Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!mcsun!hp4nl!media03!pkr
From: pkr@media03.UUCP (Peter Kriens)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++
Subject: Re: MEMBER ACCESS
Message-ID: <2351@media03.UUCP>
Date: 3 Jun 91 08:06:14 GMT
References: <97edfa6b92f028446f60@rose.uucp>
Reply-To: pkr@media03.UUCP (Peter Kriens)
Organization: aQute, Netherlands
Lines: 28

Ahh, somebody wants to add just one xtra keyword to
th elanguage:

> A class has certain data members, for efficiency reasons, I would like
> to grant the USER read-only access.

> EX:

> class COORD
>   {
> public:
>   // Don't modify just read..
>   int x,y;
>   ...
>   };

I think this shows a bit the problem with C++, adding goodies to the language
which are rarely really usefull and can be implemented perfectly with
the language as it currently is. Jus specify two inline functions which
return the values. Then you have got your read only access, and as an
added benefit, if you later decide to keep you coordinate as a polar, then
your existing users won't break. While if you had given them read access,
you were forced to maintain those instance variables.

And for performance, an inline function should be about equal in performance
from giving access.

Peter Kriens