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Operator Overloading

This document discusses operator overloading in C++. It explains that operator overloading allows assigning additional operations to operators relative to user-defined classes. Common operators like + can be overloaded to perform operations like string concatenation. Operators are overloaded by creating operator functions, which can be member functions or non-member friend functions. The document outlines the syntax for overloading both unary and binary operators as member or friend functions. It also provides some basic rules for operator overloading in C++.

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47 views

Operator Overloading

This document discusses operator overloading in C++. It explains that operator overloading allows assigning additional operations to operators relative to user-defined classes. Common operators like + can be overloaded to perform operations like string concatenation. Operators are overloaded by creating operator functions, which can be member functions or non-member friend functions. The document outlines the syntax for overloading both unary and binary operators as member or friend functions. It also provides some basic rules for operator overloading in C++.

Uploaded by

utkaljyoti
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Haresh Jaiswal

Rising Technologies, Jalna.

Rising Technologies, Jalna (MH). + 91 9423156065, http://www.RisingTechnologies.in 1


Introduction
 Operator overloading is an important branch of Polymorphism in
C++.

Polymorphism

Compile Time Runtime

Function Operator Virtual


Overloading Overloading Functions
Rising Technologies, Jalna (MH). + 91 9423156065, http://www.RisingTechnologies.in 2
Introduction
 In simple words, overloading an operator means assigning
additional operation or job to it; relative to a specific class (user
defined type).

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Introduction
 One of C++’s great features is its extensibility, Operator
Overloading is major functionality related to extensibility.
 In C++, most of operators can be overloaded so that they can
perform special operations relative to the classes you create.
 For example, + operator can be overloaded to perform an
operation of string concatenation along with its pre-defined job
of adding two numeric values.
 When an operator is overloaded, none of its original meaning will
be lost.

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Introduction
 After overloading the appropriate operators, you can use objects
in expressions in just the same way you use C++'s built-in data
types.

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Introduction
 Consider following piece of code. Considering the + operator is
overloaded in such a way with class String that it will concatenate
two string objects.

int main()
{
int n1 = 10, n2 = 20, n2;
String s1 = “Rising”, s2=“Tech”, s3;

n3 = n1 + n2; // addition
s3 = s1 + s2; // concatenation
}
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Overloading Operators
 Operators come in three flavours:
 Unary (++, --)
 Binary (+, -)
 Ternary (?:)
 You are free to overload most of the built-in operators, but you
cannot create new operators of your own.
 Therefore, although you can give your class an increment
operator (++), you cannot create a squared operator.

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Overloading Operators
 You can overload these operators to do anything you want, but it
is a good programming practice for them to make sense.
 That means you can have the ++ operator to decrement, but it
would make no sense to do so.

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Operators Function
 Operators are overloaded by creating operator functions
 An operator function defines the operations that the overloaded
operator will perform relative to the class upon which it will
work.
 An operator function is created using the keyword operator
 Operator functions can be either
 Member function of a class or
 Non-member function (Mostly Friend Functions)
 The way operator functions are written differs between member
and non-member functions.

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Member Operators Function
 A member operator function for binary operators

RetType ClassName::operator#(arg-list)
{
// operations
}
 Often, operator functions returns an object of the class they
operate on, but ret-type can be any valid type.
 The # is a placeholder. When you create an operator function,
substitute the operator for the #.

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Member Operators Function
 A member operator function for binary operators

RetType ClassName::operator#(arg-list)
{
// operations
}
 For example, if you are overloading the + operator, use
operator+
 While overloading binary operators using member function,
the arg-list will contain one parameter.

Rising Technologies, Jalna (MH). + 91 9423156065, http://www.RisingTechnologies.in 11


Member Operators Function
 A member operator function for Unary operators

RetType ClassName::operator#()
{
// operations
}
 While overloading an unary operator, arg-list will be empty.

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Friend Operators Function
 Instead of Member function, you can define operator functions
that will be friend to the class you have created.

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Friend Operators Function
 A friend operator function for binary operators

RetType operator#(arg-list)
{
// operations
}
 While overloading a binary operator using friend function;
argument list must take 2 arguments, one of them must be of
user defined type.

Rising Technologies, Jalna (MH). + 91 9423156065, http://www.RisingTechnologies.in 14


Friend Operators Function
 A friend operator function for Unary operators

RetType operator#(arg-list)
{
// operations
}
 While overloading an unary operator using friend function;
argument list must have 1 argument as reference to the object.

Rising Technologies, Jalna (MH). + 91 9423156065, http://www.RisingTechnologies.in 15


Overloading Operators : Rules
 You can overload virtually any c++ operator, but you cannot
create your own set of operators.
 You cannot change any operators precedence.
 You cannot change syntax to use an operator.
 You cannot alter the pre-defined job performed by any operator,
that means you cannot overload + operator in such a way to
perform subtraction of two integers.

Rising Technologies, Jalna (MH). + 91 9423156065, http://www.RisingTechnologies.in 16


Overloading Operators : Rules
 You can overload most of Unary and Binary Operators, but you
cannot overload the ternary operator (?:)
 Binary as well as Unary operators can be overloaded by both
Approaches
 Member Functions Approach
 Friend Function Approach

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Overloading Binary Operators
 While overloading binary operators; at least one of its operand
should be of user defined types.
 The operator function must return an object.

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