__PureVirtualCalled

[What Ever]

Hi,

I got __PureVirtualCa lled exception when I have defined a public
function in the base class, and its implementation calls number of
"pure virtual functions", which are overridden in the derived class.

For example

class Base
{
public:
void foo();
virtual ~Base();
private:
virtual void pure1() = 0;
virtual void pure2() = 0;
virtual void pure3() = 0;
};

void Base::foo()
{
pure1();
pure2();
pure3();
}

class Derived : public Base
{
private:
void pure1();
void pure2();
void pure3();
};

void Derived::pure1( )
{
// do something
}

void Derived::pure2( )
{
// do something
}

void Derived::pure3( )
{
// do something
}

Can someone please explain to me why I would be getting
__PureVirtualCa lled exception? Can't I call a pure virtual function
from the base class. BTW, as you have seen I did not provide any
implementation for the pure virtual in base class.

I'm using HP's aCC compiler.

Thanks in advance.

[Victor Bazarov]

Re: __PureVirtualCa lled

"What Ever" <my_google2001@ yahoo.com> wrote...[color=blue]
> I got __PureVirtualCa lled exception when I have defined a public
> function in the base class, and its implementation calls number of
> "pure virtual functions", which are overridden in the derived class.
>
> For example
>
> class Base
> {
> public:
> void foo();
> virtual ~Base();
> private:
> virtual void pure1() = 0;
> virtual void pure2() = 0;
> virtual void pure3() = 0;
> };
>
> void Base::foo()
> {
> pure1();
> pure2();
> pure3();
> }
>
> class Derived : public Base
> {
> private:
> void pure1();
> void pure2();
> void pure3();
> };
>
> void Derived::pure1( )
> {
> // do something
> }
>
> void Derived::pure2( )
> {
> // do something
> }
>
> void Derived::pure3( )
> {
> // do something
> }
>
> Can someone please explain to me why I would be getting
> __PureVirtualCa lled exception?[/color]

Cannot tell. Where do you call 'foo'? From the c-tor?
[color=blue]
> Can't I call a pure virtual function
> from the base class.[/color]

You can. The result depends on where the call originates.
If it originates from a constructor or the destructor, the
result is undefined.
[color=blue]
> BTW, as you have seen I did not provide any
> implementation for the pure virtual in base class.[/color]

You can call a pure virtual function from the constructor, but
in that case the call will _not_ be polymorphic. The derived
class object, which overrides those functions, has not been
constructed yet, so the call is resolved statically. If you do
not have a definition (body) for the pure virtual function you
are trying to call from a c-tor, the behaviour is undefined.

It's basically like dereferencing a null pointer.

This is one of the most dramatic differences between C++ and
Java, for example. The latter allows calling virtual functions
from constructor and does that polymorphically . So, you end up
inside a member of the derived class when the derived object
hasn't even begun constructing! Yecch...

Victor

[What Ever]

Re: __PureVirtualCa lled

my_google2001@y ahoo.com (What Ever) wrote in message news:<feb43be.0 308131651.47d82 b9a@posting.goo gle.com>...[color=blue]
> Hi,
>
> I got __PureVirtualCa lled exception when I have defined a public
> function in the base class, and its implementation calls number of
> "pure virtual functions", which are overridden in the derived class.
>
> For example
>
> class Base
> {
> public:
> void foo();
> virtual ~Base();
> private:
> virtual void pure1() = 0;
> virtual void pure2() = 0;
> virtual void pure3() = 0;
> };
>
> void Base::foo()
> {
> pure1();
> pure2();
> pure3();
> }
>
> class Derived : public Base
> {
> private:
> void pure1();
> void pure2();
> void pure3();
> };
>
> void Derived::pure1( )
> {
> // do something
> }
>
> void Derived::pure2( )
> {
> // do something
> }
>
> void Derived::pure3( )
> {
> // do something
> }
>
> Can someone please explain to me why I would be getting
> __PureVirtualCa lled exception? Can't I call a pure virtual function
> from the base class. BTW, as you have seen I did not provide any
> implementation for the pure virtual in base class.
>
> I'm using HP's aCC compiler.
>
> Thanks in advance.[/color]


Victor, and David thanks for your time. No, I am not calling a virtual
function from the constructor. The problem was in my makefile, I
changed signatures of some of the functions, and that did not force
the recompilation of certain source files. I am guessing that caused
the problem, a complete re-build fixed it.

Thanks again.