pointer to class with nested class

[Elqno]

Hello everybody:

i have a question, and it's about using a pointer (just one declared) pointing to a class that has a nested class, the example code is like this:

class a_class{
   int *a;
   public:
      class b_class{
         int *b;
         public:
            b_class(){
               b = new int;
               *b = 3;}
      };
};

i know dat with pointers inside a class i should create constructors, but let us just skip that part, because isn't part of the problem; so when i created a pointer to the main class called a_class was like this:

a_class *ptr = new a_class;

and after i made something like this:

a_class::b_class *ptr2 = new a_class::b_class;

so this will create a pointer for the b_class alone, but i want to know how to do in just one pointer, i mean in *ptr, work with the b_class, being in the public part in a_class and the elements of b_class having them in the private, like in the example that i wrote up, because i tried something like this:

ptr::b_class->b_class();

and the same with

ptr->b_class->b_class();

or

ptr->b_class.b_class();

i don't know how to do it, i tried a lot of combinations and nothing, if anybody knows the answer please let me know, one more question, how it will be if b_class is nested in the private section of a_class, and a final one, where is use nesting in classes, in the public or private section, or depends of what i want??

thxs for all

[tavianator]

You should have a member of a_class point to an instance of a_class::b_class.

[weaknessforcats]

Yes, the thing woth nested classes is tjat they have the scope of the enclosing class but are not members of the class.

You would need an a_class contructor to make a call to a b_class constructor to initialize a b_class object or pointer that is a member of a_class (i.e. a data member).