Suppose you are writing a method in a class that accepts a parameter of a given type. Such a method can also be called with an argument of a different type?as long as an implicit conversion exists between the two types (for example, short to int).
class example{public: void method(int parameter); ...}int main(){ example eg; short pants = 42; eg.method(pants); // short to int conversion here ... return 0;}
It is possible to overload such methods, and by making the overloaded method private, unwanted conversions can be turned into compile time errors. For example:
class example{public: void method(int parameter); ..private: // reject unwanted conversions void method(short); ...}int main(){ example eg; short pants = 42; eg.method(pants); // Compile time error ... return 0;}
You can even use this technique to overload on different signedness of integers. For example:
namespace non_std{ class string { public: char & operator[](size_t index); const char & operator[](size_t index) const; .. private: // reject unwanted conversions void operator[](signed int); void operator[](signed int) const; ... };}
Charlie has over a decade of experience in website administration and technology management. As the site admin, he oversees all technical aspects of running a high-traffic online platform, ensuring optimal performance, security, and user experience.
