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C++ template operator overload for template class

less than 1 minute read

An example code to perform template operator overload for a template class in C++ is provided.

Run and consider the output of the example below.

The expected output is:

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21.14 — Overloading operators and function templates

In lesson 11.7 -- Function template instantiation , we discussed how the compiler will use function templates to instantiate functions, which are then compiled. We also noted that these functions may not compile, if the code in the function template tries to perform some operation that the actual type doesn’t support (such as adding integer value 1 to a std::string ).

In this lesson, we’ll take a look at a few examples where our instantiated functions won’t compile because our actual class types don’t support those operators, and show how we can define those operators so that the instantiated functions will then compile.

Operators, function calls, and function templates

First, let’s create a simple class:

and define a max function template:

Now, let’s see what happens when we try to call max() with object of type Cents :

C++ will create a template instance for max() that looks like this:

And then it will try to compile this function. See the problem here? C++ has no idea how to evaluate x < y when x and y are of type Cents ! Consequently, this will produce a compile error.

To get around this problem, simply overload operator< for any class we wish to use max with:

This works as expected, and prints:

Another example

Let’s do one more example of a function template not working because of missing overloaded operators.

The following function template will calculate the average of a number of objects in an array:

This produces the values:

As you can see, it works great for built-in types!

Now let’s see what happens when we call this function on our Cents class:

The compiler goes berserk and produces a ton of error messages! The first error message will be something like this:

Remember that average() returns a Cents object, and we are trying to stream that object to std::cout using operator<< . However, we haven’t defined the operator<< for our Cents class yet. Let’s do that:

If we compile again, we will get another error:

This error is actually being caused by the function template instance created when we call average(const Cents*, int) . Remember that when we call a templated function, the compiler “stencils” out a copy of the function where the template type parameters (the placeholder types) have been replaced with the actual types in the function call. Here is the function template instance for average() when T is a Cents object:

The reason we are getting an error message is because of the following line:

In this case, sum is a Cents object, but we have not defined operator+= for Cents objects! We will need to define this function in order for average() to be able to work with Cents . Looking forward, we can see that average() also uses the operator/= , so we will go ahead and define that as well:

Finally, our code will compile and run! Here is the result:

Note that we didn’t have to modify average() at all to make it work with objects of type Cents . We simply had to define the operators used to implement average() for the Cents class, and the compiler took care of the rest!

cppreference.com

Assignment operators.

Assignment operators modify the value of the object.

[ edit ] Definitions

Copy assignment replaces the contents of the object a with a copy of the contents of b ( b is not modified). For class types, this is performed in a special member function, described in copy assignment operator .

For non-class types, copy and move assignment are indistinguishable and are referred to as direct assignment .

Compound assignment replace the contents of the object a with the result of a binary operation between the previous value of a and the value of b .

[ edit ] Assignment operator syntax

The assignment expressions have the form

• ↑ target-expr must have higher precedence than an assignment expression.
• ↑ new-value cannot be a comma expression, because its precedence is lower.

[ edit ] Built-in simple assignment operator

For the built-in simple assignment, the object referred to by target-expr is modified by replacing its value with the result of new-value . target-expr must be a modifiable lvalue.

The result of a built-in simple assignment is an lvalue of the type of target-expr , referring to target-expr . If target-expr is a bit-field , the result is also a bit-field.

[ edit ] Assignment from an expression

If new-value is an expression, it is implicitly converted to the cv-unqualified type of target-expr . When target-expr is a bit-field that cannot represent the value of the expression, the resulting value of the bit-field is implementation-defined.

If target-expr and new-value identify overlapping objects, the behavior is undefined (unless the overlap is exact and the type is the same).

In overload resolution against user-defined operators , for every type T , the following function signatures participate in overload resolution:

For every enumeration or pointer to member type T , optionally volatile-qualified, the following function signature participates in overload resolution:

For every pair A1 and A2 , where A1 is an arithmetic type (optionally volatile-qualified) and A2 is a promoted arithmetic type, the following function signature participates in overload resolution:

[ edit ] Built-in compound assignment operator

The behavior of every built-in compound-assignment expression target-expr   op   =   new-value is exactly the same as the behavior of the expression target-expr   =   target-expr   op   new-value , except that target-expr is evaluated only once.

The requirements on target-expr and new-value of built-in simple assignment operators also apply. Furthermore:

• For + = and - = , the type of target-expr must be an arithmetic type or a pointer to a (possibly cv-qualified) completely-defined object type .
• For all other compound assignment operators, the type of target-expr must be an arithmetic type.

In overload resolution against user-defined operators , for every pair A1 and A2 , where A1 is an arithmetic type (optionally volatile-qualified) and A2 is a promoted arithmetic type, the following function signatures participate in overload resolution:

For every pair I1 and I2 , where I1 is an integral type (optionally volatile-qualified) and I2 is a promoted integral type, the following function signatures participate in overload resolution:

For every optionally cv-qualified object type T , the following function signatures participate in overload resolution:

[ edit ] Example

Possible output:

[ edit ] Defect reports

The following behavior-changing defect reports were applied retroactively to previously published C++ standards.

[ edit ] See also

Operator precedence

Operator overloading

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# Operator Overloading

(opens new window) .

# Array subscript operator

You can even overload the array subscript operator [] .

You should always (99.98% of the time) implement 2 versions, a const and a not- const version, because if the object is const , it should not be able to modify the object returned by [] .

The arguments are passed by const& instead of by value because passing by reference is faster than by value, and const so that the operator doesn't change the index accidentally.

The operators return by reference, because by design you can modify the object [] return, i.e:

You can only overload inside a class / struct :

Multiple subscript operators, [][]... , can be achieved via proxy objects. The following example of a simple row-major matrix class demonstrates this:

# Arithmetic operators

You can overload all basic arithmetic operators:

• & and &=
• >> and >>=
• << and <<=

Overloading for all operators is the same. Scroll down for explanation

Overloading outside of class / struct :

Overloading inside of class / struct :

Note: operator+ should return by non-const value, as returning a reference wouldn't make sense (it returns a new object) nor would returning a const value (you should generally not return by const ). The first argument is passed by value, why? Because

• You can't modify the original object ( Object foobar = foo + bar; shouldn't modify foo after all, it wouldn't make sense)
• You can't make it const , because you will have to be able to modify the object (because operator+ is implemented in terms of operator+= , which modifies the object)

Passing by const& would be an option, but then you will have to make a temporary copy of the passed object. By passing by value, the compiler does it for you.

operator+= returns a reference to the itself, because it is then possible to chain them (don't use the same variable though, that would be undefined behavior due to sequence points).

The first argument is a reference (we want to modify it), but not const , because then you wouldn't be able to modify it. The second argument should not be modified, and so for performance reason is passed by const& (passing by const reference is faster than by value).

# Conversion operators

You can overload type operators, so that your type can be implicitly converted into the specified type.

The conversion operator must be defined in a class / struct :

Note: the operator is const to allow const objects to be converted.

# Complex Numbers Revisited

The code below implements a very simple complex number type for which the underlying field is automatically promoted, following the language's type promotion rules, under application of the four basic operators (+, -, *, and /) with a member of a different field (be it another complex<T> or some scalar type).

This is intended to be a holistic example covering operator overloading alongside basic use of templates.

# Unary operators

You can overload the 2 unary operators:

• ++foo and foo++
• --foo and foo--

Overloading is the same for both types ( ++ and -- ). Scroll down for explanation

Note: The prefix operator returns a reference to itself, so that you can continue operations on it. The first argument is a reference, as the prefix operator changes the object, that's also the reason why it isn't const (you wouldn't be able to modify it otherwise).

The postfix operator returns by value a temporary (the previous value), and so it cannot be a reference, as it would be a reference to a temporary, which would be garbage value at the end of the function, because the temporary variable goes out of scope). It also cannot be const , because you should be able to modify it directly.

The first argument is a non- const reference to the "calling" object, because if it were const , you wouldn't be able to modify it, and if it weren't a reference, you wouldn't change the original value.

It is because of the copying needed in postfix operator overloads that it's better to make it a habit to use prefix ++ instead of postfix ++ in for loops. From the for loop perspective, they're usually functionally equivalent, but there might be a slight performance advantage to using prefix ++, especially with "fat" classes with a lot of members to copy. Example of using prefix ++ in a for loop:

# Comparison operators

You can overload all comparison operators:

• > and <
• >= and <=

The recommended way to overload all those operators is by implementing only 2 operators ( == and < ) and then using those to define the rest. Scroll down for explanation

The operators obviously return a bool , indicating true or false for the corresponding operation.

All of the operators take their arguments by const& , because the only thing that does operators do is compare, so they shouldn't modify the objects. Passing by & (reference) is faster than by value, and to make sure that the operators don't modify it, it is a const -reference.

Note that the operators inside the class / struct are defined as const , the reason for this is that without the functions being const , comparing const objects would not be possible, as the compiler doesn't know that the operators don't modify anything.

# Assignment operator

The assignment operator is one of the most important operators because it allows you to change the status of a variable.

If you do not overload the assigment operator for your class / struct , it is automatically generated by the compiler: the automatically-generated assignment operator performs a "memberwise assignment", ie by invoking assignment operators on all members, so that one object is copied to the other, a member at time. The assignment operator should be overloaded when the simple memberwise assignment is not suitable for your class / struct , for example if you need to perform a deep copy of an object.

Overloading the assignment operator = is easy, but you should follow some simple steps.

• **Test for self-assignment.** This check is important for two reasons: 1. a self-assignment is a needless copy, so it does not make sense to perform it; 1. the next step will not work in the case of a self-assignment.

Note: other is passed by const& , because the object being assigned should not be changed, and passing by reference is faster than by value, and to make sure than operator= doesn't modify it accidentally, it is const .

The assignment operator can only to be overloaded in the class / struct , because the left value of = is always the class / struct itself. Defining it as a free function doesn't have this guarantee, and is disallowed because of that.

When you declare it in the class / struct , the left value is implicitly the class / struct itself, so there is no problem with that.

# Named operators

You can extend C++ with named operators that are "quoted" by standard C++ operators.

First we start with a dozen-line library:

this doesn't do anything yet.

First, appending vectors

The core here is that we define an append object of type append_t:named_operator::make_operator<append_t> .

We then overload named_invoke( lhs, append_t, rhs ) for the types we want on the right and left.

The library overloads lhs*append_t , returning a temporary half_apply object. It also overloads half_apply*rhs to call named_invoke( lhs, append_t, rhs ) .

We simply have to create the proper append_t token and do an ADL-friendly named_invoke of the proper signature, and everything hooks up and works.

For a more complex example, suppose you want to have element-wise multiplication of elements of a std::array:

This element-wise array code can be extended to work on tuples or pairs or C-style arrays, or even variable length containers if you decide what to do if the lengths don't match.

You could also an element-wise operator type and get lhs *element_wise<'+'>* rhs .

Writing a *dot* and *cross* product operators are also obvious uses.

The use of * can be extended to support other delimiters, like + . The delimeter precidence determines the precidence of the named operator, which may be important when translating physics equations over to C++ with minimal use of extra () s.

With a slight change in the library above, we can support ->*then* operators and extend std::function prior to the standard being updated, or write monadic ->*bind* . It could also have a stateful named operator, where we carefully pass the Op down to the final invoke function, permitting:

generating a named container-appending operator in C++17.

# Function call operator

You can overload the function call operator () :

Overloading must be done inside of a class / struct :

For example:

# Bitwise NOT operator

Overloading the bitwise NOT ( ~ ) is fairly simple. Scroll down for explanation

Note: operator~ returns by value, because it has to return a new value (the modified value), and not a reference to the value (it would be a reference to the temporary object, which would have garbage value in it as soon as the operator is done). Not const either because the calling code should be able to modify it afterwards (i.e. int a = ~a + 1; should be possible).

Inside the class / struct you have to make a temporary object, because you can't modify this , as it would modify the original object, which shouldn't be the case.

# Bit shift operators for I/O

The operators << and >> are commonly used as "write" and "read" operators:

• std::ostream overloads << to write variables to the underlying stream (example: std::cout )
• std::istream overloads >> to read from the underlying stream to a variable (example: std::cin )

The way they do this is similar if you wanted to overload them "normally" outside of the class / struct , except that specifying the arguments are not of the same type:

• Return type is the stream you want to overload from (for example, std::ostream ) passed by reference, to allow chaining (Chaining: std::cout << a << b; ). Example: std::ostream&
• lhs would be the same as the return type
• rhs is the type you want to allow overloading from (i.e. T ), passed by const& instead of value for performance reason ( rhs shouldn't be changed anyway). Example: const Vector& .

The operators for built-in types cannot be changed, operators can only be overloaded for user-defined types. That is, at least one of the operands has to be of a user-defined type.

The following operators cannot be overloaded:

• The member access or "dot" operator .
• The pointer to member access operator .*
• The scope resolution operator, ::
• The ternary conditional operator, ?:
• dynamic_cast , static_cast , reinterpret_cast , const_cast , typeid , sizeof , alignof , and noexcept
• The preprocessing directives, # and ## , which are executed before any type information is available.

There are some operators that you should not (99.98% of the time) overload:

• && and || (prefer, instead, to use implicit conversion to bool )
• The address-of operator (unary & )

Why? Because they overload operators that another programmer might never expect, resulting in different behavior than anticipated.

(opens new window) , the sequencing issue also applies to , operator overloads.

← Function Overloading Function Template Overloading →

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Mastering Operator Overloading: A Comprehensive Guide

Mastering Operator Overloading: A Comprehensive Guide 🚀

Have you ever felt like you’re in a magical land where operators like +, -, or even == behave exactly the way you want them to? Well, my fellow tech enthusiasts, welcome to the whimsical world of operator overloading in C++! 🎩✨

Basics of Operator Overloading 🎯

What is operator overloading 🤔.

Let’s start from the very beginning – what on earth is this “operator overloading” that we keep hearing about? 🤷‍♀️ It’s like giving these operators a new superpower! 🦸‍♀️ Operator overloading allows you to redefine the way operators work with user-defined data types. In simple terms, you get to teach C++ some new tricks! 🎩🐇

Why Use Operator Overloading? 🤓

Now, why bother with all this operator overloading business, you ask? 💭 Well, imagine making your code more elegant and readable by using + to concatenate strings or comparing objects with ==. It’s like adding a sprinkle of magic to your code, making it more intuitive and user-friendly! ✨🪄

Implementing Operator Overloading in C++ 🛠️

Syntax for operator overloading 📝.

To dip your toes into the enchanting waters of operator overloading, you need to know the syntax! It involves creating a function with a special name, ensuring that the compiler knows how to handle those magical new tricks you’re teaching it. Ah, it’s like writing a secret incantation that only your program can understand ! 🔮✍️

Overloading Unary and Binary Operators 🔢

Unary, binary – wait, what now? Don’t worry, it’s just a fancy way of saying you can overload operators like + or – for different uses! Whether you’re working with one operand or two, operator overloading lets you redefine their behavior based on your needs. It’s like juggling different tasks with the same tool! 🤹‍♂️🔧

Best Practices for Operator Overloading 🌟

Avoiding ambiguity in operator overloading ❌.

Ah, the dreaded ambiguity – the dark side of operator overloading! To steer clear of confusion, make sure your overloaded operators are crystal clear in their intentions. You wouldn’t want your program scratching its virtual head trying to decipher your mystical code, would you? 🤯🧙‍♂️

Overloading Commonly Used Operators 💡

When in doubt, remember – stick to the classics! Overloading familiar operators like +, -, or == can make your code more intuitive and user-friendly. It’s like speaking the language of C++ fluently, with a hint of your own unique dialect! 🗣️🌐

Advanced Techniques in Operator Overloading 💡

Overloading assignment operator (=) 📚.

Ah, the humble assignment operator – the unsung hero of C++ . By overloading this operator, you can customize how your objects are assigned values. It’s like giving your programs a personalized touch, ensuring they get all dressed up in the perfect outfit! 👗👔

Overloading Increment (++) and Decrement (–) Operators 🔝

Feeling adventurous? How about tinkering with the ++ and — operators? By overloading these bad boys, you can define how your objects increment or decrement. It’s like a virtual dance, where your objects move to the beat of your custom-made drum! 🥁🎶

Common Pitfalls to Avoid in Operator Overloading 🕳️

Handling memory management in operator overloading 🧠.

Ah, memory management – the bane of many programmers! When overloading operators, be extra cautious with memory allocation and deallocation. One wrong move, and your program could be lost in a memory maze, desperately searching for a way out! 🧟‍♂️🤖

Ensuring Consistency in Overloaded Operators 🤝

Consistency is key in the magical realm of operator overloading! Make sure that similar operations behave uniformly across your code. It’s like maintaining harmony in a chaotic symphony, ensuring that every note plays in perfect unison! 🎻🎶

In Closing 🌈

Overall, mastering the art of operator overloading in C++ is like wielding a powerful magic wand in the world of programming. By understanding the basics, embracing best practices, exploring advanced techniques, and steering clear of common pitfalls, you can elevate your code to new heights of elegance and efficiency! 🚀🌟

Thank you for joining me on this enchanting journey through the realms of operator overloading. Remember, in the magical land of C++, the possibilities are as endless as the stars in the night sky! 🌌✨

Now go forth, brave coders, and may your operator overloading adventures be filled with joy, laughter, and of course, lots of magical moments! 🎉🔮

P.S. Keep coding, keep creating, and always remember – the code is strong with this one! 💪👩‍💻

Program Code – Mastering Operator Overloading: A Comprehensive Guide

### code output:, ### code explanation:.

The provided code example illustrates the essence of operator overloading in C++ .

Architecture:

At its heart, it comprises a class named ComplexNumber . This class encapsulates two private attributes: real and imaginary , representing the real and imaginary parts of a complex number, respectively.

Logic and Implementation Details:

• Constructor Initialization: The constructor ComplexNumber initializes these two attributes. If values are not provided during object creation, it defaults to 0.0.
• Display Method: There’s a handy display method to output the complex number in a human-readable format, i.e., ‘Complex Number: X + Yi.
• Addition (‘+’ operator): It overloads the ‘+’ operator using the member function operator + to add two complex numbers. It takes an object of ComplexNumber as a parameter ( const ComplexNumber& obj ) representing the second operand. Inside, it creates a temporary object temp , calculates the summation of real and imaginary parts separately, and returns temp .
• Subtraction (‘-’ operator): Very similar to addition, it also overloads the ‘-‘ operator using the member function operator - for subtracting two complex numbers. It follows a procedure analogous to addition, calculating the difference of both real and imaginary parts separately.
• Main Function: In main() , two ComplexNumber objects c1 and c2 are instantiated with specific values. Then, leveraging our overloaded operators, we add ( c1 + c2 ) and subtract ( c1 - c2 ) these complex numbers and display the results using the display() method.

How it Achieves its Objectives:

The demonstration efficiently achieves its educational aim by intricately showing how operators can be overloaded to perform operations according to the nature of user-defined data types , in this case, complex numbers. Rather than just being confined to the built-in data types, operator overloading extends the expressiveness of C++ to accommodate complex operations in a manner that’s both intuitive and elegant for the programmer.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is operator overloading in c++.

Operator overloading in C++ allows us to redefine the way operators work for user-defined data types . This means we can use operators like +, -, *, /, etc., with custom objects just like built-in data types.

How does operator overloading work in C++?

In C++, operator overloading is achieved by defining a function to overload an operator. When an operator is used with objects of a class, the corresponding function is called to perform the operation.

Can we overload all operators in C++?

No, not all operators can be overloaded in C++. Some operators, like sizeof , :: , .* , etc., cannot be overloaded. It’s essential to understand which operators can and cannot be overloaded in C++.

What are the benefits of operator overloading?

Operator overloading can make our code more readable and intuitive by allowing us to use familiar operators with custom types. It can also lead to code that closely resembles mathematical expressions, making the code easier to understand .

What are some common mistakes to avoid when overloading operators in C++?

One common mistake when overloading operators in C++ is not handling edge cases or boundary conditions properly. It’s crucial to test the overloaded operators thoroughly to ensure they work as expected in all scenarios.

Are there any performance implications of operator overloading in C++?

Yes, there can be performance implications when using operator overloading in C++. Overloading operators can introduce overhead compared to regular function calls. It’s essential to consider the performance impact when overloading operators in performance-critical code.

How can I decide when to use operator overloading in my C++ code?

The decision to use operator overloading in C++ should be based on whether it enhances the readability and maintainability of the code. If overloading an operator makes the code more natural to read and less error-prone, it can be a good choice.

Where can I find more resources to learn about mastering operator overloading in C++?

There are plenty of online resources, tutorials, and books available to learn more about mastering operator overloading in C++. Websites like GeeksforGeeks, tutorials from cppreference.com, and books like “Effective C++” by Scott Meyers can be valuable sources of information.

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How to Implement Assignment Operator Overloading in C++

• How to Implement Assignment Operator …

This article will explain several methods of how to implement assignment operator overloading in C++.

Use copy-assignment operator to Implement Overloaded Assignment Operator in C++

C++ provides the feature to overload operators, a common way to call custom functions when a built-in operator is called on specific classes. These functions should have a special name starting with operator followed by the specific operator symbol itself. E.g., a custom assignment operator can be implemented with the function named operator= . Assignment operator generally should return a reference to its left-hand operand. Note that if the user does not explicitly define the copy assignment operator, the compiler generates one automatically. The generated version is quite capable when the class does not contain any data members manually allocated on the heap memory. It can even handle the array members by assigning each element to the corresponding object members. Although, it has shortcomings when dealing with dynamic memory data members, as shown in the following example code.

The above code defines only copy-constructor explicitly, which results in incorrect behavior when P1 object contents are assigned to the P3 object. Note that the second call to the P1.renamePerson function should not have modified the P3 object’s data members, but it did. The solution to this is to define an overloaded assignment operator i.e., copy-assignment operator. The next code snippet implements the version of the Person class that can copy assign the two objects of the same class correctly. Notice, though, the if statement in the copy-assignment function guarantees that the operator works correctly even when the object is assigned to itself.

Founder of DelftStack.com. Jinku has worked in the robotics and automotive industries for over 8 years. He sharpened his coding skills when he needed to do the automatic testing, data collection from remote servers and report creation from the endurance test. He is from an electrical/electronics engineering background but has expanded his interest to embedded electronics, embedded programming and front-/back-end programming.

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How to Overload the Arrow Operator (->) in C++?

C++ has the ability to redefine the function of operators for the objects of some class. This is called operator overloading. In this article, we will learn how to overload the arrow operator (->) in C++.

Overload the Arrow Operator in C++

To overload the arrow operator for your class, you must define an operator member function in your class with the name operator(->) and define the new behavior of the arrow operator in this function. Whenever the objects of this function are used with (->) arrow operato r, the statements inside the operator function will be executed.

Syntax to Overload the Arrow Operator

C++ program to overload the arrow operator, please login to comment..., similar reads.

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