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Friend Function

A friend function allows non-member functions to access private and protected members of a class. A friend function is declared inside the class using the friend keyword. While it is not a member of the class, it has private access and can access private data as if it were a member. It is defined and used like a regular function, not as a class member.

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37 views7 pages

Friend Function

A friend function allows non-member functions to access private and protected members of a class. A friend function is declared inside the class using the friend keyword. While it is not a member of the class, it has private access and can access private data as if it were a member. It is defined and used like a regular function, not as a class member.

Uploaded by

Soumitra
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPSX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Friend Function

Friend Function
Any data which is declared private inside a class is
not accessible from outside the class.
A non-member function cannot have an access to
the private data of a class.
C++ support a special function to access private
data of class called friend function or friendly
fun.

2
Friend Function
A friend function is used to access private data in
a class from outside the class.
A friend function is not a member of a class but
has access to the class's private members.
To make a fun friend, the fun declaration should
be preceded by the keyword friend

3
Friend Function
Class s4
{
….
….
public:
friend void show();// declaration
};
Void show() // definition
{
…..
}
4
Friend Function
Friend fun def does not need the keyword and
scope resolution opr (::)
Friend fun are not in the scope of any class, so
they cannot invoked using class object.
They invoked like an ordinary function in c
language
A friend can be declared in any number of classes.

5
Friend Function
• class myclass {
• int a, b;
• public:
• friend int sum(myclass x);
• void set_ab(int i, int j);
• };
• void myclass::set_ab(int i, int j)
• { a = I; b = j; }
• int sum(myclass x)
• { return x.a + x.b; }
• int main()
• {
• myclass n;
• n.set_ab(3, 4);
• cout << sum(n);
• }

6
Friend Function
Characteristics
• The keyword friend is placed only in the function declaration of
the friend function and not in the function definition.
• It is possible to declare a function as friend in any number of
classes.
• When a class is declared as a friend, the friend class has access to
the private data of the class that made this a friend.
• A friend function, even though it is not a member function,
would have the rights to access the private members of the class.
• It is possible to declare the friend function as either private or
public.
• The function cannot be invoked with class object.
• The friend function has its argument as objects.

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