CS100 Lecture 21

Inheritance and Polymorphism I

Contents

• Inheritance
• Dynamic binding and polymorphism

Inheritance

Example: An item for sale

class Item {
  std::string m_name;
  double m_price = 0.0;
public:
  Item() = default;
  Item(const std::string &name, double price)
      : m_name(name), m_price(price) {}
  const auto &getName() const { return m_name; }
  auto netPrice(int cnt) const {
    return cnt * m_price;
  }
};

Defining a subclass

A discounted item is an item, and has more information:

• std::size_t m_minQuantity;
• double m_discount;

The net price for such an item is

Defining a subclass

Use inheritance to model the "is-a" relationship:

• A discounted item is an item.

class DiscountedItem : public Item {
  int m_minQuantity = 0;
  double m_discount = 1.0;
public:
  // constructors
  // netPrice
};

protected members

A protected member is private, except that it is accessible in subclasses.

• m_price needs to be protected, of course.
• Should m_name be protected or private?
  • private is ok if the subclass does not modify it. It is accessible through the public getName interface.
  • protected is also reasonable.

protected members

class Item {
  std::string m_name;
protected:
  double m_price = 0.0;
public:
  Item() = default;
  Item(const std::string &name, double price)
      : m_name(name), m_price(price) {}
  const auto &getName() const { return m_name; }
  auto netPrice(int cnt) const {
    return cnt * m_price;
  }
};

Inheritance

By defining DiscountedItem to be a subclass of Item, every DiscountedItem object contains a subobject of type Item.

• Every data member and member function, except the ctors and dtors, is inherited, no matter what access level they have.

What can be inferred from this?

Inheritance

By defining DiscountedItem to be a subclass of Item, every DiscountedItem object contains a subobject of type Item.

• Every data member and member function, except the ctors and dtors, is inherited, no matter what access level they have.

What can be inferred from this?

• A constructor of DiscountedItem must first initialize the base class subobject by calling a constructor of Item's.
• The destructor of DiscountedItem must call the destructor of Item after having destroyed its own members (m_minQuantity and m_discount).
• sizeof(Derived) >= sizeof(Base)

Inheritance

Key points of inheritance:

• Every object of the derived class (subclass) contains a base class subobject.
• Inheritance should not break the encapsulation of the base class.
  • e.g. To initialize the base class subobject, we must call a constructor of the base class. It is not allowed to initialize data members of the base class subobject directly.

Constructor of DiscountedItem

class DiscountedItem : public Item {
  int m_minQuantity = 0;
  double m_discount = 1.0;
public:
  DiscountedItem(const std::string &name, double price,
                 int minQ, double disc)
      : Item(name, price), m_minQuantity(minQ), m_discount(disc) {}
};

It is not allowed to write this:

DiscountedItem(const std::string &name, double price,
               int minQ, double disc)
    : m_name(name), m_price(price), m_minQuantity(minQ), m_discount(disc) {}

Constructor of derived classes

Before the initialization of the derived class's own data members, the base class subobject must be initialized by having one of its ctors called.

• What if we don't call the base class's ctor explicitly?

  DiscountedItem(...)
    : /* ctor of Item is not called */ m_minQuantity(minQ), m_discount(d) {}
  

Constructor of derived classes

Before the initialization of the derived class's own data members, the base class subobject must be initialized by having one of its ctors called.

• What if we don't call the base class's ctor explicitly?

  • The default constructor of the base class is called.
  • If the base class is not default-constructible, an error.

• What does this constructor do?

  DiscountedItem() = default;
  

Constructor of derived classes

Before the initialization of the derived class's own data members, the base class subobject must be initialized by having one of its ctors called.

• What if we don't call the base class's ctor explicitly?

  • The default constructor of the base class is called.
  • If the base class is not default-constructible, an error.

• What does this constructor do?

  DiscountedItem() = default;
  

  • Calls Item::Item() to default-initialize the base class subobject before initializing m_minQuantity and m_discount.

Constructor of derived classes

In the following code, does the constructor of DiscountedItem compile?

class Item {
protected:
  std::string m_name;
  double m_price;
public:
  Item(const std::string &name, double p) : m_name(name), m_price(p) {}
};
class DiscountedItem : public Item {
  int m_minQuantity;
  double m_discount;
public:
  DiscountedItem(const std::string &name, double p, int mq, double disc) {
    m_name = name; m_price = p; m_minQuantity = mq; m_discount = disc;
  }
};

Constructor of derived classes

In the following code, does the constructor of DiscountedItem compile?

class Item {
  // ...
public:
  // Since `Item` has a user-declared constructor, it does not have
  // a default constructor.
  Item(const std::string &name, double p) : m_name(name), m_price(p) {}
};
class DiscountedItem : public Item {
  // ...
public:
  DiscountedItem(const std::string &name, double p, int mq, double disc)
  // Before entering the function body, `Item::Item()` is called --> Error!
  { /* ... */ }
};

[Best practice] Use constructor initializer lists whenever possible.

Dynamic binding

Upcasting

If D is a subclass of B:

• A B* can point to a D, and
• A B& can be bound to a D.

DiscountedItem di = someValue();
Item &ir = di; // correct
Item *ip = &di; // correct

Reason: The is-a relationship! A D is a B.

But on such references or pointers, only the members of B can be accessed.

Upcasting: Example

void printItemName(const Item &item) {
  std::cout << "Name: " << item.getName() << std::endl;
}
DiscountedItem di("A", 10, 2, 0.8);
Item i("B", 15);
printItemName(i); // "Name: B"
printItemName(di); // "Name: A"

const Item &item can be bound to either an Item or a DiscountedItem.

Static type and dynamic type

• static type of an expression: The type known at compile-time.
• dynamic type of an expression: The real type of the object that the expression is representing. This is known at run-time.

void printItemName(const Item &item) {
  std::cout << "Name: " << item.getName() << std::endl;
}

The static type of the expression item is const Item, but its dynamic type is not known until run-time. (It may be const Item or const DiscountedItem.)

virtual functions

Item and DiscountedItem have different ways of computing the net price.

void printItemInfo(const Item &item) {
  std::cout << "Name: " << item.getName()
            << ", price: " << item.netPrice(1) << std::endl;
}

• Which netPrice should be called?
• How do we define two different netPrices?

virtual functions

class Item {
public:
  virtual double netPrice(int cnt) const {
    return m_price * cnt;
  }
  // other members
};
class DiscountedItem : public Item {
public:
  double netPrice(int cnt) const override {
    return cnt < m_minQuantity ? cnt * m_price : cnt * m_price * m_discount;
  }
  // other members
};

Note: auto cannot be used to deduce the return type of virtual functions.

Dynamic binding

void printItemInfo(const Item &item) {
  std::cout << "Name: " << item.getName()
            << ", price: " << item.netPrice(1) << std::endl;
}

The dynamic type of item is determined at run-time.

Since netPrice is a virtual function, which version is called is also determined at run-time:

• If the dynamic type of item is Item, it calls Item::netPrice.
• If the dynamic type of item is DiscountedItem, it calls DiscountedItem::netPrice.

late binding, or dynamic binding

virtual-override

To override (覆盖/覆写) a virtual function,

• The function parameter list must be the same as that of the base class's version.
• The return type should be identical to (or covariant with) that of the corresponding function in the base class.
  • We will talk about "covariant with" in later lectures or recitations.
• The constness should be the same!

To make sure you are truly overriding the virtual function (instead of making a overloaded version), use the override keyword.

* Not to be confused with "overloading"（重载）.

virtual-override

An overriding function is also virtual, even if not explicitly declared.

class DiscountedItem : public Item {
  virtual double netPrice(int cnt) const override; // correct, explicitly virtual
};
class DiscountedItem : public Item {
  double netPrice(int cnt) const; // also correct, but not recommended
};

The override keyword lets the compiler check and report if the function is not truly overriding.

[Best practice] To override a virtual function, write the override keyword explicitly. The virtual keyword can be omitted.

virtual destructors

Item *ip = nullptr;
if (some_condition)
  ip = new Item(/* ... */);
else
  ip = new DiscountedItem(/* ... */);
// ...
delete ip;

Whose destructor should be called?

• Only looking at the static type of *ip is not enough.

virtual destructors

Item *ip = nullptr;
if (some_condition)
  ip = new Item(/* ... */);
else
  ip = new DiscountedItem(/* ... */);
// ...
delete ip;

Whose destructor should be called? - It needs to be determined at run-time!

• To use dynamic binding correctly, you almost always need a virtual destructor.

virtual destructors

Item *ip = nullptr;
if (some_condition)
  ip = new Item(/* ... */);
else
  ip = new DiscountedItem(/* ... */);
// ...
delete ip;

• The implicitly-defined (compiler-generated) destructor is non-virtual, but we can explicitly require a virtual one:

  virtual ~Item() = default;
  

• If the dtor of the base class is virtual, the compiler-generated dtor for the derived class is also virtual.

(Almost) completed Item and DiscountedItem

class Item {
  std::string m_name;

protected:
  double m_price = 0.0;

public:
  Item() = default;
  Item(const std::string &name, double price) : m_name(name), m_price(price) {}
  const auto &getName() const { return name; }
  virtual double net_price(int n) const {
    return n * price;
  }
  virtual ~Item() = default;
};

(Almost) completed Item and DiscountedItem

class DiscountedItem : public Item {
  int m_minQuantity = 0;
  double m_discount = 1.0;

public:
  DiscountedItem(const std::string &name, double price,
                 int minQ, double disc)
      : Item(name, price), m_minQuantity(minQ), m_discount(disc) {}
  double netPrice(int cnt) const override {
    return cnt < m_minQuantity ? cnt * m_price : cnt * m_price * m_discount;
  }
};

Usage with smart pointers

Smart pointers are implemented by wrapping the raw pointers, so they can also be used for dynamic binding.

std::vector<std::shared_ptr<Item>> myItems;
for (auto i = 0; i != n; ++i) {
  if (someCondition) {
    myItems.push_back(std::make_shared<Item>(someParams));
  } else {
    myItems.push_back(std::make_shared<DiscountedItem>(someParams));
  }
}

A std::unique_ptr<Derived> can be implicitly converted to a std::unique_ptr<Base>.

A std::shared_ptr<Derived> can be implicitly converted to a std::shared_ptr<Base>.

Copy-control

Remember to copy/move the base subobject! One possible way:

class Derived : public Base {
public:
  Derived(const Derived &other)
      : Base(other), /* Derived's own members */ { /* ... */ }
  Derived &operator=(const Derived &other) {
    Base::operator=(other); // call Base's operator= explicitly
    // copy Derived's own members
    return *this;
  }
  // ...
};

Why Base(other) and Base::operator=(other) work?

• The parameter type is const Base &, which can be bound to a Derived object.

Synthesized copy-control members

Guess!

• What are the behaviors of the compiler-generated copy-control members?
• In what cases will they be deleted?

Synthesized copy-control members

Remeber that the base class's subobject is always handled first.

These rules are quite natural:

• What are the behaviors of the compiler-generated copy-control members?
  • First, it calls the base class's corresponding copy-control member.
  • Then, it performs the corresponding operation on the derived class's own data members.
• In what cases will they be deleted?
  • If the base class's corresponding copy-control member is not accessible (e.g. non-existent, or private),
  • or if any of the data members' corresponding copy-control member is not accessible.

Slicing

Dynamic binding only happens on references or pointers to base class.

DiscountedItem di("A", 10, 2, 0.8);
Item i = di; // What happens?
auto x = i.netPrice(3); // Which netPrice?

Slicing

Dynamic binding only happens on references or pointers to base class.

DiscountedItem di("A", 10, 2, 0.8);
Item i = di; // What happens?
auto x = i.netPrice(3); // Which netPrice?

Item i = di; calls the copy constructor of Item

• but Item's copy constructor handles only the base part.
• So DiscountedItem's own members are ignored, or "sliced down".
• i.netPrice(3) calls Item::netPrice.

Downcasting

Base *bp = new Derived{};

If we only have a Base pointer, but we are quite sure that it points to a Derived object

• Accessing the members of Derived through bp is not allowed.
• How can we perform a "downcasting"?

Polymorphic class

A class is said to be polymorphic if it has (declares or inherits) at least one virtual function.

• Either a virtual normal member function or a virtual dtor is ok.

If a class is polymorphic, all classes derived from it are polymorphic.

• There is no way to "refuse" to inherit any member functions, so virtual member functions must be inherited.
• The dtor must be virtual if the dtor of the base class is virtual.

Downcasting: For polymorphic class only

dynamic_cast<Target>(expr).

Base *bp = new Derived{};
Derived *dp = dynamic_cast<Derived *>(bp);
Derived &dr = dynamic_cast<Derived &>(*bp);

• Target must be a reference or a pointer type.
• dynamic_cast will perform runtime type identification (RTTI) to check the dynamic type of the expression.
  • If the dynamic type is Derived, or a derived class (direct or indirect) of Derived, the downcasting succeeds.
  • Otherwise, the downcasting fails. If Target is a pointer, returns a null pointer. If Target is a reference, throws an exception std::bad_cast.

dynamic_cast can be very slow

dynamic_cast performs a runtime check to see whether the downcasting should succeed, which uses runtime type information.

This is much slower than other types of casting, e.g. const_cast, or arithmetic conversions.

[Best practice] Avoid dynamic_cast whenever possible.

Guaranteed successful downcasting: Use static_cast.

If the downcasting is guaranteed to be successful, you may use static_cast

auto dp = static_cast<Derived *>(bp); // quicker than dynamic_cast,
// but performs no checks. If the dynamic type is not Derived, UB.

Avoiding dynamic_cast

Typical abuse of dynamic_cast:

struct A {
  virtual ~A() {}
};
struct B : A {};
struct C : A {};

std::string getType(const A *ap) {
  if (dynamic_cast<const B *>(ap))
    return "B";
  else if (dynamic_cast<const C *>(ap))
    return "C";
  else
    return "A";
}

Click here to see how large and slow the generated code is: https://godbolt.org/z/3367efGd7

Avoiding dynamic_cast

Use a group of virtual functions!

struct A {
  virtual ~A() {}
  virtual std::string name() const {
    return "A";
  }
};
struct B : A {
  std::string name()const override{
    return "B";
  }
};
struct C : A {
  std::string name()const override{
    return "C";
  }
};

auto getType(const A *ap) {
  return ap->name();
}

Summary

Inheritance

• Every object of type Derived contains a subobject of type Base.
  • Every member of Base is inherited, no matter whether it is accessible or not.
• Inheritance should not break the base class's encapsulation.
  • The access control of inherited members is not changed.
  • Every constructor of Derived calls a constructor of Base to initialize the base class subobject before initializing its own data members.
  • The destructor of Derived calls the destructor of Base to destroy the base class subobject after destroying its own data members.

Summary

Dynamic binding

• Upcasting: A pointer, reference or smart pointer to Base can be bound to an object of type Derived.
  • static type and dynamic type
• virtual functions: A function that can be overridden by derived classes.
  • The base class and the derived class can provide different versions of this function.
• Dynamic (late) binding
  • A call to a virtual function on a pointer or reference to Base will actually call the corresponding version of that function according to the dynamic type.
• Avoid downcasting if possible.