Operator Overloading in C++

Operator overloading allows existing C++ operators such as +, -, *, and [] to be given a specific meaning for user-defined types. It enables objects of classes or structures to be used with operators in a natural and readable way.

• Operator overloading is a form of compile-time polymorphism in C++.
• It allows operators to work with user-defined types while preserving their familiar syntax.

Example: + operator is overloaded to add two Number objects.

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

struct Number
{
    int value;

    Number(int v)
    {
        value = v;
    }

    // Overload + operator
    Number operator+(const Number &n)
    {
        return Number(value + n.value);
    }

    void display()
    {
        cout << value << endl;
    }
};

int main()
{
    Number n1(5), n2(10);
    Number n3 = n1 + n2;
    n3.display();
}

15

Explanation: The + operator is overloaded as a member function of Number. When n1 + n2 is used, it calls n1.operator+(n2) and returns a new object containing their sum.

Syntax of Operator Overloading

An operator is overloaded by defining a function using the operator keyword followed by the operator symbol.

return_type operator symbol(parameters) {
// function body
}

Types of Operator Overloading

Operators can be classified based on the number of operands they work with.

1. Unary Operator Overloading

Unary operators work with a single operand. Examples include ++, --, !, and unary -.

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

class Number {
    int value;

public:
    Number(int v) : value(v) {}

    void operator++() {
        ++value;
    }

    void display() {
        cout << value;
    }
};

int main() {
    Number n(5);

    ++n;
    n.display();

    return 0;
} 

6

Explanation: The prefix ++ operator is overloaded to increase the object's value by one.

2. Binary Operator Overloading

Binary operators work with two operands. Examples include +, -, *, /, and ==.

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

class Number {
    int value;

public:
    Number(int v) : value(v) {}

    Number operator+(const Number& n) {
        return Number(value + n.value);
    }

    void display() {
        cout << value;
    }
};

int main() {
    Number n1(5), n2(10);

    Number n3 = n1 + n2;

    n3.display();

    return 0;
} 

15

Explanation: The overloaded + operator takes two Number objects and returns a new object containing the sum of their values.

Member and Non-Member Operator Functions

An operator can generally be overloaded using a member function or a non-member function.

A non-member operator function can be declared as a friend when it needs access to private or protected members.

Operators That Can Be Overloaded

Most C++ operators can be overloaded for user-defined types, including:

• Arithmetic: +, -, *, /, %
• Relational: ==, !=, <, >, <=, >=
• Logical: &&, ||, !
• Bitwise: &, |, ^, ~, <<, >>
• Assignment: =, +=, -=, *=, /=
• Increment/Decrement: ++, --
• Other: [], (), ->, ->*, new, delete

Operators That Cannot Be Overloaded

Some operators have fixed language-level behavior and cannot be customized through operator overloading.

• Scope resolution: ::
• Member access: .
• Pointer-to-member access: .*
• Conditional operator: ?:
• Size-of operator: sizeof
• Runtime type information operator: typeid

Reasons These Operators Cannot Be Overloaded

These operators are closely tied to fundamental C++ language operations and therefore have fixed semantics.

• :: Operator: Resolves names such as classes, namespaces, and global variables.
• . and .* Operators: Provide built-in member and pointer-to-member access.
• ?: Operator: Provides conditional evaluation with language-defined behavior.
• sizeof Operator: Determines the size of a type or object as part of the language's type system.
• typeid Operator: Provides runtime type information with behavior defined by the C++ language.

Rules of Operator Overloading

Operator overloading follows several restrictions defined by C++.

• At least one operand must be a user-defined type.
• New operators cannot be created.
• Operator precedence and associativity cannot be changed.
• The number of operands required by an operator cannot be changed.
• Operators cannot be overloaded only for built-in types.
• Some operators can only be overloaded as member functions.

Operator Functions vs Normal Functions