C++ – Private inheritance from std::basic_string

cinheritancestl

I've been trying to learn more about private inheritance and decided to create a string_t class that inherits from std::basic_string. I know a lot of you will tell me inheriting from STL classes is a bad idea and that it's better to just create global functions that accept references to instances of these classes if I want to extend their functionality. I agree, but like I said earlier, I'm trying to learn how to implement private inheritance.

This is what the class looks like so far:

class string_t :
#if defined(UNICODE) || defined(_UNICODE)
  private std::basic_string<wchar_t>
#else
  private std::basic_string<char>
#endif
{
public:
  string_t() : basic_string<value_type>() {}

  string_t( const basic_string<value_type>& str ) 
    : basic_string<value_type>( str ) {}

  virtual ~string_t() {}

  using std::basic_string<value_type>::operator=; /* Line causing error */

  std::vector<string_t> split( const string_t& delims )
  {
    std::vector<string_t> tokens;

    tokens.push_back( substr( 0, npos ) );
  }
};

I get the following errors:

1>c:\program files\microsoft visual studio 9.0\vc\include\xutility(3133) : error C2243: 'type cast' : conversion from 'const string_t *' to 'const std::basic_string &' exists, but is inaccessible
1>        with
1>        [
1>            _Elem=wchar_t,
1>            _Traits=std::char_traits,
1>            _Ax=std::allocator
1>        ]

1>        c:\program files\microsoft visual studio 9.0\vc\include\xutility(3161) : see reference to function template instantiation 'void std::_Fill(_FwdIt,_FwdIt,const _Ty &)' being compiled
1>        with
1>        [
1>            _Ty=string_t,
1>            _FwdIt=string_t *
1>        ]

1>        c:\program files\microsoft visual studio 9.0\vc\include\vector(1229) : see reference to function template instantiation 'void std::fill(_FwdIt,_FwdIt,const _Ty &)' being compiled
1>        with
1>        [
1>            _Ty=string_t,
1>            _FwdIt=string_t *
1>        ]

1>        c:\program files\microsoft visual studio 9.0\vc\include\vector(1158) : while compiling class template member function 'void std::vector::_Insert_n(std::_Vector_const_iterator,unsigned int,const _Ty &)'
1>        with
1>        [
1>            _Ty=string_t,
1>            _Alloc=std::allocator
1>        ]

1>        c:\work\c++\string_t\string_t.h(658) : see reference to class template instantiation 'std::vector' being compiled
1>        with
1>        [
1>            _Ty=string_t
1>        ]

The line number (658) in the last error points to the opening brace of the split() function definition. I can get rid of the error if I comment out the using std::basic_string<value_type>::operator=; line. As I understand it, the using keyword specifies that the assignment operator is being brought from private to public scope within string_t.

Why am I getting this error and how can I fix it?

Also, my string_t class doesn't contain a single data member of it's own, much less any dynamically allocated members. So if I don't create a destructor for this class doesn't that mean that if someone were to delete an instance of string_t using a base class pointer the base class destructor would be called?

The following code throws an exception when I have a destructor defined for string_t but works when I comment out the destructor when compiled with VS2008.

basic_string<wchar_t> *p = new string_t( L"Test" );
delete p;

Best Answer

Your default constructor should not be explicit. I think explicitness may be the reason it can't convert std::string to string_t as well, but you erased that construtor from your snippet :vP .

This program compiles and runs fine with GCC 4.2:

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

class string_t :
#if defined(UNICODE) || defined(_UNICODE)
  private std::basic_string<wchar_t>
#else
  private std::basic_string<char>
#endif
{
public:
  string_t() : basic_string<value_type>() {}

  string_t( const basic_string<value_type>& str )
    : basic_string<value_type>( str ) {}

  virtual ~string_t() {}

  using std::basic_string<value_type>::operator=; /* Line causing error */

  std::vector<string_t> split( const string_t& delims )
  {
    std::vector<string_t> tokens;

    for ( size_t pen = 0, next = 0; next != npos; pen = next + 1 ) {
        next = find_first_of( delims, pen );
        if ( pen != next ) tokens.push_back( substr( pen, next - pen ) );
    }
    return tokens;
  }

  template<class os>
  friend os &operator<<(os &, string_t const&);
};

template< class os_t >
os_t &operator<<( os_t &os, string_t const &str ) {
        return os << static_cast< string >(str);
}

int main( int argc, char ** argv ) {
        vector<string_t> mytoks = string_t( argv[1] ).split( string( "_" ) );

        for ( vector<string_t>::iterator it = mytoks.begin(); it != mytoks.end(); ++ it ) {
                cerr << * it << endl;
        }
        return 0;
}
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