Using a function argument twice in a program

Hi guys,

The problem here is that the argument is a std::string and I was wanting to use it twice in the same concatenated return string. To illustrate:

Code:

---

string  img( string src, string href, string alt, string title = "", string extras = "")
{
    return (string)"<a href=\"" += href += (string)"\"><img src=\"" += src
          += (string)"\" alt=\"" += alt += (string)"\" title=\"" +=
          /*( ( title.empty() )?alt:title ) +=*/ (string)"\" " += extras += "/></a>";
}

---

The function works fine as is, but uncommenting the ternary conditional (if that's even what they're called) screws it up. I'm guessing due to referencing issues. I'm not actually sure even how std::strings really work, but that's not going to be resolved any time soon. The basics are enough for me right now.

I could obviously just copy the string onto another string and then use them both, but I was wondering if anyone knew of a way around this problem. Is there anything I can use?

Thanks in advance

You can of course use an argument more than once. Whatever your error is, it is not because you use an argument multiple times.

Why is that code so complicated? Use + instead of += if you are going to make it all on one line. Or spread it out over multiple lines to make it clearer, one += per statement. You also won't need the casts.

Try this:

Code:

---

string str = "dog";
int num = 10;
string returnString = "happy " + str + " sad " + ((num == 20)? "cat":str);
cout<<returnString<<endl;

---

Hmm. I haven't been able to get it to work without the casts. Oops about the +=, but it's pretty simple really - at least it looks alright when it's in colour. :)

I'll try it again. Cheers.

Update:
It works, and it looks far cleaner. Style is something I've yet to start on unfortunately. Thanks guys.

Actually, the first poster hinted at what is really the problem without realising it.
You must not use += for what you are doing. You must in fact use just plain old +.

That function isn't merely building up a string, it's actually modifying every string in the function (including some temporaries), which would become obvious if you declared the parameters as references (which you should do btw for efficiencies sake).

To illustrate the problem using integers:
int a=2, b=3, c=4, d=5;
int result = a += b += c += d;
Not only does result now equal 14 (as desired), but c is now 9, b is now 12, and a is now 14, as well.

Yeah I noticed that when I changed the '+=' to just '+' the funtion worked. I'm a newb and I'd just thought (for some misguided reason) that += was the concatenate operator for std::strings.

As it happens, I've been trying to figure out the whole 'pass by reference' thing. I think I've just about got it, but I have a problem when passing string literals. Is there an easier/cleaner way to do it than type-casting them into std::strings in the calling arguement?

Code:

---

// For example, given a function:
void do_stuff( string& arg )
{ cout<< arg; return; }

// calling it like:
do_stuff( "I think this is a string literal" );
// doesn't work. But the only two ways I can see to do it are messy:
string arg = "output this";
do_stuff( arg );
// OR
do_stuff( (string)"output this" );

---

You should take a const reference if you don't plan on changing the value. If you do that then you can just pass the literal since it will be automatically converted to a string.

If you do need to modify the value, but don't want the caller's copy to be changed, you can use pass-by-value and like you did before. You won't need a cast there either because the conversion is automatic.

If there are any cases where you do need to explicitly convert to a string, use the string constructor instead of a cast:

Code:

---

do_stuff( string("output this") );

---

I didn't even know you could cast literals like that! It's neater than the (string)"blahblah" way at least. Cheers Daved.

One thing I've not been sure about since I started on c++ was whether concatenating an arguement onto another string and/or concatenating something onto that counts as 'mondifying' the arg?

string1 = string2 + string3 only modifies string1.
string1 += string2 only modifes string1.

So in your original code, all five of your parameters should be const string& because you don't need to modify them. Either use + to concatenate them all in one line, or explicitly create a temporary string and use += to add each part one at a time to the temp string. Either way you aren't modifiying the parameters.

BTW, to make an optional parameter for a const string&, use const string& title = string() which sets it to a default constructed (and therefore empty) string.