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From: sorrow@oak.circa.ufl.edu
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++
Subject: Can you determine what type of object is being passed in a function?
Message-ID: <0094A424.3B76DAC0@MAPLE.CIRCA.UFL.EDU>
Date: 17 Jun 91 16:06:47 GMT
Sender: news@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU
Reply-To: sorrow@oak.circa.ufl.edu
Organization: University of Florida CIRCA VAX Cluster
Lines: 43

I am writing a game in C++ and am using an object hierarchy like this:

Object -> Weapon
       -> Container
       -> Armor
       -> etc. etc.

I have some functions, such as for the Character class, that are defined
as:

int Character :: GetObject ( Object &obj )
{
}

Is there a way to determine what type of object was passed?  The Object
class is a pure abstract class.  I am currently using a bit mask a la:

if (Obj.type&OT_WEAPON)
   dosomething();
else if (Obj.type&OT_CONTAINER)
   dosomething();
etc. etc.

Anyone have any ideas?  Also, I  would like the ability for some things
to inherity from multiple types of objects:

Container --
           |
           ---- Backpack of Shielding
           |
Armor     __

Any help would be appreciated.

Brian
/*
Brian Hook -- MS-DOS Programmer for Contract
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Seamus, that's my dog...I saw her today at the reception...sorry, sixTEEN
inches....better save the women and children first...but this one goes to 11!
..anymore of that plutonium nyborg?....there can be only ONE!....like a 
finger pointing to the moon....ease the seat back...one day closer to death
*/