In C++, does adding a friend to a class change its memory layout?

Question

Also, does it matter where in the class you declare the friend ? Does it matter if you add a friend class or a friend function ?

Note that technically, the C++ standard does not define a memory layout for non POD types. — Billy ONeal, Jun 23 '10 at 21:09

score 18 · Accepted Answer · answered Jun 23 '10 at 20:53

No it doesn't. It's a purely compile-time thing: similar to access modifiers themselves.

Despite the fact that you write the declaration inside the class, you don't really add a friend to a class. You'd basically declare something else as a friend of the class and simply allow it to access the class's private members, as if they were public.

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Jun 24 '10 at 08:28

1

As mentioned already, it is purely a compile-time mechanism.

answered Jun 24 '10 at 08:28

stinky472

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In C++, does adding a friend to a class change its memory layout?

2 Answers2