Operator overloading in C++ is a powerful feature that allows developers to redefine the functionality of operators for user-defined types, such as classes or structures. This capability enhances code readability and usability, making objects of custom types behave like built-in types.
Operators like +, -, or * are inherently designed to work with basic data types such as integers and floats. However, when dealing with complex objects like fractions, big integers, or complex numbers, these operators do not inherently know how to handle such types. Operator overloading bridges this gap, enabling intuitive operations on user-defined types.
For instance, using the + operator on complex numbers or custom data structures becomes seamless with operator overloading. This ensures cleaner, more maintainable code while preserving intuitive usage.
By leveraging operator overloading, developers can unlock greater flexibility and usability for their custom classes, creating a more robust and intuitive coding experience.
Operator overloading allows you to redefine how operators work for user-defined types, such as classes or structures.
This feature makes your classes behave like built-in types, enhancing code readability and usability.
why do we need operator overloading?
#include<iostream>
int main()
{
int a;
int b;
int c=a+b;
}
But if we need to perform on by using + is impossible but by using operator overloading is possible
// C++ Program to Demonstrate
// Operator Overloading
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
class complex {
private:
int real, imag;
public:
complex(int r = 0, int i = 0)
{
real = r;
imag = i;
}
complex operator+(complex const& obj)
{
complex res;
res.real = real + obj.real;
res.imag = imag + obj.imag;
return res;
}
void print() { cout << real << ” + i” << imag << ‘\n’; }
};
int main()
{
complex c1(10, 5), c2(2, 4);
complex c3 = c1 + c2;
c3.print();
}
Here’s a list of operators that can be overloaded:
Operators not involved in operator overloading:
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