I find myself frequently having to include a header file just to be able to
write an interface that uses a nested class.  To avoid this, I'd need to be
able to forward declare nested classes in C++.  For instance:

in file Object.h:

    class Object
    {
    public:
        class Nested
        {
        };
    };

in file Second.h:

    class Object;
    class Object::Nested;

    void function (Object::Nested &objectNested);

I recently read that it was close to time to consider changes for the next
revision of the C++ standard language.  I thought I'd bring this point up
and see if others felt this was a worthy change to the language.

Thanks,

Jeff Grills
Technical Director, Austin Studio
Sony Online Entertainment



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"Jeff Grills" <jgrills@soe.sony.com> wrote in message news:<3c239f2b$0$17897@news.denver1.Level3.net>...
>     class Object;
>     class Object::Nested;

I can't think of any way to compile this without requiring direct
linker support for C++'s access rules including friendship and scope -
even for inline functions' use of such names. It opens huge
opportunities for hidden access-rule violations or mysterious failures
to link.

That said, I wouldn't mind having it either.

Jim

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