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c++c++11virtual-destructor

Proper placement for the default pure virtual destructor in C++11

I have an interface class but I want all derived classes to implement the virtual destructor:

// Interface.h
class Interface {
    virtual ~Interface() = 0;
};

Interface::~Interface() = default;

The problem is that in this case I have a linker error because of duplicated symbols.

I can place the definition in .cpp file but I'd like to know if there is more elegant solution?

Solution

  • You can add inline before. According to http://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/language/destructor this syntax is OK:

    decl-specifier-seq(optional) ~ class_name () = default;

decl-specifier-seq  -   friend, inline, virtual, or nothing (no return type)