C++ – the effect of overriding a (regular) virtual method by a pure virtual method

c++overridingpure-virtual

Let's say we have

class A {    
public:    
    virtual int foo() { cout << "foo!"; }    
}

class B : public A {
public:    
    virtual int foo() =0;
}

class C : public B {
public:
    virtual int foo() { cout << "moo!"; }
}

Is this really overriding? I think this is actually overloading.
What is the meaning of making something like this, design-wise?

We got a base class A. Then we got an abstract derived class B which is derived from the concrete class A, and then a realization of B via C.

What are we doing here and does it make any sense?

Best Solution

Overloading would mean that you had two functions of the same name but with different parameters. That's not the case here.

Example:

int functionA() { /*...*/ };
int functionA(int someParameter) { /*...*/ };

Overriding means rewriting a function with the same parameters in a subclass. That is what you presented as an example.

That's the definition part. Now on to the design:

When you have a pure virtual function, concrete subclasses have to override it. So by adding a pure virtual function, you ensure that all subclasses provide the same set of functions (=interface). This seems to be the case in the sample code.

But it is not a very good example, as the concrete superclass already implements a default functionality for foo(). When there is an abstract subclass that redefines it to be purely virtual, it is a sign for me that the class hierarchy is flawed because a subclass (and the callers of foo()) usually should be able to fall back to the default implementation. It's a bit hard to explain with such an abstract example, but a hierarchy like this is a bit suspicious to my eye.