Cpp - Pure Virtual Functions

Introduction

C++ can create abstract data types with pure virtual functions.

A pure virtual function is a virtual function that must be overridden in the derived class.

A virtual function is made pure by initializing it with 0, as in the following statement:

virtual void draw() = 0;

Any class with one or more pure virtual functions is an abstract data type.

You cannot instantiate an object of a abstract class (ADT).

Any class that derives from an ADT inherits the pure virtual function, so it must override every pure virtual function if it wants to instantiate objects.

Or the subclass will be an ADT.

A virtual function is declared to be abstract by writing = 0 after the function declaration:

virtual long getArea() = 0;

Here's a Shape class as abstract data type:

class Shape 
{ 
public: 
     Shape() {} 
     virtual ~Shape() {} 
     virtual long getArea() = 0;  
     virtual long getPerim() = 0; 
     virtual void draw() = 0; 
private: 
};

Implementing Pure Virtual Functions

You can implement a pure virtual function. The function can be called by objects derived from the ADT.

In the following code Shape as an ADT and includes an implementation for the pure virtual function draw().

The Circle class overrides draw().

Demo

#include <iostream> 
 
class Shape /*  w ww .j  av  a2 s.c o m*/
{ 
public: 
    Shape() {} 
    virtual ~Shape() {} 
    virtual long getArea() = 0; 
    virtual long getPerim()= 0; 
    virtual void draw() = 0; 
private: 
}; 
 
void Shape::draw() 
{ 
    std::cout << "Abstract drawing mechanism!\n"; 
} 
 
class Circle : public Shape 
{ 
public: 
    Circle(int newRadius):radius(newRadius) {} 
    ~Circle() {} 
    long getArea() { return 3 * radius * radius; } 
    long getPerim() { return 9 * radius; } 
    void draw(); 
private: 
    int radius; 
    int circumference; 
}; 
 
void Circle::draw() 
{ 
    std::cout << "Circle drawing routine here!\n"; 
    Shape::draw(); 
} 
 
class Rectangle : public Shape 
{ 
public: 
    Rectangle(int newLen, int newWidth): 
         length(newLen), width(newWidth) {} 
    virtual ~Rectangle() {} 
    long getArea() { return length * width; } 
    long getPerim() { return 2 * length + 2 * width; } 
    virtual int getLength() { return length; } 
    virtual int getWidth() { return width; } 
    void draw(); 
private: 
    int width; 
    int length; 
}; 
 
void Rectangle::draw() 
{ 
    for (int i = 0; i < length; i++) 
    { 
         for (int j = 0; j < width; j++) 
              std::cout << "x "; 
 
        std::cout << "\n"; 
    } 
    Shape::draw(); 
} 
 
class Square : public Rectangle 
{ 
public: 
    Square(int len); 
    Square(int len, int width); 
    ~Square() {} 
    long getPerim() {return 4 * getLength();} 
}; 
 
Square::Square(int newLen): 
    Rectangle(newLen, newLen) 
{} 
 
Square::Square(int newLen, int newWidth): 
    Rectangle(newLen, newWidth) 
{ 
    if (getLength() != getWidth()) 
         std::cout << "Error, not a square ... a rectangle?\n"; 
} 
 
int main() 
{ 
    int choice; 
    bool fQuit = false; 
    Shape * sp; 
 
    while (1) 
    { 
         std::cout << "(1) Circle (2) Rectangle (3) Square (0) Quit: "; 
         std::cin >> choice; 
 
         switch (choice) 
         { 
         case 1: 
             sp = new Circle(5); 
             break; 
         case 2: 
             sp = new Rectangle(4, 6); 
             break; 
         case 3: 
             sp = new Square(5); 
             break; 
         default: 
             fQuit = true; 
             break; 
         } 
         if (fQuit) 
             break; 
         sp->draw(); 
         std::cout << "\n"; 
    } 
    return 0; 
}

Cpp - Pure Virtual Functions

Introduction

Implementing Pure Virtual Functions

Demo

Result