Default member initializers

To understand default member initializers, let’s consider a simple example in C++:

class Person {
public:
    std::string name = "John Doe";
    int age = 30;
    bool hasJob = false;
};

In the above code, we have defined a Person class with three member variables: name, age, and hasJob. Notice how we directly initialize these variables to their default values within their declarations.

With default member initializers, we no longer need to explicitly initialize these variables in the class constructor. Now, if we create an instance of the Person class without providing any values, the member variables will already have their default values set.

Person person;
std::cout << person.name << std::endl;     // Output: John Doe
std::cout << person.age << std::endl;      // Output: 30
std::cout << person.hasJob << std::endl;   // Output: 0

In the above code, we create a Person object named person and access its member variables. Since we haven’t provided any values explicitly, the default member initializers take effect, and the variables are already initialized with their default values.

Default member initializers can be especially beneficial when dealing with complex class hierarchies where different derived classes may have different default values for shared member variables. By using default member initializers, we can manage default values more efficiently and reduce code duplication.

In conclusion, default member initializers allow us to initialize class members directly in their declarations, providing default values and ensuring consistent initial states. This feature enhances code readability and maintainability, making it easier to work with object-oriented programming languages.

#Cplusplus #ObjectOrientedProgramming