Use Delegating Constructors to Eliminate Initialization Code Reduplication

Many object-oriented programming languages allow a constructor to delegate its object initialization to another constructor of the same class. But in C++98, this isn't permitted. Consequently, a C++ class with multiple constructors often contains duplicate initialization code. This causes maintenance problems and reduces code readability. Recently, the standardization committee approved a proposal to add delegating constructors to C++. While it may take some time before your favorite C++ compiler supports this feature, it's still a good idea to learn how using delegating constructors can simplify the design of multi-constructor classes, reduce code reduplication, and eliminate bugs.

How do you delegate common initialization operations to a single constructor of a class, allowing other constructors to invoke that constructor?

Define a target constructor that takes care of common initialization operations and let other constructors invoke it.