Classes and constructors help please

I am working on a college course and I am having difficulty with class constructors. I thought I understood them, but I can't get my code to compile cleanly. Here's the code for a problem similar to what I've been trying to do:

Code:

---

// Temperature.h

#ifndef TEMPERATURE
#define TEMPERATURE

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

class Temperature
{
      public:
            Temperature();
            void print(ostream& out) const;
     
      private:
              double myDegrees;
              char myScale;
}

inline Temperature::Temperature()
{
      myDegrees = 0.0;
      myScale = 'C';
}

inline void Temperaure::print(ostream& out)
{
      out << myDegrees << ' ' << myScale;
}

#endif
     
// testTemp.cpp

#include <cstdlib>
#include <iostream>
#include "Temperature.h"

using namespace std;

int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
    Temperature temp1;
    temp1.print(cout);
    system("PAUSE");
    return EXIT_SUCCESS;
}

---

This example is the same as the one in my textbook, but I get a compiler error in Temperature.h:

19 C:\Dev-Cpp\Temperature.h return type specification for constructor invalid

I didn't specify any return type, so why is it that I'm getting this error?

Thanks in advance,
Sean

Code:

---

class Temperature
{
      public:
            Temperature();
            void print(ostream& out) const;
     
      private:
              double myDegrees;
              char myScale;
};

---

You're missing the ending semicolon.

Code:

---

inline Temperature::Temperature()
{
      myDegrees = 0.0;
      myScale = 'C';
}

inline void Temperaure::print(ostream& out)
{
      out << myDegrees << ' ' << myScale;
}

---

These should be in a separate source file and linked with the rest of the program. (I'm not sure about inlining a constructor, probably where your error comes from).

Code:

---

system("PAUSE");

---

Avoid calling system if possible. A call to cin.get() would do just as good here.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by S_Diggy

I didn't specify any return type, so why is it that I'm getting this error?

---

It's a missing semicolon after the end of the class in the header file.
Kurt

Edit: Way too slow again.

Great, thanks folks. I did have them in separate files, Temperature.h and testTemp.cpp, I just cut and pasted them into the same section in the message. The system call is simply what Dev-CPP puts in the "default" main function. thanks for the extra advice on that.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by S_Diggy

Great, thanks folks. I did have them in separate files, Temperature.h and testTemp.cpp, I just cut and pasted them into the same section in the message. The system call is simply what Dev-CPP puts in the "default" main function. thanks for the extra advice on that.

---

I got that... I'm saying that the main function should be in testTemp.cpp, the class definition should be in the header temperature.h and the code for the two functions (the constructor and print) should be in a separate source file perhaps temperature.cpp for example. The two source files get compiled individually into object files and the linker combines the code from those two object files into a single/complete executable.

I seem to remember that it is impossible to use the inline keyword in a separate source file (unless it is included from the header).

Anyway, in this case there is no real reason to worry about inlining: console output will still be expensive and slow and the constructor could be "optimized" by using an initializer list instead:

Code:

---

Temperature::Temperature(): myDegrees(0.0), myScale('C')
{
}

---

Because of the missing semicolon the compiler apparently thought that class Temperature is the return type of the constructor of Temperature because the declaration wasn't closed properly.

Learn to recognise this error, as it is quite common and the error is usually reported in a different file (including the header with this class). Or just make it a habit to type the closing brace and semicolon before filling in the rest so as not to forget about it.

I think you are correct anon. If the functions are defined outside the class definition but still in the header file, they should be declared inline or you will get multiple definition errors. If you move the function definitions to the source file, then they should not be declared inline, although some compilers may be able to handle it in certain situations.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by anon

Anyway, in this case there is no real reason to worry about inlining: console output will still be expensive and slow and the constructor could be "optimized" by using an initializer list instead:

---

The initializer list MUST be used to initialize members. Doing it inside the constructor body itself is just wrong.

Although you won't find out why this is until you start using data types which are not assignable. :)