Pure Virtual Method Problems

Development Suggestions for the Arduino Project
#1

I have found a few posts here and there and on avr freaks about there being problems with pure virtual methods. Has there been a good fix for this yet? I just ran across the problem using Arduino 0022.

#2

On a PC, it is possible for the run-time library to trap a call to a pure virtual function and do something useful; typically report a run-time error and terminate the application. The same is not true for a microcontroller. How is the application terminated? How should the fault be reported? How much code space are you willing to give up to be able to trap the fault?

I suggest avoiding pure virtual functions.

#3

Is there any other way to do "interfaces" in C++, other than using pure abstract classes?

Iain

#4

Yes. ABCs are a special case in that they can not be directly instantiated - they can only be used as a base class. You are always free to use non-ABCs for your base classes. Simply declare the methods virtual and provide a default implementation. Override the default behavior in your derived class with whichever implementation you desire.

#5 
class Interface
{
public:

  virtual unsigned AddRef( void ) = 0;
};

class Whatever : public Interface
{
public:

  virtual unsigned AddRef( void )
  {
    return( ++_refs );
  }
  
private:
  unsigned _refs;
};

void setup( void )
{
  Whatever t;
  Interface* i;
  
  i = &t;
  
  i->AddRef();
}

void loop( void )
{
}

A better choice...

class Interface
{
public:

  virtual unsigned AddRef( void )
  {
    return( 0 );
  }
};

@davez5: What are the problems?

#6