Member Function versus Non-Member Function (2024)

The member function can appear outside of the class body (for instance,in the implementation file). But, when you do this, the member function must be qualified by the name of its class.This is to identify that that function is a member of a particular class.

For instance, if you took our myarray class and wanted to define the implementation of a new member function called myfunction outside the body of the class.

You would write:

int myarray::myfunction(int a, int b){...//details of this implementation //note: you need the protype of myfunction in the body of myarray}

By contrast, a non-member function has no need to be qualified. It does notbelong to a class. In the implementation file, I could write my non-member function as:

int myfunction (int a, int b){..//details of this implementation}