A copy constructor is a special constructor in the C++ programming language for creating a new object as a copy of an existing object. The first argument of such a constructor is a reference to an object of the same type as is being constructed (const or non-const), which might be followed by parameters of any type (all having default values).
Normally the compiler automatically creates a copy constructor for each class (known as a default copy constructor) but for special cases the programmer creates the copy constructor, known as a user-defined copy constructor. In such cases, the compiler does not create one. Hence, there is always one copy constructor that is either defined by the user or by the system.
A user-defined copy constructor is generally needed when an object owns pointers or non-shareable references, such as to a file, in which case a destructor and an assignment operator should also be written (see Rule of three).
Read more about Copy Constructor: Definition, Operation, Bitwise Copy Constructor, Logical Copy Constructor, Explicit Copy Constructor
Famous quotes containing the word copy:
“Canst thou copy in verse one chime
Of the wood-bell’s peal and cry,
Write in a book the morning’s prime,
Or match with words the tender sky?”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)