Exploring C++ 11, Second Edition

EXPLORATION 32

Assignment and Initialization

The final step needed to complete this stage of the rational type is to write assignment operators and to improve the constructors. It turns out C++ does some work for you, but you often want to fine-tune that work. Let’s find out how.

Assignment Operator

Until now, all the rational operators have been free functions. The assignment operator is different. The C++ standard requires that it be a member function. One way to write this function is shown in Listing 32-1.

Listing 32-1.  First Version of the Assignment Operator

struct rational{  rational(int num, int den)  : numerator{num}, denominator{den} ...