C++ “const” keyword explanation

Question

When reading tutorials and code written in C++, I often stumble over the const keyword.

I see that it is used like the following:

const          


        

Answer 1

void myfunc(const char x);

This means that the parameter x is a char whose value cannot be changed inside the function. For example:

void myfunc(const char x)
{
  char y = x;  // OK
  x = y;       // failure - x is `const`
}

For the last one:

int myfunc() const;

This is illegal unless it's inside a class declaration - const member functions prevent modification of any class member - const nonmember functions cannot be used. in this case the definition would be something like:

int myclass::myfunc() const
{
  // do stuff that leaves members unchanged
}

If you have specific class members that need to be modifiable in const member functions, you can declare them mutable. An example would be a member lock_guard that makes the class's const and non-const member functions threadsafe, but must change during its own internal operation.