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Home > Namespace mechanism


A namespace, in the context of computer programming, refers to the concept of the name of a construct, variable or constant, and within which scopes it is visible.

Example:

class Chicken () : public Bird { public: int nWings = 2; int nLegs = 2; int bFlight = FALSE; void Cluck () {} } class Hen () : public Chicken { public: void LayEggs () {} } class Cock () : public Chicken { public: void Cockadoodledoo () {} } void main () { Chicken* pClucker; // Chicken pointers can be used with Chickens, Hens and Cocks pClucker = new Hen; // create a Hen // The functions Cockadoodledoo (), Cluck (), and LayEggs () are not available at this scope. // They are within a different namespace. Cluck (); // This function call will fail, there is no Cluck () in this namespace. LayEggs (); // This function call will fail, there is no LayEggs () in this namespace. // These function calls will succeed, because they are being called within a different namespace. pClucker -> Cluck (); // you can call a Chicken function through a Chicken pointer pClucker -> LayEggs (); // you can call a Hen function through a Chicken pointer // If we define Cluck () outside the context of a Chicken... void Cluck () {} // ...this function call will now succeed. Cluck (); // Note that these two function calls... pClucker -> Cluck (); Cluck (); // Now do two different things, because they are being called from different namespaces; // the Chicken namespace, and the main () namespace. }

(This example may have confused the concept of "scope" with the concept of "namespace". Please adjust accordingly.)

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