Implement two functions with the same name but different, non-covariant return types due to multiple abstract base classes

Question

If I have two abstract classes defining a pure virtual function with the same name, but different, non-covariant return types, how can I derive from these and define an implementation for both their functions?

#include <iostream>

class ITestA {
    public:
        virtual ~ITestA() {};
        virtual float test() =0;
};

class ITestB {
    public:
        virtual ~ITestB() {};
        virtual bool test() =0;
};

class C : public ITestA, public ITestB {
    public:
    /* Somehow implement ITestA::test and ITestB::test */
};


int main() {
    ITestA *a = new C();
    std::cout << a->test() << std::endl; // should print a float, like "3.14"
    ITestB *b = dynamic_cast<ITestB *>(a);
    if (b) {
        std::cout << b->test() << std::endl; // should print "1" or "0"
    }
    delete(a);
    return 0;
}

As long as I don't call C::test() directly there's nothing ambiguous, so I think that it should work somehow and I guess I just didn't find the right notation yet. Or is this impossible, if so: Why?

Answer 1

Okay, it is possible, and the way isn't too ugly. I have to add an additional level of inheritance:

 ITestA       ITestB     <-- These are the interfaces C has to fulfill, both with test()
    |           |
ITestA_X     ITestB_X    <-- These classes implement the interface by calling a
    |           |             function with a different name, like ITestA_test
    \__________/              which is in turn pure virtual again.
         |
         C               <--  C implements the new interfaces

Now C has no function test(), but when casting a C* to an ITestA*, the implementation of test() in ITestA_test will be used. When casting it to an ITestB*, even by a dynamic_cast from the ITestA*, the implementation of ITestB_test will be used. The following program prints: 3.14 0

#include <iostream>

class ITestA {
    public:
        virtual ~ITestA() {};
        virtual float test() =0;
};

class ITestB {
    public:
        virtual ~ITestB() {};
        virtual bool test() =0;
};

class ITestA_X : public ITestA {
    protected:
        virtual float ITestA_test() =0;
        virtual float test() {
            return ITestA_test();
        }
};

class ITestB_X : public ITestB {
    protected:
        virtual bool ITestB_test() =0;
        virtual bool test() {
            return ITestB_test();
        }
};

class C : public ITestA_X, public ITestB_X {
    private:
        virtual float ITestA_test() {
            return 3.14;
        }
        virtual bool ITestB_test() {
            return false;
        }
};

int main() {
    ITestA *a = new C();
    std::cout << a->test() << std::endl;
    ITestB *b = dynamic_cast<ITestB *>(a);
    if (b) {
        std::cout << b->test() << std::endl;
    }
    delete(a);
    return 0;
}

Does this have any drawbacks you could think of?

Answer 2

When you declare ITestA *a = new C(), you have created a C object. If you invoke test on it with a->test(), it has to use the C virtual table to find the code to execute. But C is trying to have two different implementations of the same signature test(), which isn't allowed. The fact that you declared it as an ITestA * doesn't affect the method resolution. You declared the methods virtual, so they are found via the actual type of the object, regardless of the type of the pointer you used to access it.

You cannot have two methods with the same name and argument types. You'll need to find another way to structure this code.

Answer 3

I don't think this is possible. Functions overload by name (and signature).