C++ const in getter
c++, constants, getter
Solution
There is a huge difference between the two ways.
const bool isReady()
The code above will return a `const bool`, but it does not guarantee that the object will not change its logic state.
bool isReady() const
This will return a `bool`, and it guarantees that the logic state of your object will not change. In this case it is not necessary to write `const` in front of the return type. It makes no sense to return a `const bool` because it is a copy anyway. So making it `const` is useless. The second `const` is needed for `const` correctness, which is not used for speed reasons but to make your program more reliable and safe.
Problem
I'm still learning about C++ and I'm reading everywhere that I have to use `const` everywhere I can (for speed reason I think). I'm usually write my getter method like this: ``` const bool isReady() { return ready; } ``` But I've seen that some IDE autogenerate getter in this way: ``` bool getReady() const { return ready; } ``` But, writing delegates, it happened to me to find this error if the `const` is after the function: ``` member function 'isReady' not viable: 'this' argument has type 'const VideoReader', but function is not marked const ``` So that, what is the better way to write a const getter? Do I really have to care about?