RE: [Dev-C++] dynamic allocation and structs

[Ioannis V. <no...@ho...>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Per Westermark [mailto:pw...@ia...] 
> Sent: Friday, October 25, 2002 11:51 AM
> To: Ioannis Vranos
> Cc: 'Dev-C++ Mailing List'
> Subject: RE: [Dev-C++] dynamic allocation and structs
> 
> 
> The trick is that vector isn't programming. It is a standard 
> - and very
> old - mathematical term for a one-dimensional matrix.


Yes, but when we speak of C++ code, calling a built in array a "vector"
can only be confusing.



> There has been
> millions of vector implementations before STL did a template 
> version, and
> the probability of a finding a STL construct in a C program 
> is not that
> high :-)


Yes, but it still can be confusing to C++ programmers.



> 
> While code might syntactically switch around between
> (*a).x,
> a->x
> a[0].x
> 
> the third form is definitely dangerous to use when a is only 
> a pointer to
> a single element. If there is an element zero, the logical 
> conclusion is
> that there must be a element one.


Yes, if there is only one element i would use the -> only. When we have
more the [] is more suitable. Both are valid.




> 
> While one goal of programming is to make the programs work, 
> it shouldn't
> be neglected that comming generations of programmers 
> inherriting old code
> does immediately see what the code does. When seeing a x[0] 
> statement, the
> natural reaction is - or should be - to start hunt for the 
> total size of
> the vector.


Yes. However i did created a 200x100 array on the free store so the
second [] was suitable. :)


Ioannis

* Ioannis Vranos
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