Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!lpi.liant.com!pkt
From: pkt@lpi.liant.com (Scott Turner)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++
Subject: Re: Virtual functions used in constructor illegal ! ??
Keywords: virtual functions, constructor
Message-ID: <1990Dec7.222320.26790@lpi.liant.com>
Date: 7 Dec 90 22:23:20 GMT
References: <822@orthogo.UUCP> <39733@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <27556AD1.350C@tct.uucp>
Organization: Language Processors Inc., Framingham MA
Lines: 17

In article <27556AD1.350C@tct.uucp> chip@tct.uucp (Chip Salzenberg) writes:
>This is true, but only if you are calling the virtual function from
>the actual constructor function body.  If you call a virtual function
>from a constructor by other means, such as calling a function that
>calls the virtual function, E&S says that the behavior is undefined,
>i.e. all bets are off.

Actually, p. 294 of E&S says that virtual functions can be called
from constructors "directly or indirectly".  What Chip may have
in mind is that a call to a _pure_ virtual function from a constructor
is in general undefined.

--
Prescott K. Turner, Jr.
Language Processors, Inc.
959 Concord St., Framingham, MA 01701 USA    (508) 626-0006
UUCP: uunet!lpi!pkt                          Internet: pkt@lpi.liant.com