operator overloading true and false

[xllx.relient.xllx@gmail.com]

Hi, there. I need two simple things explained to me:

1.) I want to know why the "true" overloaded operator method gets
called with a test to a null-initialized instance:

public class AnimalClass
{
public static bool operator true( AnimalClass lhs )
{
Console.WriteLi ne("In true operator");
return true;
}

public static bool operator false( AnimalClass lhs )
{
Console.WriteLi ne("In false operator");
return false;
}
}

public class MainClass
{
public static void Main( )
{
AnimalClass A = null;

if ( A )
Console.WriteLi ne("true");
}
}

// output: In true operator
// is true



2.) How can you call the "false" operator method? because I've tried to
in many ways and I cannot get it to be invoked - only "true" works.

Thanks,
relient.

[Rudderius]

Re: operator overloading true and false

I think this is because the overloaded operator is a static method, so
it needs no instance to work. secondly you do not use the parameter lhs
for this operator. Compare it to calling a static member return a fixed
value like
public static int GetInt()
{
return 0;
}

as far as i know, this must solve your problem:
public static bool operator true( AnimalClass lhs)
{
if (lhs != null)
{
Console.WriteLi ne("In true operator : return true");
return true;
}
else
{
Console.WriteLi ne("In true operator: return false");
return false;
}
}

xllx.relient.xl lx@gmail.com wrote:[color=blue]
> Hi, there. I need two simple things explained to me:
>
> 1.) I want to know why the "true" overloaded operator method gets
> called with a test to a null-initialized instance:
>
> public class AnimalClass
> {
> public static bool operator true( AnimalClass lhs )
> {
> Console.WriteLi ne("In true operator");
> return true;
> }
>
> public static bool operator false( AnimalClass lhs )
> {
> Console.WriteLi ne("In false operator");
> return false;
> }
> }
>
> public class MainClass
> {
> public static void Main( )
> {
> AnimalClass A = null;
>
> if ( A )
> Console.WriteLi ne("true");
> }
> }
>
> // output: In true operator
> // is true
>
>
>
> 2.) How can you call the "false" operator method? because I've tried to
> in many ways and I cannot get it to be invoked - only "true" works.
>
> Thanks,
> relient.
>[/color]

[Jon Skeet [C# MVP]]

Re: operator overloading true and false

<xllx.relient.x llx@gmail.com> wrote:[color=blue]
> Hi, there. I need two simple things explained to me:
>
> 1.) I want to know why the "true" overloaded operator method gets
> called with a test to a null-initialized instance:[/color]

<snip>

The compiler sees an AnimalClass expression which needs converting to
true/false, so it calls the true operator with the value of the
expression - which is null in this case.

<snip>
[color=blue]
> 2.) How can you call the "false" operator method? because I've tried to
> in many ways and I cannot get it to be invoked - only "true" works.[/color]

Hmm... looking at the spec, I can't see any examples of where it's
called. Odd.

I must say, I've *never* seen these operators used in production code -
I would suggest you steer clear of them providing an explicit method
call so that it's more obvious what's going on.

--
Jon Skeet - <skeet@pobox.co m>
http://www.pobox.com/~skeet Blog: http://www.msmvps.com/jon.skeet
If replying to the group, please do not mail me too