Question

As everyone knows: It’s possbile to create linkes lists with C / C++ in order to make a program dynamical.
But now, I’m programming a “linked Class” in c++.
My Parent-Class “GAME” should have a variable number of Elements. And each Element is a class.
So I programmed this:

class GAME : public LEVEL
{  private:
     ELEMENT *startPointer;
   public:
     GAME()
     {    startPointer=NULL;
     }
     initGame()
     {    p=aStartPointer;
          while(p!=NULL);//This loop is based on a linked list, so its dynamic
          {   startPointer=new ELEMENT(startPointer);
              p=p->next;
          }
     }
}


class ELEMENT
{   private:
        ELEMENT *next;
    public:
        ELEMENT(ELEMENT* nextPointer)
        {    next=nextPointer;
        }
}

My Problem: I never heard about a linked class before, and I’m not sure if I should use it.
Does professional programmers use such methods (and is it usefull?), or are there better Methods to do this?

Answer 1

are there better Methods to do this?

Yes. Here is one:

class GAME : public LEVEL
{  private:
     std::vector<ELEMENT> elements;
   ...
};

Use the standard library containers:

• Generally, use std::vector<>.
• If you need uniqueness, use std::set<>
• If you need to associate elements with keys, use std::map<>
• If you need to insert or delete items from the container very often or very quickly, use std::list<> or std::set<>
• There are other considerations. Consult a good book to learn how to effectively use standard containers.