C++0x initializer list example

Question

I would like to see how this example of existing code would be able to take advantage of the C++0x initializer list feature.

Example0:

#include <vector>
#include <string>
struct Ask {
    std::string prompt;
    Ask(std::string a_prompt):prompt(a_prompt){}
};
struct AskString : public Ask{
    int min;
    int max;
    AskString(std::string a_prompt, int a_min, int a_max):
        Ask(a_prompt), min(a_min), max(a_max){}
};
int main()
{
    std::vector<Ask*> ui;
    ui.push_back(new AskString("Enter your name: ", 3, 25));
    ui.push_back(new AskString("Enter your city: ", 2, 25));
    ui.push_back(new Ask("Enter your age: "));
}

Would it support something like this:

Example1:

std::vector<Ask*> ui ={
    AskString("Enter your name: ", 3, 25),
    AskString("Enter your city: ", 2, 25),
    Ask("Enter your age: ")
    };

Or must it have literals like this?:

Example2:

std::vector<Ask*> ui ={
    {"Enter your name: ", 3, 25},
    {"Enter your city: ", 2, 25},
    {"Enter your age: "}
    };

If so how would the difference between AskString and Ask be handled?

Solution

You last examples wouldn't be allowed as you ask for pointers but try to provide local temporary objects instead.

std::vector<Ask*> ui ={
    new AskString{"Enter your name: ", 3, 25},
    new AskString{"Enter your city: ", 2, 25},
    new Ask{"Enter your age: "}
    };

That would be allowed and there would be no type ambiguity.

That would be right too :

std::vector<Ask*> ui ={
        new AskString("Enter your name: ", 3, 25),
        new AskString("Enter your city: ", 2, 25),
        new Ask("Enter your age: ")
        };

And your example is more like :

std::vector<Ask> ui ={  // not pointers
    {"Enter your name: "},
    {"Enter your city: "},
    {"Enter your age: "}
    };

std::vector<AskString> uiString ={  // not pointers
    {"Enter your name: ", 3, 25},
    {"Enter your city: ", 2, 25},
    {"Enter your age: ", 7, 42}
    };

and again there would be no ambiguity on the types.

Comments

[mmmmmmmm]

If you use std::vector<Ask> you could not add AskString!

[rlbond]

I thought AskString was a function that returned an Ask, silly me.

[Johannes Schaub - litb]

This is not true. A C++ initializer_list is, but not a initializer list.