Problem with cChannel's copy constructor

[macap20001 at compuserve.de (Martin Cap)]

Marcel Wiesweg wrote:
> ....
> It seems these two are not used in VDR except for one place (where I found 
> this), cSectionHandler::SetChannel. The value stored by cSectionHandle has 
> nid,tid,sid set to 0.
> In the line 
>   shp->channel = Channel ? *Channel : cChannel();
> there seems only the operator= involved, but actually the copy constructor is 
> invoked before the *Channel is given to opertator=.
> Attached is a short test program which illustrates the problem.
> 
> Solution is to make the copy constructor do copying.
> 

Hi,

first thing, in your code, you should return *this in the operator= (and 
check if &a equals 'this'), which, I assume, you just
forgot.

Now what the compiler does, is the following :
Assume this snippet from your code :
  ...
1:   A *pointer= &object;
2:   A second;
...
3:   second = pointer ? *pointer : A();

@3: The compiler creates a anonymous, automatic object for class A on 
compile-time and copies members from *pointer via its copy-constructor 
into it (setting d=0!). Then, the operator= gets called for second with 
the temporary object as an argument (hence, copying d=0 into second).

Try the attached code, which'll make it clearer, I presume...

Apparently, the copy-constructor in cChannel needs explanation...

-- 
---
Regards,
Martin Cap
-------------- next part --------------

#include <stdio.h>

#include <iostream>
using std::cerr;
using std::endl;

class A {
public:
A() {
cerr << __PRETTY_FUNCTION__ << " of " << this << endl;
   d=0;
}

//Define a copy constructor that does not copy
A(const A &a) {
	if(this == &a)
		return;

cerr << __PRETTY_FUNCTION__ << " of " << this << " with " << &a << endl;
   //cChannel's constructor does this:
   d=0;
   //Should be:
   //d=a.d;
}

A& operator=(const A &a) {
cerr << __PRETTY_FUNCTION__ << " of " << this << " with " << &a << endl;
	if(this == &a)
		return *this;

   d=a.d;
   
   return *this;
}

int d;

};

int main() {
   A object;
   object.d=5;
   
   A *pointer= &object;
   A second;
   
   cerr << "A object is " << &object << ", A *pointer is " << &*pointer << ", A second is " << &second << endl;;
   //Now trying to assign object to second. Should result in copying.
   //this assignment is done in sections.c:143
   second = ((&*pointer) ? *pointer : A());

   printf("Value of second's d is: %d\n\n", second.d);
   //no difference without the redirection BTW
   second = ((&*pointer) ? object : A());
   //Value of d is 0, should be 5
   printf("Value of second's d is: %d\n", second.d);

   return 0;
}