1/8/2015

Canmain()beoverloadedinC++?GeeksforGeeks

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Canmain()beoverloadedinC++?
PredicttheoutputoffollowingC++program.
#include<iostream>
usingnamespacestd;
intmain(inta)
{
cout<<a<<"\n";
return0;
}
intmain(char*a)
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1/8/2015

Canmain()beoverloadedinC++?GeeksforGeeks

{
cout<<a<<endl;
return0;
}
intmain(inta,intb)
{
cout<<a<<""<<b;
return0;
}
intmain()
{
main(3);
main("C++");
main(9,6);
return0;
}
Theaboveprogramfailsincompilationandproduceswarningsanderrors(Seethisforproduced
warningsanderrors).Youmaygetdifferenterrorsondifferentcompilers.
Tooverloadmain()functioninC++,itisnecessarytouseclassanddeclarethemainasmember
function.NotethatmainisnotreservedwordinprogramminglanguageslikeC,C++,JavaandC#.For
example,wecandeclareavariablewhosenameismain,trybelowexample:
#include<iostream>
intmain()
{
intmain=10;
std::cout<<main;
return0;
}
Ouput:
10

Thefollowingprogramshowsoverloadingofmain()functioninaclass.
#include<iostream>
usingnamespacestd;
classTest
{
public:
intmain(ints)
{
cout<<s<<"\n";
return0;
}
intmain(char*s)
{
cout<<s<<endl;
return0;
}
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1/8/2015

Canmain()beoverloadedinC++?GeeksforGeeks

intmain(ints,intm)
{
cout<<s<<""<<m;
return0;
}
};
intmain()
{
Testobj;
obj.main(3);
obj.main("IloveC++");
obj.main(9,6);
return0;
}
Theoutcomeofprogramis:
3
IloveC++
96

ThisarticleiscontributedbyPravasiMeet.Pleasewritecommentsifyoufindanythingincorrect,oryou
wanttosharemoreinformationaboutthetopicdiscussedabove

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Jointhediscussion
dhiraj 21hoursago

whatistheoutputincaseofc??
#include<stdio.h>
intmain()
{
intmain=10
printf("%d",main)
return0
}
ifmainisakeywordincitshouldshowsomeerror.
butitcompilingandoutputis10

Reply Share

khan 3daysago

Whatincaseofembeddedprogramming,canmain()beoverloaded??Basedoncertainvalues/
oroncertainconditionsthenitgetsstartingpoint(main).Isitpossible?????
(sorryforrepeatingquestion)

Reply Share

Khan 3daysago

Whatincaseofembeddedprogramming,canmain()beoverloaded.Basedoncertainvalues
thenitgetsstartingpoint.Isitpossible

Reply Share

PiyushJohri 4monthsago

IamusingTurboCon32bitwindows.
Andherethecompilergivestheerror.
ERROR:class_name::Main(int)isnotaccessible.

Reply Share

Tharun 5monthsago

pravsiMeet...ilikeit(y)

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Canmain()beoverloadedinC++?GeeksforGeeks

newspecies 7monthsago

ismain()andmain(int,char**)functionoveloading?

Reply Share

Saurabh>newspecies 6monthsago

Nothisnotfunctionoverloadingsinceyoucannotusebothatthesametime.Thedriver
functionmain()cannotbeoverloaded.Thetitleofthistopicismisleading.Herethe
memberfunctionmain()isoverloaded.
4

Reply Share

Meet ayearago

main()functioncannotbeoverloadedbecausetherecanbeonlyentrypointintheprogram,
multiplemain()functionsconfusesthecompilerthat'swhycompilerwillshowerrormessages.
Thisarticleshowstheoverloadingofmemberfunctionmainnotthedriverfunctionmain().
1

Reply Share

AnandSwaroop>Meet ayearago

thenwhatisspecialaboutmemberfunctionmain()overloading?
itisjustaboutfunctionoverloadinginc++.
alsowhatissignificanceof"Canmain()beoverloadedinC++?"?itssimplyNO.can
youexplainwhatareyoutryingtocommunicate?ifiamnotwrongOverloadingisto
namingidenticalnameofmorethanonefunctionsinsamescope(withsomerulesand
restrictions).
2

Reply Share

AnandSwaroop ayearago

Youarenotoverloadingmain.Justoverloadingmemberfunctionhavingnamemain,Anditcan't
be.ifoverloadingofmainispossiblethenhowwillOSidentifywhereithavetostart?
[VisualStudio2010]
errorC2731:'main':functioncannotbeoverloaded
althoughmainhavetwoprototypes
intmain(charargc,char*argv)
and
intmain()
butyoucan'tusethemtogether.Youcanuseoneofthematatime.
1

Reply Share

Jack ayearago

Himeet,whyisitmandatorythatmain()tobeamemberfunctionofaclass?
whatistheproblemifwedeclarethemgloballyoutsidetheclass.isitc/c++conventiondoesn't
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Canmain()beoverloadedinC++?GeeksforGeeks

whatistheproblemifwedeclarethemgloballyoutsidetheclass.isitc/c++conventiondoesn't
allowstodothis?

Reply Share

BikramHanzra ayearago

HeyMeet,
Thetutorialismisleading.Youarenotoverloadingthemain()function.Thekindofoverloading
youaredoingareformemberfunctionofyourclassTest.main()functionshouldreturnits
valuetoOSwhichyouarenotdoing.Moreover,main()isthefirstfunctionthatiscalledandin
theexampleabove,itsnotpossibleunlessyouexplicitlymakeaobjectofclassTestandthen
makeasystemcall.
ThankYou
21

Reply Share

Srinivas>BikramHanzra ayearago

Ihavethesamequery.Heisnotoverloadingintmain.Heisoverloadingmember
functionmain.Sincemainisnotakeyword,compilerallowstheaboveusage.Please
correctmeifIamwrong.
2

Reply Share

nikinjain ayearago

ThanksMeet,makessense.NiceArticleIndeed.
1

Reply Share

Meet ayearago

itisbettertowritereturn0inthememberfunctionsdefinedinsidetheclassbecausetheir
returntypeisint.otherwisekeeptheirreturntypevoidsothatthese3functionsdon'treturn
anythingtocallerfunction.
3

Reply Share

GeeksforGeeks

Mod >Meet

ayearago

Meet,thanksforpointingthisout.Wehaveaddedreturnstatementsinallmains
functuins.
1

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