"djm" <djmlog103@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1192520873.134114.54960@i38g2000prf.googlegro ups.com...
> On Oct 16, 12:40 pm, "Jim Langston" <tazmas...@rocketmail.com> wrote:
>> "djm" <djmlog...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>
>> news:1192519330.761691.111890@k35g2000prh.googlegr oups.com...
>>
>>
>>
>> > hi,
>> > lets say ive this struct array in my header file
>>
>> > public:
>> > IndepHTable();
>> > private:
>> > struct
>> > {
>> > string word;
>> > List defList;
>> > } dictionary[TABLE_SIZE];
>>
>> > how can i make the elements in the array null from the constructor?
>>
>> > will this work?
>>
>> > IndepHTable::IndepHTable()
>> > {
>>
>> > word.clear();
>> > defList=NULL;
>>
>> > }
>> > or something like
>> > this?
>>
>> > IndepHTable::IndepHTable(dictionary l)
>> > {
>> > for(int i=0;i<29;i++)
>> > {
>> > l[i].word.clear();
>> > l[i].defList=NULL;
>> > }
>> > }
>>
>> > i tried but none of the work. can someone me out?
>> > thanks
>>
>> if your string is a std::string then it will already be "cleared". I
>> don't
>> know what your List is, what does it's default constructor do?
>>
>> You are saying defList = NULL, but that presumes that List is a pointer,
>> is
>> it? Probably not, it's probably a class.
>>
>> Most likely, you won't have to do anything, although, again, it depends
>> on
>> what List is.
>
> sorry for the lack of info.
> the pruporse is to make a linked list with rehasing techniques. the
> list is a class and that has nodes, the values of the objects in the
> nodes are made in to initial values by thier constructors, as you said
> i realise that i dont need to make the defList to NULL cuz its already
> made null. but what about the string? what if i want to make it null
> so that it wont have any garbage values when i declare them?

A std::string already gets initialized to "" by it's default consturctor.
So you don't have to do anything. If you really really really want to
though you could do:

IndepHTable::IndepHTable(): world("")
{
}

but "" is what the default constructor uses if you don't pass it anything
(which you don't by not calling a constructor specifically.

In main line this is the difference between:

std::string word;
std::string word("");

They both make word initialize to "". I.E. no net change with one over the
other.