Friend Classes and Functions

An introduction to the friend keyword, which allows classes to give other objects and functions enhanced access to its members

Ryan McCombe
Updated
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Questions & Answers

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Friend Functions and Encapsulation
How do friend functions and classes affect encapsulation?
Friend Functions vs. Public Members
When should I use friend functions instead of making members public?
Inheriting Friend Functions
Can friend functions be inherited by derived classes?
Self-Friend Class
Can a class befriend itself, and if so, what are the use cases?
Friend Function for Multiple Classes
Can a friend function access members of multiple classes?
Declaring Multiple Friends
What is the syntax for befriending multiple classes or functions at once?
Real-World Examples of Friend Functions
What are some real-world examples of using friend functions effectively?
Inline Friend Functions
Can a friend function be declared inline, and what are the implications?
Friend Functions and Virtual Inheritance
How do friend functions and classes work with virtual inheritance?
Overloaded Friend Functions
What happens if a friend function is overloaded?
Friend Functions in Namespaces
Can we have a friend function in a namespace?