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COMP151 l04 Declaration Definition

The document discusses definitions and declarations in C++. It explains that definitions introduce variables or functions and allocate memory, while declarations announce that a variable or function exists elsewhere. Declarations do not allocate memory. The document also discusses advantages of using header files, such as providing centralized locations for declarations and ensuring consistency. It notes a key distinction between C++ and Java is that C++ distinguishes lvalues and rvalues, while Java does not.

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34 views11 pages

COMP151 l04 Declaration Definition

The document discusses definitions and declarations in C++. It explains that definitions introduce variables or functions and allocate memory, while declarations announce that a variable or function exists elsewhere. Declarations do not allocate memory. The document also discusses advantages of using header files, such as providing centralized locations for declarations and ensuring consistency. It notes a key distinction between C++ and Java is that C++ distinguishes lvalues and rvalues, while Java does not.

Uploaded by

Chen Chen
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Comp151

Definitions & Declarations


Example: Definition

/* reverse_print.cpp */

#include <iostream>
#include <string>
using namespace std;

int global_var = 23; // global variable definition

void reverse_print(const char* s) // function definition


{
for (int j = strlen(s) - 1; j >= 0; --j)
cout << s[j];
cout << endl;
}
Example: Declaration

/* use_reverse_print.cpp */

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

extern int global_var; // external variable declaration


extern void reverse_print(const char* s); // external function declaration

int main(int argc, const char* argv[])


{
float local_var; // local variable definition
local_var = 987.654;

cout << ''global var = '' << global_var << endl;


cout << ''local var = '' << local_var << endl;
cout << ''input string backwards = '';
reverse_print(argv[1]);
}
Definition

• A definition introduces a variable's or a function's name


and type.
• A variable definition reserves a number of bytes of
memory for the variable.
• A function definition generates code for the function.
• In both cases, definitions cause the compiler to allocate
memory to store the variable or function code.
• An object must be defined exactly once in a program.*

*Except inline function definitions (which we’ll discuss in a moment).


Declaration

• The declaration of a variable (or function) announces that the variable (or
function) exists and is defined somewhere else (in the same file, or in a
different file). The connection is made when the object files are linked.
• A variable declaration consists of the variable's name and its type preceded
by the keyword extern.
• A function declaration consists of the function prototype (without the
function body) preceded by the keyword extern.
• A (forward) class declaration consists of the class name (without the class
body) preceded by the keyword class.
• A declaration does not generate code, and does not reserve memory.
• There can be any number of declarations for the same object name in a
program (as long as they’re consistent with each other).
• If a declaration is used in a file different from that with the definition of the
object, the linker will insert the real memory address of the object instead of
the symbolic name.
• In C++, a variable must be defined or declared to the program before it is
used.
A word on class definitions

• A class definition defines a type.


• Note that merely defining a type or class does not
generate code. (The code for any member function of
the class is not generated until the compiler sees an
individual member function definition.)
• In this sense, class definitions are unlike variable and
function definitions, which cause the compiler to allocate
memory to store the variable or function code.
• But class definitions are still like variable and function
definitions in the sense that a class must be defined
exactly once in a program.
Advantages of Header Files

• In general, a header file provides a centralized location for:


– external object declarations
– function declarations & member function declarations
– type definitions
– class definitions (but not member function definitions, except inline)
– inline function definitions & inline member function definitions

• The advantages are:


– 1. By including the header files, all files of the same piece of
software are guaranteed to contain the same declaration for a
global object or function.
– 2. Should a declaration require updating, only one change to the
header file will need to be made.
A question…

/* C++ code fragment – uses Date class from separate compilation lecture */

Date d1(2, 17, 2006);


Date d2;
d2 = d1;
d1.set(2, 20, 2006);
d2.print(); // what gets printed here?

/* Java code fragment – looks nearly identical to above C++ code fragment */

Date d1 = new Date(2, 17, 2006);


Date d2;
d2 = d1;
d1.set(2, 20, 2006);
d2.print(); // what gets printed here?
Variables
• A variable is a symbolic name .
assigned to some memory .
storage. .

• The size of this storage 2000 354 :x


depends on the type of the
variable, compiler, and platform. 2004 76 :y
– e.g., on x86 under Windows,
char is 1 byte long and int is .
4 byte long. .
.
• The difference between a
variable and a literal constant is
that a variable is addressable.
Key distinction: lvalue vs. rvalue

[ interpretation of " x = x + 1 " ]

x: x+1

• A variable has dual roles, depending on where it appears in the


program, it can represent
– lvalue: the location of the memory storage
– rvalue: the value in the storage

• They are so called because a variable represents an lvalue (or


rvalue) if it is written to the left (or right) of an assignment statement.
Thus, the following are invalid statements in C++:
4 = 1;
grade + 10 = new - grade;
Not all languages distinguish rvalues from lvalues
the way that C++ does!
/* C++ code fragment – uses Date class from separate compilation lecture */

Date d1(2, 17, 2006);


Date d2;
d2 = d1;
d1.set(2, 20, 2006);
d2.print(); // prints 2006.02.17

/* Java code fragment – looks nearly identical to above C++ code fragment */

Date d1 = new Date(2, 17, 2006);


Date d2;
d2 = d1;
d1.set(2, 20, 2006);
d2.print(); // prints 2006.02.20

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