If two parent classes contain members with the same name then you must use the resolution operator when working with those members. The definition of a class that inherits from a single parent is almost always easier to understand and less prone to errors.
You can implement the same functionality using composition, although logically it may look confusing.
Handling constructors with multiple inheritance
can be cumbersome...
– If Person requires values for ID number and
name, Student requires a grade, Employee
requires an hourly rate, and StudentEmployee
requires a limit on the number of hours allowed to
work per week:
StudentEmployee (int idNum, string name,
double grade, double hourlyRate, int
workHoursLimit) : StudentEmployee
(workHoursLimit), Person(idNum, name),
Student(grade), Employee(hourlyRate) { }
Consider the following implementation of a
constructor for class A.
A::A(string a, string b, int c, int
d, int e, int f, float g, float h,
char i): B(d, e, f), C(g, h, i){}
This may be interpreted in multiple ways,
depending on the possible class relationships.
Class A could inherit from class B and class C,
and is passing on information to the constructors
for those classes.
– Multiple inheritance relationship.
or ...
Class A could contain objects B and C which are
initialised using constructors which take the
information passed to them.
– Composition relationship.
or ...
Some mix of this.
– Inheritance and composition.
or ...
Inheritance from B which inherits virtually from C.
– Note that the compiler will complain if B or C isn’t either
a direct base class or virtual.
