Initializers for Instances
Explore member initializer lists and direct attribute initialization within C++ classes. Understand how to properly initialize const and reference members to avoid errors and improve constructor clarity. Gain insight into the priority rules between class body initialization and constructor initializer lists, and learn how static and non-static members are handled. This lesson helps you manage class member initialization effectively in line with modern C++ standards.
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Member initializer lists #
An initializer list is used to initialize the members in the constructor of a class. The list is added before the body of the constructor.
Rather than creating the variables and then assigning values to them within the constructor’s body, an initializer list initializes the variables with their particular values. The list also makes the constructor’s implementation simpler and more readable.
One may wonder why this is useful. Well, consider ...