Exceptional C++ Style 40 New Engineering Puzzles, Programming Problems, and Solutions

Chapter 38. Monoliths “Unstrung,” Part 2: Refactoring std::string

Difficulty: 5

“All for one, and one for all” might work for musketeers, but it doesn't work nearly as well for class designers. Here's an example that is not altogether exemplary, and it illustrates just how badly you can go wrong when design turns into overdesign. The example is, unfortunately, taken from a standard library near you.

JG Question

1. Which member functions of std::string must be member functions? Why?

Guru Question

1. Which member functions of std::string should be members? Why?

2. Demonstrate why std::string's member functions at, clear, empty, and length can be provided as nonmember nonfriend functions without loss of generality or usability, and without impact on the rest of ...