about the private data member

[stonny]

class Number
{
public:
Number(int num=0):private_number(num) {};

void compare(const Number & another_number_class) const
{
if(this->private_number == another_number_class.private_number)
std::cout<<"the two classes have the same numbers !"<<std::endl;
else
std::cout<<"the two classes have different numbers !"<<std::endl;
};

private:
int private_number;
};

In this class Number, the function "compare" can reach the private
data member of both current object and "the parameter object". Is this
because both objects belong to the same class?

stonny

[Victor Bazarov]

stonny wrote:

class Number
{
public:
Number(int num=0):private_number(num) {};

void compare(const Number & another_number_class) const
{
if(this->private_number == another_number_class.private_number)
std::cout<<"the two classes have the same numbers !"<<std::endl;
else
std::cout<<"the two classes have different numbers !"<<std::endl;
};

private:
int private_number;
};

In this class Number, the function "compare" can reach the private
data member of both current object and "the parameter object". Is this
because both objects belong to the same class?

Yes.

V
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[Martin York]

On May 14, 3:40 pm, stonny <[e-mail]:

Is this
because both objects belong to the same class?

stonny

Yes.
You can consider a class to be a friend of itself.

[Daniel T.]

stonny <zh************@gmail.comwrote:

Other's have answered your direct question. I want to go over your code
and point out some issues that might help you understand it better...

class Number
{
public:
Number(int num=0):private_number(num) {};

Calling the variable "another_number_class" is incorrect. It is an
object that is a Number, not an object of some other class. Make sure
you understand the distinction between object and class.

void compare(const Number & another_number_class) const
{
if(this->private_number == another_number_class.private_number)
std::cout<<"the two classes have the same numbers!"<<std::endl;
else
std::cout<<"the two classes have different numbers!"<<std::endl;
};

This might be more comprehensible:

void compare( const Number& that ) const
{
if ( this->private_number == that->private_number )
cout << "the two objects have the same numbers!" << endl;
}

Note, both objects, "this" object and "that" object, are of the same
class.

private:
int private_number;
};

In this class Number, the function "compare" can reach the private
data member of both current object and "the parameter object". Is this
because both objects belong to the same class?