classes overview

[tirzanello]

hi all,
I'm "converting" a C program into C++. Before writing down code, I want
to redesign the whole structure in OO, I can do it with the old
pencil&paper but I'm searching a program to make more easy this step,
nothing complex, just something easy to use and to understand that can
give an overview of classes structure. Do you have any hint?

thanks!!

[Frederick Gotham]

posted:

hi all,
I'm "converting" a C program into C++. Before writing down code, I want
to redesign the whole structure in OO, I can do it with the old
pencil&paper but I'm searching a program to make more easy this step,
nothing complex, just something easy to use and to understand that can
give an overview of classes structure. Do you have any hint?

If you have a load of functions which look like the following:

void Initialise(Type *p);
void Func1(Type *p, int i);
int Func2(Type *p);
double *Func3(Type *p, unsigned long i);
void Func4(Type*p);
void Destroy(Type *p);

Then you might consider changing it to:

class Type {
public:

Type()
{
/* Instead of "Initialise" */
}

~Type()
{
/* Instead of "Destroy" */
}

void Func1(int i);
int Func2();
double *Func3(unsigned long i);
void Func4();

};

--

Frederick Gotham

[Daniel T.]

In article <11**********************@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups .com>,
ti********@gmail.com wrote:

hi all,
I'm "converting" a C program into C++. Before writing down code, I want
to redesign the whole structure in OO, I can do it with the old
pencil&paper but I'm searching a program to make more easy this step,
nothing complex, just something easy to use and to understand that can
give an overview of classes structure. Do you have any hint?

thanks!!

Get the book "Refactoring" by Martin Fowler, and possibly
"Object-Oriented Design Heuristics" by Arthur Riel. There is no easy way
to make the changes you are asking about, start with the lowest level
components and work your way up and good luck.

[tirzanello]

ti********@gmail.com wrote:
[cut]

nothing complex, just something easy to use and to understand that can
give an overview of classes structure. Do you have any hint?

thank you guys for your answers!
I haven't explained so good, my question was more easy, actually!
Even if I'm not a guru, I know how to program in C++, I'm just
searching a simple software to write the structure of the project (as
diagrams for example), just to don't write by hand. Probably it is a
stupid question, I'm planning the class structure of the whole project
and I'm searching a way to do it not on paper (as usually I'm
habituated) but on PC, with a software easy to use, better if it is
printer-friendly... that's all!

thanks again!!
Mauro

[shadowman615]

ti********@gmail.com wrote:

ti********@gmail.com wrote:
[cut]

nothing complex, just something easy to use and to understand that can
give an overview of classes structure. Do you have any hint?

thank you guys for your answers!
I haven't explained so good, my question was more easy, actually!
Even if I'm not a guru, I know how to program in C++, I'm just
searching a simple software to write the structure of the project (as
diagrams for example), just to don't write by hand. Probably it is a
stupid question, I'm planning the class structure of the whole project
and I'm searching a way to do it not on paper (as usually I'm
habituated) but on PC, with a software easy to use, better if it is
printer-friendly... that's all!

thanks again!!
Mauro

Try a google search for 'UML Design Tool' There are loads of free (and
paid-for) tools that should help you do what you're asking.

[Marcus Kwok]

ti********@gmail.com wrote:

ti********@gmail.com wrote:
[cut]

>nothing complex, just something easy to use and to understand that can
give an overview of classes structure. Do you have any hint?

thank you guys for your answers!
I haven't explained so good, my question was more easy, actually!
Even if I'm not a guru, I know how to program in C++, I'm just
searching a simple software to write the structure of the project (as
diagrams for example), just to don't write by hand. Probably it is a
stupid question, I'm planning the class structure of the whole project
and I'm searching a way to do it not on paper (as usually I'm
habituated) but on PC, with a software easy to use, better if it is
printer-friendly... that's all!

Maybe look into UML (unified modeling language). A Google search
probably will lead to you software designed for this. Also, maybe try
asking on comp.programming or comp.object.

--
Marcus Kwok
Replace 'invalid' with 'net' to reply

[Phlip]

tirzanello wrote:

I'm "converting" a C program into C++.

Why?

Before writing down code, I want
to redesign the whole structure in OO, I can do it with the old
pencil&paper but I'm searching a program to make more easy this step,
nothing complex, just something easy to use and to understand that can
give an overview of classes structure. Do you have any hint?

Nobody designs a program from scratch like that - even if it's a rewrite of
a pre-existing program.

The best technique is to alternate tiny design phases with tiny code (and
test) phases. Each step will cross-verify the other steps. That forces your
design to be implementable, useful, and testable.

If the current program has a design - even a C-style one - then it is far
above any "new UML design" you could draw. Your C program, presumably,
works. Any UML design you make might be pretty, but it _won't_work_ for a
very long time. You don't need that burden; you need to rapidly return value
to whoever hired you.

Please carefully reconsider why you want to rewrite this. If the answer is
"personal education", then by all means dive in and have fun. Use any
technique that tickles you.

If the answer is "to maintain the value of this code, while adding new
features", then read /Working Effectively with Legacy Code/ by Mike
Feathers, and change the code as incrementally as possible.

One important (and mercifully reversible) change you can start now is simply
recompiling the code as C-style C++ code. You may get syntax errors (and may
get the occassional crash). Forcing the code over this hump will improve it,
because C++ can be used more typesafely than C.

--
Phlip
http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?ZeekLand <-- NOT a blog!!!