Access attributes of an object vector of another class using C++ pointers

Question

I am doing a job for the college in which I have to put together a program to manage a restaurant that only makes deliveries the orders are made by phone and internet using object orientation and pointers in C++.

I’m doing it this way:

Use two files for each class one .cpp and a .hpp, below my implementation Client class.

Client.

#ifndef CLIENTE_HPP
#define CLIENTE_HPP

#include "Principal.hpp"
#include "Bibliotecas.hpp"

class Cliente {

    public:
        Cliente();

        int idCliente;
        string enderecoCliente;
        string nomeCliente;
        string cpfCliente;

        void inserirCliente();
        void alterarCliente();
        void listarCliente();
        void incrementaVetor();
        int excluirCliente();
        int pesquisar(int id);        

        virtual ~Cliente();
    protected:
    private:
        Cliente *clientes;
        Principal *principal;
        int TAM;
        int cont;
        int indice;
};

#endif // CLIENTE_HPP

Client.cpp

include "Cliente.hpp"

Cliente::Cliente() {

    idCliente = 0;
    enderecoCliente = "";
    nomeCliente = "";
    cpfCliente = "";

    TAM = 2;
    cont = 1;
    indice = 0;

    clientes =  NULL;
    principal = new Principal();
}

void Cliente::inserirCliente() {

    if(clientes == NULL) {
        clientes = new Cliente[TAM];
    }

    cout << "\n";
    principal->centralizaTexto("Cadastro de Clientes");
    cout << "\n";

    cout << endl << endl;
    principal->alinhaTexto("ID Cliente: ", 5, 14);
    cout << cont << endl;
    clientes[indice].idCliente = cont;
    cout << endl;
    cin.ignore();

    do {
        principal->alinhaTexto("Informe o nome: ", 6, 14);
        getline(cin, clientes[indice].nomeCliente);
        cout << endl;
    } while(clientes[indice].nomeCliente == "");

    do {
        principal->alinhaTexto("Informe o endereço: ", 6, 14);
        getline(cin, clientes[indice].enderecoCliente);
        cout << endl;
    } while(clientes[indice].enderecoCliente == "");

    do {
        principal->alinhaTexto("Informe o número do CPF: ", 6, 14);
        getline(cin, clientes[indice].cpfCliente);
        cout << endl;
    } while(clientes[indice].cpfCliente == "");

    cont++;
    indice++;

    if(indice == TAM) {
        incrementaVetor();
    }

    cout << endl;
    principal->centralizaTexto("Cliente cadastrado com sucesso!", 10);
    principal->pause();
}

int Cliente::excluirCliente()  { ... }

void Cliente::alterarCliente() { ... }

void Cliente::listarCliente() { ... }

void Cliente::incrementaVetor()  { ... }

int Cliente::pesquisar(int id) {
    for(int i = 0; i < indice; i++) {
        if (clientes[i].idCliente == id)
            return i;
    }
    return -1;
}

I have two more classes implemented in this way Menu and Driver. But my problem is in the class I have to do now, which is the Requests class, where I need to search for the information contained in the object vectors of the other classes (vectors are pointers). For example I need from within the Orders class to access the client name variable of any of the clients vector to pick up its content.

My class Requests for now this way:

Requests.hpp

#ifndef PEDIDOS_HPP
#define PEDIDOS_HPP

#include "Principal.hpp"
#include "Bibliotecas.hpp"
#include "Cliente.hpp"

class Pedidos {
    public:
        Pedidos();

        int idPedido;
        string clientePedido;
        string motoristaPedido;
        string itemsPedido;
        string placaVeiculoPedido;

        void inserirPedido();
        void alterarPedido();
        void listarPedido();
        void incrementaVetor();
        int excluirPedido();
        int pesquisar(int id);

        virtual ~Pedidos();
    protected:
    private:
        Cliente *clientes;
};

#endif // PEDIDOS_HPP

Requests.cpp

#include "Pedidos.hpp"
#include "Cliente.hpp"

Pedidos::Pedidos() {
    idPedido = 0;
    clientePedido = "";
    motoristaPedido = "";
    itemsPedido = "";
    placaVeiculoPedido = "";
}

void Pedidos::inserirPedido() {

}

void Pedidos::alterarPedido() {}
void Pedidos::listarPedido() {}
void Pedidos::incrementaVetor() {}
int Pedidos::excluirPedido() {}
int Pedidos::pesquisar(int id) {}

Pedidos::~Pedidos() {
    //dtor
}

I tried several ways, some gave access error and closed the program others the program continued but did not show the result.

Another question is how much my research function is in the class Cliente, how do I return an object of the pointer type?

Answer 1

I think that this question is far from being answered as you wish, and even if this answer does not answer what has been asked I will try to put you on the right path for later we see specific problems.

I see a serious error in having a pointer to Cliente within the class itself Cliente. Although technically this is possible in a few cases it makes sense to do this. And even not knowing your exercise I find it odd that this is necessary, customer is client, customer collection is something totally separate.

By the way, since you are programming in C++ why not use Vector<T> in place of the pointer, it has numerous advantages.

Is it a job requirement? Are you sure? Is this written? Is there any reason why the work has to be done the wrong way?

I don’t know what class does Principal but I doubt I need to have an instance of it within the class Cliente, and probably any other. Maybe it has its usefulness in a static way but not as an instance.

I won’t complain about mixing the use of business rules with user interface in the same class because it is an exercise, but this is conceptually wrong and in real code should never be done this way.

If there were this simplification it would be easier to find errors, or perhaps it would be more difficult to make them. Organization is fundamental in programming.

You still have the error to initialize array of customers only when inserting something in it, but as this is already all wrong nor do I think this is the biggest problem.

It doesn’t make sense to have one either array of Cliente or even a Vector<Cliente> within the order. Because the order would need to access all customers?

There are a few more small problems but this gives an idea of how complicated it is.

Without solving misconceptions it will be difficult to find a solution that really solves anything. Of course we could tell you what to do on top of this, but the problem would only increase.

Think about how things really are. Understand that Pedido is something very different from Pedidos. The second is composed of several objects of the first, there is a relationship between them, but they are different things. Do something else cohesive and understand how to make a aggregation.

Even if we were to help above all, there is still a lack of information to give a more objective answer. You don’t have a specific problem yet.

That’s the best I can do right now.