Using cout in template implementation

I have a question about trying to debug my C++ program. I'm programming in Eclipse and can't get the debugger to work, probably because of spaces in my project name. That's fine for now.

I'm trying to just use cout to debug by printing out things. I have a file called test.cc which contains my main method and a line in it that says list2 = list1; I have a file dlist.h which defines the template, and a file dlist.cc which implements it. It works fine until the line list2=list1 in test.cc. I am using operator overloading like so:
dlist.c

Code:

template <typename T> Dlist<T>& Dlist<T>::operator=(const Dlist &l) { cout << "COPY" <<endl; if(this!=&l) copyAll(l); return *this; }

My thought is, because I put a cout here, I should get COPY printed when I do list2=list1 even if I implemented copying incorrectly, but I don't ever see this. The program compiles and isn't crashing or anything. I #include <iostream> and using namespace std; in my dlist.cc

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcafaro10

I have a file dlist.h which defines the template, and a file dlist.cc which implements it.

You can't split templates up like that. Everything has to be in the header file.

I'm new to C++ but I'm pretty sure that thats not the problem. The .h file includes the .cc file and this works. It's my overloading of the assignment operator thats wrong but for now I'd just like to know why I can't print using cout

If it is compiling, and your linker is including an up-to-date object from dlist.c, then you have to conclude that the function isn't being called. I'm curious, does Eclipse support the export keyword? What cpjust said is true.

I guess the function isn't being called but how do you call the assignment operator if not simply with "=" ? Every other function works/gets called when I call it except for the = one.
dlist.h

Code:

#ifndef __DLIST_H__ #define __DLIST_H__ class emptyList { // OVERVIEW: an exception class }; template <typename T> class Dlist { // OVERVIEW: contains a double-ended list of Objects public: // Operational methods bool isEmpty(); // EFFECTS: returns true if list is empy, false otherwise void insertFront(T *o); // MODIFIES this // EFFECTS inserts o at the front of the list void insertBack(T *o); // MODIFIES this // EFFECTS inserts o at the back of the list T *removeFront(); // MODIFIES this // EFFECTS removes and returns first object from non-empty list // throws an instance of emptyList if empty T *removeBack(); // MODIFIES this // EFFECTS removes and returns last object from non-empty list // throws an instance of emptyList if empty // Maintenance methods Dlist(); // ctor Dlist(const Dlist &l); // copy ctor Dlist &operator=(const Dlist &l); // assignment ~Dlist(); // dtor private: // A private type struct node { node *next; node *prev; T *o; }; node *first; // The pointer to the 1st node (NULL if none) node *last; // The pointer to the 2nd node (NULL if none) // Utility methods void makeEmpty(); // EFFECT: called by constructors/operator= to establish empty // list invariant void removeAll(); // EFFECT: called by destructor/operator= to remove and destroy // all list elements void copyAll(const Dlist &l); // EFFECT: called by copy constructor/operator= to copy elements // from a source instance l to this instance }; /* Note: this is here *only* because the gnu compiler needs to see the "templatized" versions of your methods. This is the *only* instance in which it is acceptable to #include a cc file. */ #include "dlist.cc" #endif /* __DLIST_H__ */

Include the contents of the source file in this header file and tell us what happens.

I don't understand? Do you want me to post the dlist.cc file? Or put the contents IN the header file? Isn't that the point of the include? Isn't that what include does?

Either way, I copied the source of dlist.cc and pasted it into dlist.h (removing the include dlist.cc) and got the same result.

This may sound strange but I actually DO believe that the method is getting called. Here's why:

Code:

Dlist<int> *ilist1 = new Dlist<int>(); Dlist<int> *ilist2 = new Dlist<int>(); ilist2 = ilist1; delete ilist1; delete ilist2;

This gives an error "Delete called on bad pointer/corrupted block" which makes me think that ilist2=ilist1 is doing something, probably calling my incorrect operator overloading method, but just not printing what I said to. If I comment out the ilist2=ilist1, everything deletes fine.

Other cc files see the header's declaration, but they aren't able to look for the particular generated function in another compilation unit. I don't know why. Take the code from the cc file and put it into the header file, and do away with the cc file for now and see what happens.
In general, templates, definitions and enums go in headers, while everything else goes in source files.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcafaro10

I don't understand? Do you want me to post the dlist.cc file? Or put the contents IN the header file? Isn't that the point of the include? Isn't that what include does?

Either way, I copied the source of dlist.cc and pasted it into dlist.h (removing the include dlist.cc) and got the same result.

This may sound strange but I actually DO believe that the method is getting called. Here's why:

Code:

Dlist<int> *ilist1 = new Dlist<int>(); Dlist<int> *ilist2 = new Dlist<int>(); ilist2 = ilist1; delete ilist1; delete ilist2;

This gives an error "Delete called on bad pointer/corrupted block" which makes me think that ilist2=ilist1 is doing something, probably calling my incorrect operator overloading method, but just not printing what I said to. If I comment out the ilist2=ilist1, everything deletes fine.

Are you sure that's what you want to do [because the error message is EXACTLY what I expect from this] - you are not copying the object from ilist1 to ilist2, but the address of ilist1 is also stored in ilist2. So when you delete ilist1 and then delete ilist2, you are actually deleting ilist1 again - which of course gives the "double delete" message. As a side-effect of this, you are also leakping the memory of ilist2.

Perhaps you wanted to copy the object from one to the other?

--
Mats

I figured it out. I had to dereference both pointers to get it to do the copy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcafaro10

I figured it out. I had to dereference both pointers to get it to do the copy.

Yes, that will do something different from what you wrote - but it's often hard to figure out what you actually mean to do from code-snippets like this.

--
Mats

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcafaro10

I figured it out. I had to dereference both pointers to get it to do the copy.

I figured it out?
Does that mean you experimented to get the desired result or because a mistake that you found and corrected?