Question

Getting some really confusing errors and not sure exactly why. Here is my code:

//=====================WORKS=======================
TradingBook::TradingBook(const char* yieldCurvePath, const char* bondPath)
{
//...Some stuff
    BaseBond* tradingBook[bondCount];

    for (int i=0; i < bondCount; i++)
    {
        tradingBook[i] = new CouponBond(bonds[i]);

        printf("Bond: %s\n"
           "  Price: %.3f\n"
           "  DV01: %.3f\n"
           "  Risk: %.3f\n", tradingBook[i]->getID(), tradingBook[i]->getPrice(), tradingBook[i]->getDV01(), tradingBook[i]->getRisk());
    }
}

//=================DOESNT WORK======================
//Gives Error: base operand of ‘->’ has non-pointer type ‘BaseBond’
void TradingBook::runAnalytics()
{
    for (int i=0; i < bondCount; i++)
    {
        tradingBook[i]->calcPrice(tradingBook[i]->getYield());
        tradingBook[i]->calcDV01();
        tradingBook[i]->calcRisk();

        printf("Bond: %s\n"
               "  Price: %.3f\n"
               "  DV01: %.3f\n"
               "  Risk: %.3f\n", tradingBook[i]->getID(), tradingBook[i]->getPrice(), tradingBook[i]->getDV01(), tradingBook[i]->getRisk());
    }
}

I get the error base operand of ‘->’ has non-pointer type ‘BaseBond’ at every instance of ->, but only in the runAnalytics() method. tradingBook is a public class variable. Why would it give me an error in the bottom method but not the constructor? I don’t get it.

I also tried changing all the tradingBook[i]->method() to tradingBook[i].method() in the 2nd method, but it gives me a segmentation fault so I figured that isn’t right. Can anyone help me clear up my confusion?

In case it is needed, here is the header file for TradingBook:

class TradingBook
{
    public:
        TradingBook(const char* yieldCurvePath, const char* bondPath);
        double getBenchmarkYield(short bPeriods) const;

        BaseBond* tradingBook;
        int treasuryCount;
        Treasury* yieldCurve;
        int bondCount;
        void runAnalytics();

};

BaseBond is an abstract class. It’s children are CouponBond and ZeroCouponBond. tradingBook[i] is filled with both types. Here is the header for BaseBond:

class BaseBond{
  public:
    virtual double getPrice() = 0;
    virtual double getYield() = 0;
    virtual short getPeriods() = 0;
    virtual char* getID() = 0;
    virtual double getDV01() = 0;
    virtual double getRisk() = 0;
    virtual char* getRateType() = 0;
    virtual void calcPrice(double nyield) = 0;
    virtual double calcPriceR(double nyield) const = 0;
    virtual void calcDV01() = 0;
    virtual void calcRisk() = 0;


};

Thank you in advance, stackOverFlow!

Answer 1

It because this:

BaseBond* tradingBook[bondCount];

in the constructor constructs a scoped variable that hides tradingBook. change that whole line to:

tradingBook = new BaseBond*[bondCount];

and the line

BaseBond* tradingBook;

in the header to

BaseBond** tradingBook;

and it should work.