pointers....

[Paul McKenzie]

Ok I'm sorry but the answers didn't digest quite well. Even though I'm sure an average person would've got it by now, but I didn't.

	string& getCompanyName() {return companyName;};
	string& getTitle() {return title;};

What practical purpose would you have of returning a reference to a string? Just return the string.

	string getCompanyName() {return companyName;};
	string getTitle() {return title;};

What if I want to get the company name, and in some other non-related function, write that name to a file, long after the object is gone? You can't do that with the code you posted, since that reference is tied to the object.

By returning a string, that string can last beyond the life the object.

Regards,

Paul McKenzie

[armen_shlang]

skanthaverl, I understand what you mean and why to make the firstjob a reference and the secondjob a pointer. However, I'm having problems trying to code it....I'm a kinda newbie tackling really hard. This is what i got so far, and it's completly wrong, how can i fix this according to what you said...

class Job
{
public:
	Job(string compName, string titl, double sal)
		: companyName(compName), title(titl), salary(sal){};
	Job(){};
	string& getCompanyName() {return companyName;};
	string& getTitle()		 {return title;};
	double	getSalary()		 {return salary;};
	
	void setCompanyName(string name) {companyName = name;};
	void setTitleName(string name) {title = name;};
	void setSalery(double name) {salary = name;};


private:
	string companyName;
	string title;
	double salary; 
};
//*********************************************************8
class person
{
public:
	person(string name, string last, string compName, string title, double sal)
	: m_name(name), m_last(last), m_firstJob(compName,title,sal)
	{};
	int getAge(){return m_age;};
	string getName(){return m_name;};
	string getLast(){return m_last;};

	void setAge(int age) {m_age = age;};
	Job& get1stJob(){ return m_firstJob;};
	//------------------------------------
	Job* get2ndJob(){ return &m_secondJob;};


private:
	string	m_name;
	string	m_last;
	int	m_age;
	Job&	m_firstJob;
	Job*	m_secondJob;

};
//*********************************************************

void main()
{
person RafaelB("Rafael","BakerMan", "Starbucks", "maneger", 8.50);
RafaelB.setAge(22);
cout << RafaelB.getName() << " --" << RafaelB.getLast() << " --" << RafaelB.getAge() << endl;
cout << RafaelB.get1stJob().getCompanyName() << " --" << 
RafaelB.get1stJob().getTitle() << " --" << RafaelB.get1stJob().getSalary() << endl;
}

[skanthaverl]

to get your code compiled, you need to fix the following things..
1. include the follwoing in the top

#include <string>
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

2. in your get2ndJob() you need to have

Job* get2ndJob(){ return m_secondJob;};

not return &m_secondJob; because, m_secondJob itself is a Job* type, and your get2ndJob() expect a Job* as it's return type. so simply return m_secondJob. if you say &m_secondJob, you are returning a pointer to pointer to Job, ie Job** type.

3. In your initialisation list, to init m_firstJob, you need to pass an instance/reference of a Job object; not the Job's constructor parameters.
it will be like this

person(string name, string last, string compName, string title, double sal, Job&    job): m_name(name), m_last(last), m_firstJob(job){};

note that I've changed the signature of the constructor person(.......). do necessary changes in the main() as well.

now your code should be OK.

[Plasmator]

ASDKJGASDJKASDASD!!!!111
main returns an int, not anything else.

[armen_shlang]

Thank you,
I didn't know How to have the m_firstJob() to take only one argument also I didn't know about the constructor and how to write the member initialization list.

One last thing...
How do declare it in the main function...what should i have in the last argument.

	person RafaelB("Rafael","BakerMan", "Starbucks", "maneger", 8.50, ???);

also how can I initialize the m_secondJob inside the main.

Thank you very much again.
i stayed up all night for this concept.