melon;

void fruit_f(fruit &f)
{
    apple.name = "Apple";
    apple.weight = 2;
    apple.price = 2.00;

    banana.name = "Banana";
    banana.weight = 1;
    banana.price = 1.00;

    melon.name = "Melon";
    melon.weight = 5;
    melon.price = 3.00;

    banana.name = "Banana";
}

void fruit_out(fruit &f)
{
    cout << "Fruit name: " << apple.name << endl;
    cout << "Weight: " << apple.weight << "lbs" << endl;
    cout << "$" << apple.price << endl << endl;

    cout << "Fruit name: " << banana.name << endl;
    cout << "Weight: " << banana.weight << "lbs" << endl;
    cout << "$" << banana.price << endl << endl;

    cout << "Fruit name: " << melon.name << endl;
    cout << "Weight: " << melon.weight << "lbs" << endl;
    cout << "$" << melon.price << endl << endl;
}

---

main.cpp

Code:

---

// main.cpp

#include "fruit_struct.h"

int main()
{
    fruit_f(contents);
    fruit_out(contents);

    return 0;
}

---

I don't think you grasp the whole point of objects here.
An instance is something that has been created from a blueprint.

So, say you have a Car model (basically a blueprint for making a car; which in our case, is a class). From this blueprint, you can manufacture cars (creating instances of the class).
It doesn't make sense to start the engine in a blueprint, does it? That is exactly what it means that try to access a class's members directly.
It does make sense to first create a car, and then manipulate it.

But your functions fruit_f and fruit_out takes a "dummy" fruit which it does nothing with. Then what's the point of that fruit? Your functions only operate on your "global" fruits.
You really should make those fruits non-global, btw.

Yeah, it's true I don't know much about constructors, or instances all that much yet. I just got done doing chapter 4 in accelerated c++. It introduced structures but didn't explain it all very well. Basically, my thought process was to make a structure of a generic thing (fruit), have the structure have objects which belong in its category (apple, banana, melon), and hard code the values of each object. Once I get into making classes I'll understand more uses for them.

Quote:

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I made an extra object for my structure called "contents"

---

That would not really be an 'object' or instance of a fruit though would it, it would be more like a property, a common attribute that 'all' fruits' have in common.

So you would be talking more about a 'Base Class' to define fundamental things that all fruits share, and work it from there, I mean just for visualisation purposes, not just code.

Think about a base class 'Vehicle' forget code, just write a tree in pen and paper with 'Vehicle' at the top, try and add some raw fundamentals that that would have :
'passenger capacity'
'load capacity'
'fuel' ....or energy source even??
'max speed'

You can add more am sure, it is quite a good mental game thinking it through. You might assume oh wheels, well no because of boats and snowmobiles say!

so that is where subclasses come in further down the chain, and these will produce the specialisations and branching, air vehicles, to planes, helicopters, hot air balloons.
class planes (or wingedFlightVehicle)will have things that hot air balloons dont, yet they share common attributes of 'air vehicles' which going back to the root inherit common attributes of 'vehicles'