9.11. const And Classes

Data passed into or returned from a function by value creates a new copy of the data. When the copy is complete, a program can modify either version without affecting the other. So, pass and return by value form a one-way flow of data. However, the expense of copying the data increases with its size - if the data size is large, the time needed to copy it is proportionally large.

Alternatively, pass and return by pointer or by reference is independent of the data size - it takes the same amount of time to pass a large data structure as it does to pass a simple variable. Both mechanisms maintain a single copy of the data but give it two names - one name defined in the calling scope and one in the function's scope. Changes to the data made through one name are visible through both names. So, pointers and references implement a two-way flow of data.

Sometimes, solving a problem calls for the speed and efficiency of pointers or references while simultaneously providing the security of copying the data. The const keyword introduced in chapter 6 allows programmers to write code that is both fast and secure. This section extends const to member functions.

const Parameters

Unmodified, pass-by-pointer and by-reference create an INOUT data flow, but the const keyword restricts them to an IN only flow. Chapter 6 illustrated how to apply const to references and pointers. With a small extension of the syntax, we also make the object that calls or is bound to a member function (see Figure 1) "constant" or unchangeable. When we place the const keyword after the argument list, it applies to the "this" pointer, making the object to which it points (the object bound to the function call) constant.

Function Calls	Function Prototypes	Representations
b.function1(f);	void function1(const Foo& a_f);
(a)
b.function2(&f); b.function3(&f); b.function4(&f);	void function2(const Foo* a_f); void function3(Foo* const a_f); void function4(const Foo* const a_f);
(b)
b.function5();	void function5() const;
(c)

Getter Functions

To maintain strong encapsulation, programmers typically make member variables private. However, an application that uses a class may sometimes need to access a member variable. Access functions, getters and setters, are the most common solution. Setter functions can validate the data - ensuring that it is within bounds or formatted correctly - before storing it in an object. Getter functions allow an application program to "see" the value stored in a member variable. A well-formed getter operates as an OUT-only function, preventing the application from changing and possibly corrupting the object.

Like any function, getters generally perform a return-by-value, that is a return-by-copy. So, any change the application makes to the returned data only affects the copy and leaves the original data - still safely encapsulated in the object - untouched. The next figure illustrates this common behavior.

class Person
{
    private:
        string	name;
        int	height;
    public:
        Person(string n, int h)
            : name(n), height(h) {}

        string get_name() { return name; }
        int get_height() { return height; }
};

int main()
{
    Person p("Alice", 65);
    string local_name = p.get_name();

    cout << local_name << endl;
    local_name = "Carol";	// doesn't change p
    cout << p.get_name() << endl;
    cout << local_name << endl;

    return 0;
}

But what happens if we change the name from a string to a C-string? Recall that arrays, and therefore C-strings, are always passed to and returned from functions by-pointer. Pointers implement a two-way data flow that can potentially weaken encapsulation by allowing an application to change the data saved in an object. The next example replaces string name; with char name[100] and, correspondingly, the return type of get_name() to char*.

class Person
{
    private:
        char	name[100];
        int	height;
    public:
        Person(char* n, int h)
            : height(h) { strcpy_s(name, 100, n); }

        char* get_name() { return name; }
        int get_height() { return height; }
};

int main()
{
    Person p("Alice", 65);
    char* local_name = p.get_name();

    cout << local_name << endl;
    strcpy_s(local_name, 100, "Carol");	// changes p
    cout << p.get_name() << endl;
    cout << local_name << endl;

    return 0;
}

We can restore the strong encapsulation demonstrated by Figure 2 even while continuing to store the person's name as a C-string by making the pointer returned by get_name() a constant.

class Person
{
    private:
        char name[100];
        int height;
    public:
        Person(char* n, int h)
            : height(h) { strcpy_s(name, 100, n); }

        const char* get_name() { return name; }
        int get_height() { return height; }
};

int main()
{
    Person p("Alice", 65);
    const char* local_name = p.get_name();

    cout << local_name << endl;
    strcpy_s(local_name, 100, "Carol");	// compile-time error
    cout << p.get_name() << endl;
    cout << local_name << endl;

    return 0;
}