C++ Declaring an enum within a class
- by bporter
In the following code snippet, the Color enum is declared within the Car class in order to limit the scope of the enum and to try not to "pollute" the global namespace.
class Car
{
public:
enum Color
{
RED,
BLUE,
WHITE
};
void SetColor( Car::Color color )
{
_color = color;
}
Car::Color GetColor() const
{
return _color;
}
private:
Car::Color _color;
};
(1) Is this a good way to limit the scope of the Color enum? Or, should I declare it outside of the Car class, but possibly within its own namespace or struct? I just came across this article today, which advocates the latter and discusses some nice points about enums: http://gamesfromwithin.com/stupid-c-tricks-2-better-enums.
(2) In this example, when working within the class, is it best to code the enum as Car::Color, or would just Color suffice? (I assume the former is better, just in case there is another Color enum declared in the global namespace. That way, at least, we are explicit about the enum to we are referring.)
Thanks in advance for any input on this.
