2

How can I make an ofstream argument optional?

bool LookingFor(std::string &mi_name, ofstream &my_file = std::cout) { my_file << xxx; ....... }

the compiling error with the above method signature is:

'std::ofstream& my_file' has type 'std::ostream {aka std::basic_ostream}'

I'm using mingw32.

I want this function to write to console when there is no a second parameter. I tried myriad things, but nothing works. I do not mind if I have to check the code to see if it is open, for instance:

if(my_file.isopen()) my_file << xxx; else cout << xxx;

any good idea?

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1 Answer 1

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4

Just use ostream:

bool LookingFor(std::string &mi_name, std::ostream &out = std::cout) { out << xxx; }

This will work with any stream type, not only fstream, but also cout. And other stream types, like ostringstream.

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