what is the virtual function overhead, and what is it used
for ? i hope i can get and appropriate answers, thanks a lot....

Answer Posted / siva

anser 3 is correct.

Let's work an example. Suppose class Base has 5 virtual
functions: virt0() through virt4().


// Your original C++ source code

class Base {
public:
virtual arbitrary_return_type virt0(...arbitrary
params...);
virtual arbitrary_return_type virt1(...arbitrary
params...);
virtual arbitrary_return_type virt2(...arbitrary
params...);
virtual arbitrary_return_type virt3(...arbitrary
params...);
virtual arbitrary_return_type virt4(...arbitrary
params...);
...
};
Step #1: the compiler builds a static table containing 5
function-pointers, burying that table into static memory
somewhere. Many (not all) compilers define this table while
compiling the .cpp that defines Base's first non-inline
virtual function. We call that table the v-table; let's
pretend its technical name is Base::__vtable. If a function
pointer fits into one machine word on the target hardware
platform, Base::__vtable will end up consuming 5 hidden
words of memory. Not 5 per instance, not 5 per function;
just 5. It might look something like the following pseudo-
code:


// Pseudo-code (not C++, not C) for a static table defined
within file Base.cpp

// Pretend FunctionPtr is a generic pointer to a generic
member function
// (Remember: this is pseudo-code, not C++ code)
FunctionPtr Base::__vtable[5] = {
&Base::virt0, &Base::virt1, &Base::virt2, &Base::virt3,
&Base::virt4
};
Step #2: the compiler adds a hidden pointer (typically also
a machine-word) to each object of class Base. This is
called the v-pointer. Think of this hidden pointer as a
hidden data member, as if the compiler rewrites your class
to something like this:


// Your original C++ source code

class Base {
public:
...
FunctionPtr* __vptr; ← supplied by the compiler, hidden
from the programmer
...
};
Step #3: the compiler initializes this->__vptr within each
constructor. The idea is to cause each object's v-pointer
to point at its class's v-table, as if it adds the
following instruction in each constructor's init-list:


Base::Base(...arbitrary params...)
: __vptr(&Base::__vtable[0]) ← supplied by the
compiler, hidden from the programmer
...
{
...
}
Now let's work out a derived class. Suppose your C++ code
defines class Der that inherits from class Base. The
compiler repeats steps #1 and #3 (but not #2). In step #1,
the compiler creates a hidden v-table, keeping the same
function-pointers as in Base::__vtable but replacing those
slots that correspond to overrides. For instance, if Der
overrides virt0() through virt2() and inherits the others
as-is, Der's v-table might look something like this
(pretend Der doesn't add any new virtuals):


// Pseudo-code (not C++, not C) for a static table defined
within file Der.cpp

// Pretend FunctionPtr is a generic pointer to a generic
member function
// (Remember: this is pseudo-code, not C++ code)
FunctionPtr Der::__vtable[5] = {
&Der::virt0, &Der::virt1, &Der::virt2, &Base::virt3,
&Base::virt4
}; ^^^^----------
^^^^---inherited as-is
In step #3, the compiler adds a similar pointer-assignment
at the beginning of each of Der's constructors. The idea is
to change each Der object's v-pointer so it points at its
class's v-table. (This is not a second v-pointer; it's the
same v-pointer that was defined in the base class, Base;
remember, the compiler does not repeat step #2 in class
Der.)

Finally, let's see how the compiler implements a call to a
virtual function. Your code might look like this:


// Your original C++ code

void mycode(Base* p)
{
p->virt3();
}
The compiler has no idea whether this is going to call
Base::virt3() or Der::virt3() or perhaps the virt3() method
of another derived class that doesn't even exist yet. It
only knows for sure that you are calling virt3() which
happens to be the function in slot #3 of the v-table. It
rewrites that call into something like this:


// Pseudo-code that the compiler generates from your C++

void mycode(Base* p)
{
p->__vptr[3](p);
}
On typical hardware, the machine-code is two 'load's plus a
call:

The first load gets the v-pointer, storing it into a
register, say r1.
The second load gets the word at r1 + 3*4 (pretend function-
pointers are 4-bytes long, so r1+12 is the pointer to the
right class's virt3() function). Pretend it puts that word
into register r2 (or r1 for that matter).
The third instruction calls the code at location r2.
Conclusions:

Objects of classes with virtual functions have only a small
space-overhead compared to those that don't have virtual
functions.
Calling a virtual function is fast — almost as fast as
calling a non-virtual function.
You don't get any additional per-call overhead no matter
how deep the inheritance gets. You could have 10 levels of
inheritance, but there is no "chaining" — it's always the
same — fetch, fetch, call.

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