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To convert from a class object to some other type, you define a conversion function (see Chapter 11, “Working with Classes”). A conversion function is a class member function with no arguments or declared return type that has the name of the type to be converted to. Despite having no declared return type, the function should return the desired conversion value. Here are some examples:

Star::Star double() {...}          // converts star to double

Star::Star const char * () {...}   // converts to const char

You should be judicious with such functions, only using them if they make good sense. Also with some class designs, having conversion functions increases the likelihood of writing ambiguous code. For example, suppose you define a double conversion for the Vector type of Chapter 11, and suppose you have the following code:

Vector ius(6.0, 0.0);

Vector lux = ius + 20.2;        // ambiguous

The compiler could convert ius to double and use double addition, or else it could convert 20.2 to vector (using one of the constructors) and use vector addition. Instead, it would do neither and inform you of an ambiguous construction.

C++11 provides the option of using the keyword explicit with conversion functions. As with constructors, explicit allows explicit conversions using type casts, but disallows implicit conversions.

Passing an Object by Value Versus Passing a Reference

In general, if you write a function using an object argument, you should pass the object by reference rather than by value. One reason for this is efficiency. Passing an object by value involves generating a temporary copy, which means calling the copy constructor and then later calling the destructor. Calling these functions takes time, and copying a large object can be quite a bit slower than passing a reference. If the function doesn’t modify the object, you should declare the argument as a const reference.

Another reason for passing objects by reference is that, in the case of inheritance using virtual functions, a function defined as accepting a base-class reference argument can also be used successfully with derived classes, as you saw earlier in this chapter. (Also see the section “Virtual Methods,” later in this chapter.)

Returning an Object Versus Returning a Reference

Some class methods return objects. You’ve probably noticed that some members return objects directly whereas others return references. Sometimes a method must return an object, but if it isn’t necessary, you should use a reference instead. Let’s look at this more closely.

First, the only coding difference between returning an object directly and returning a reference is in the function prototype and header:

Star nova1(const Star &);     // returns a Star object

Star & nova2(const Star &);   // returns a reference to a Star

Next, the reason you should return a reference rather than an object is that returning an object involves generating a temporary copy of the returned object. It’s the copy that is made available to the calling program. Thus, returning an object involves the time cost of calling a copy constructor to generate the copy and the time cost of calling the destructor to get rid of the copy. Returning a reference saves time and memory use. Returning an object directly is analogous to passing an object by value: Both processes generate temporary copies. Similarly, returning a reference is analogous to passing an object by reference: Both the calling and the called function operate on the same object.

However, it’s not always possible to return a reference. A function shouldn’t return a reference to a temporary object created in the function because the reference becomes invalid when the function terminates and the object disappears. In this case, the code should return an object in order to generate a copy that will be available to the calling program.

As a rule of thumb, if a function returns a temporary object created in the function, you shouldn’t use a reference. For example, the following method uses a constructor to create a new object, and it then returns a copy of that object:

Vector Vector::operator+(const Vector & b) const

{

    return Vector(x + b.x, y + b.y);

}

If a function returns an object that was passed to it via a reference or pointer, you should return the object by reference. For example, the following code returns, by reference, either the object that invokes the function or else the object passed as an argument:

const Stock & Stock::topval(const Stock & s) const

{

    if (s.total_val > total_val)

       return s;           // argument object

    else

       return *this;       // invoking object

}

Using const

You need to be alert to opportunities to use const. You can use it to guarantee that a method doesn’t modify an argument:

Star::Star(const char * s) {...} // won't change the string to which s points

You can use const to guarantee that a method won’t modify the object that invokes it: