Enum scoping issues
c++, enums, scope
Solution
if the enum is used by multiple classes then i would say it does not really belong in the definition of a single class but in the namespace in which those classes reside.
that is unless the enumeration is being passed through one class to the constructor of another in which case it may make more sense to instantiate the enum dependant class seperately and pass it in as a parameter to the constructor of the containing class.
Problem
I try to keep things as local as possible, so I put enums at class scope, even if they are shared between two classes (I put it in the class that "goes better" with it.) This has worked out great, but I recently ran into an issue where a circular dependency will occur if I put the enum at class scope. The enum is going to be a constructor argument for multiple classes, and the class it is in (and the class that makes the most sense for it to be in) includes those classes. Thus, it isn't possible to use the enum as a constructor argument for the classes included because it will result in a circular dependency. Would it be better to just put this enum in its own header file, and if so, should I put all of the enums in the header file to be consistent? Are there any other solutions to this issue (that are logical)?