Object Oriented Programming

Functions & Objects (Part 5)

1
 Review
• Constructor
• Implicit & Explicit Constructor
• Default Copy Constructor
• Constructor Overloading
• Array of Objects
• Destructor

2
 Objectives
• Object as Parameter
• Object as Return Type
• Static as Keyword
• Static Members
o Member Variable / Data Member
o Member functions
• Friend Functions
• Friend Classes

3
 Object as Parameter
• Objects can be passed as parameters to the
member functions similarly as we can pass the other
simple variables.

4
Example to Pass Object to Function
Class Box{
private:
int length, width, height;
Public:
void setValues(int l, int w, int h);
bool equal(Box b){ //function receiving an object
//some line of code
}
};
Int main(){
Box b1, b2;
if(b1.equal(b2)){
//do something
}
}

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Try it now

Lets See
Returning Object From Function
• Objects can be returned from a function of a class

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 Example of Returning an Object
Class Box{
private:
double length, width, height;
Public:
void setValues(double l, double w, double h);
Box getObject(){//function receiving an object
//some line of code
}
};
Int main(){
Box b1, b2;
b1.setValues(10.0, 20.0, 5.0);
b2 = b1.getObject();
}

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Try it now

Lets See
 Static as keyword

• Unluckily, the keyword static, though the word

means "unchanging“ has multiple and apparently
unrelated uses

• static can be used in three major contexts:

o inside a function or a block
o inside a class
o in front of a global variable

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Static keyword inside a function
• The use of static inside a function is the simplest that
once the variable has been initialized, it remains in
memory until the end of the program.
• Means the variable sticks around, maintaining its
value, until the program completely ends.

void func(){
static int a;
}

11
 Guess the output?
void func(){
static int a;
cout<<a++<<endl;
}

Int main(){
func();
func();
func();
}

12
 Static inside a loop
• Static keyword can be used inside a loop to
prevent a variable from being reinitialized.

for(int x=0; x<10; x++)

{
for(int y=0; y<10; y++)
{
static int number_of_times = 0;
number_of_times++;
}
}
Guess What will be the output

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 Static inside a loop (Cont.)

• The trick is that the keyword static prevents re-

initialization of the variable.

• One feature of using a static keyword is that it

automatically initialized a variable to zero
o but don't rely on this behavior (it makes your
intention unclear).

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 Static inside a Class

Both member (variables and methods)

can be static inside a class

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 Static variables inside a Class
• All other variables declared inside a class are
basically the property of the object of that class
o That means for each instance of a class, the variable can
have a different value

• While a static member variable has the same value in

any instance (object) of the class

• And doesn't even require an instance (object) of the

class to exist

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 Static variables inside a Class
(Cont.)
• Important detail to keep in mind:

o when debugging or implementing a program using a static

class member is that you cannot initialize the static class
member inside of the class.
o Means declare inside the class and initialize outside the class
similar to the way we define function outside of class.

o Syntax: Scope Resolution Operator

• type class_name::static_variable = value;

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Example of Static member variable
In main.cpp file

class Box{
private:
static int count; //correct syntax
public:
static int count2; //correct syntax

};
int Box::count = 0; //correct syntax
main(){
cout<<Box::count; //Error because it is private
cout<<Box::count; //Ok because it is public
}

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Try it now

Lets See
 Static methods inside a Class
• You can also have static member functions of a class
o By declaring a function member as static, you make it
independent of any particular object of the class.

• Static member functions are functions that do not

require an instance of the class

• You access static member function with the class

name rather than an instance name using the scope
resolution operator

• However the static member can be accessed with

instance name.
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 Example Static methods
class Box
{
public:
static int objectCount; // static variable declaration
// Constructor definition
Box(double, double, double);
double Volume();
static int getCount(); // static method declaration
private:
double length; // Length of a box
double breadth; // Breadth of a box
double height; // Height of a box
};

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 Example Static methods (cont.)
// Variable initialization
int Box::objectCount = 0; // we will not static here
// Constructor definition
Box::Box(double l=2.0, double b=2.0, double h=2.0)
{
cout <<"Constructor called." << endl;
length = l;
breadth = b;
height = h;
// Increase every time object is created
objectCount++;
}
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 Example Static methods (cont.)
double Box::Volume()
{
return length * breadth * height;
}
int Box::getCount() // we will not static here
{
return objectCount;
}

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 Example Static methods (cont.)
int main(){
Box b1, b2;
//Static method didn’t required the object to access it
cout<<"Object count"<<Box::getCount();
return 0;
}

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Try it now

Lets See
 Your Turn

Class Assignment
 Friend Functions & Classes
• We Will explore it in our next lecture.

27
 Reading Material
• Chapter 9
o C++ How to Program, 10th Edition, by Paul Deitel and
Harvey Deitel

• Chapter 6
o Object Oriented Programming in C++, 4th Edition, by Robert
Lafore

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