Too many member functions?

[Immortal Nephi]

My project grows large when I put too many member functions into one
class. The header file and source code file will have approximately
50,000 lines when one class contains thousand member functions. Is it
normal how C++ Compiler can compile large class without any problem?
Didn't C++ Compiler have rules to limit the number of member
functions?

One big object has complex operations how member variables and member
functions can be manipulated according to my design. I put almost
4,000 member functions inside one class. The class with 4,000 member
functions is compiled without any problems and it runs very well.

Can you do your best judgment? Is the practice best if I write one
large object? Please note that only very few 5-10 member functions
are public and other all thousand member functions are private.

Here is an example

// header
class Obj
{
public:
Obj();
~Obj();
void Run();

private:
void mfunc1();
void mfunc2();
......
......
......
void mfunc4000();
}

// source
void Obj::mfunc1()
{
}
.....
.....
.....
void Obj::mfunc4000()
{
}

These thousand member functions are like one big vtable pointer.
One big member function pointer array can be used to access all
thousand functions like this p_mfunc[xx][xx][xx](); This is neat when
I allow to group thousands functions into main functions, sub-
functions, and sub-sub-functions.
Are you sure that it is worth best practice? You are prepared to
do future project while you are working right now as I do.

Nephi

 

[Ian Collins]

My project grows large when I put too many member functions into one
class. The header file and source code file will have approximately
50,000 lines when one class contains thousand member functions. Is it
normal how C++ Compiler can compile large class without any problem?
Didn't C++ Compiler have rules to limit the number of member
functions?

One big object has complex operations how member variables and member
functions can be manipulated according to my design. I put almost
4,000 member functions inside one class. The class with 4,000 member
functions is compiled without any problems and it runs very well.

Can you do your best judgment? Is the practice best if I write one
large object? Please note that only very few 5-10 member functions
are public and other all thousand member functions are private.

That's seldom a good idea and it's definitely a short cut to
unmaintainable code.

Try and keep your classes small and focused on a particular task. Once
a class stars to do too much, it has lost its focus. Except where I'm
implementing a standard interface, I seldom have more than a dozen
member functions (or data members) in a class. The member functions are
also kept to around a dozen lines.

Once a class gets beyond this, factor out some functionality to a new
class. Once a function gets too long, factor out some functionality to
a new function.

 

[mlimber]

My project grows large when I put too many member functions into one
class.  The header file and source code file will have approximately
50,000 lines when one class contains thousand member functions.  Is it
normal how C++ Compiler can compile large class without any problem?
Didn't C++ Compiler have rules to limit the number of member
functions?

The is a QOI issue, not a standards issue.

One big object has complex operations how member variables and member
functions can be manipulated according to my design.  I put almost
4,000 member functions inside one class.  The class with 4,000 member
functions is compiled without any problems and it runs very well.

[snip]

And there are programs with 10000 lines of spaghetti code running fine
as well, but running well is not the only criterion for a good
program. Comprehensibility, maintainability, fragility, testability,
etc. also need to be considered. Encapsulation and data hiding are
tools we use to manage complexity. You have a chainsaw available; why
use the hacksaw? See any book on OO programming and/or these FAQs:

http://www.parashift.com/c++-faq-lite/classes-and-objects.html

These thousand member functions are like one big vtable pointer.
One big member function pointer array can be used to access all
thousand functions like this p_mfunc[xx][xx][xx](); This is neat when
I allow to group thousands functions into main functions, sub-
functions, and sub-sub-functions.

There are other ways to do this than a morbidly obese interface.

Cheers! --M

 

[Immortal Nephi]

My project grows large when I put too many member functions into one
class.  The header file and source code file will have approximately
50,000 lines when one class contains thousand member functions.  Is it
normal how C++ Compiler can compile large class without any problem?
Didn't C++ Compiler have rules to limit the number of member
functions?

One big object has complex operations how member variables and member
functions can be manipulated according to my design.  I put almost
4,000 member functions inside one class.  The class with 4,000 member
functions is compiled without any problems and it runs very well.

Can you do your best judgment?  Is the practice best if I write one
large object?  Please note that only very few 5-10 member functions
are public and other all thousand member functions are private.

Here is an example

// header
class Obj
{
public:
     Obj();
     ~Obj();
     void Run();

private:
     void mfunc1();
     void mfunc2();
     ......
     ......
     ......
     void mfunc4000();
}

// source
void Obj::mfunc1()
{
}
....
....
....
void Obj::mfunc4000()
{
}

     These thousand member functions are like one big vtable pointer.
One big member function pointer array can be used to access all
thousand functions like this p_mfunc[xx][xx][xx]();  This is neat when
I allow to group thousands functions into main functions, sub-
functions, and sub-sub-functions.
     Are you sure that it is worth best practice?  You are prepared to
do future project while you are working right now as I do.

How many member-variables are there in this class? How many of these
member-functions use all of the member-variables? How many of them don't
use any of the member-variables?- Hide quoted text -

Well, you may guess right, but not at all. You can use 100
member variables. Four thousand member functions have different
operations and states while they manipulate 100 member variables. You
are very careful to design a large class. You make sure that extra
member variables and member functions are not used or they are not
written in C++ source code.
The design of class is ideal to have thousand commands. Thousand
commands are used to manipulate robot or any simulator project. You
can define class in main function. You type few commands using cin
keyword. Then run class like this Object obj; obj.InputCommand("Move
arm"); obj.Run(); etc. You do not need to worry thousands member
functions when they are defined in private. They can run to process
complex operations and states. You used Object obj; to be loaded from
large static library or dynamic library.
Does I answer your question? I only need to know if C++ Compiler
has rules to limit the number of member functions. C++ Compiler might
fail on other machines such as 16 bit machine because large vtable
pointer does not have sufficient memory. On all x86 machines and
other machines using 32 bit and 64 bit will run fine when C++ Compiler
is compiled successfully. It is my concern of memory issues.
I think that between 16KB and 2 MB size of vtable should be
sufficient. On 32 bit machine, 4000 member functions + 100 member
variables times 4 bytes and vtable has 16KB size.

Nephi

 

[Ian Collins]

Well, you may guess right, but not at all. You can use 100
member variables. Four thousand member functions have different
operations and states while they manipulate 100 member variables. You
are very careful to design a large class. You make sure that extra
member variables and member functions are not used or they are not
written in C++ source code.

No, you should be very careful *not* to design such a large class. If
you do everything in one class, you may as well not bother with the
class at all.

 

[baalbek]

Immortal Nephi wrote:
<a lengthy explanation of a 1000 member method class>

Nephi, please, PLEASE DO NOT design classes like this!

Goddamn man, I'm almost thinking you are spamming this ng, for some
strange reason.

Break down your mega-class into smaller, more "focused" classes, each
class having a more limited responsibility.

Where on earth have you picked up your object oriented skills? Just
wondering, so I do not send my kids to this place!

Regards,
baalbek