error: const method that returns an array of pointers by reference

Question

class Board{
private:
    Shape shapes[100];
    Tile* tiles[16];
public:
    const Shape (&getShapes() const)[100]{return shapes;}; // (1) 
    const Tile* (&getTiles() const)[16]{return tiles;}; // (2)
};

I made this class called Board that has two methods returning an array by reference.

Method (2) reports an error:

qualifiers dropped in binding reference of type "const Tile *(&)[16]" to initializer of type "Tile *const [16]"

I fixed this error by writing const to the return type in method (1), but it doesn't work for method (2).

Why is this error occurring?

You const qualified the pointed-to type, but you need to const qualify the pointer type. Tile* const (&getTiles() const)[16]{return tiles;};. const to Tile is possible, but optional. — Yksisarvinen
– Yksisarvinen, Commented Nov 8, 2021 at 16:54

Vlad from Moscow · Accepted Answer · 2021-11-08 17:19:32Z

2

The element type of this array

 Tile* tiles[16]

is Tile *. As the member function is a constant member function then the function should return the array by reference with constant elements. That is it should be declared like

Tile* const (&getTiles() const)[16]{return tiles;}

That is you may not assign new values to the pointers stored in the array.

edited Nov 8, 2021 at 17:19

answered Nov 8, 2021 at 17:13

Vlad from Moscow

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