Methods

Published Oct 12, 2021Updated Mar 20, 2024
Contribute to Docs

C++ class methods are user-defined functions that can be used within an instance of the class. A dot notation . is used before method names to distinguish them from regular functions.

Class Methods

A class method can be defined in two ways:

  • Inside the class definition
  • Outside the class definition

Inside the Class

class Person {
string name;
public:
// Defines the method
string get_name() {
return name;
}
};
int main() {
Person robert;
// Calls the method
robert.get_name();
return 0;
}

Outside the Class

class Person {
string name;
public:
void get_name();
};
// Defines the method
void Person::get_name() {
cout << name << endl;
}
int main() {
Person robert;
// Calls the method
robert.get_name();
return 0;
}

Parameters can also be added to class methods:

class Person {
string name;
public:
// Defines the method
void set_name(string newName) {
name = newName;
}
string get_name() {
return name;
}
};
int main() {
Person robert;
// Sets the name class member
robert.set_name("Robert");
// Prints "Robert"
std::cout << robert.get_name();
return 0;
}

All contributors

Looking to contribute?

Learn C++ on Codecademy