C++, removing #include or #include in class header

Question

I want to remove, if possible, the includes of both and from my class header file. Both string and vector are return types of functions declare

Answer 1

If string and vector are used only in signatures of non-public members of you class, you could use the PImpl idiom:

// MyClass.h
class MyClassImpl;
class MyClass{
public:
    MyClass();
    void MyMethod();
private:
    MyClassImpl* m_impl;
};

// MyClassImpl.h
#include 
#include 
#include 
class MyClassImpl{
public:
    MyClassImpl();
    void MyMethod();
protected:
    std::vector StdMethod();
};

// MyClass.cpp
#include 
#include 

void MyClass::MyMethod(){
    m_impl->MyMethod();
}

You are always including vector and string in the header file, but only in the implementation part of your class; files including only MyClass.h will not be pulling in string and vector.