Hello programmers! I am working on a custom tree class [with the code example being copied from Dietl's C++ How to Program, 9th edition].

It is in my fashion to copy all the code examples in the book when reading it (for muscle memory), but the authors created a custom template Tree class, creating the driver program first, and then a TreeNode class, which defines the Tree class template to be a friend.

I hope that you know about the concept of trees in programming.
Anyhow, this involves using pointers (not my strong suit). I copied all they did, and was planning to modify it, when I got a 8 errors in a function preOrderHelper (which is recursive) that is called by preOrderTraversal. As I trusted the authors of the book, I copied everything they did, but the code in the book that I copied from apperently has errors.

I checked everything, and I am at loss for what to do now.

Could someone help? Thanks! My code is below:

This is the driver program (no errors here), which created two Trees, one of type int, and the other of type double:

//  main.cpp
//  Creating and transversing a binary tree

#include <iostream>
#include <iomanip>
#include "Tree.h"
using namespace std;


int main()
{
    Tree<int> intTree;  //create Tree of int values

    cout << "Enter 10 integer values:\n";

    //insert 10 integers to intTree
    for (int i=0; i < 10; i++)
    {
        int intValue=0;
        cin >> intValue;
        intTree.insertNode(intValue);
    }

    cout << "\nPreorder traversal\n";
    intTree.preOrderTraversal();

    cout << "\nInorder traversal\n";
    intTree.inOrderTraversal();

    cout << "\nPostorder traversal\n";
    intTree.postOrderTraversal();

    Tree<double> doubleTree;    //create Tree of double values

    cout << fixed << setprecision(1) << "\n\n\nEnter 10 double values:\n";

    //insert 10 doubles to doubleTree
    for (int j=0; j < 10; j++)
    {
        double doubleValue=0.0;
        cin >> doubleValue;
        doubleTree.insertNode(doubleValue);
    }

    cout << "\nPreorder traversal\n";
    doubleTree.preOrderTraversal();

    cout << "\nInorder traversal\n";
    doubleTree.inOrderTraversal();

    cout << "\nPostorder traversal\n";
    doubleTree.postOrderTraversal();
    cout << endl;
}

This is the header file for TreeNode_h (used by the class template Tree), and also has no errors:

//  TreeNode class-template definition

#ifndef TreeNode_h
#define TreeNode_h

//forward declaration of class-template Tree
template<typename NODETYPE> class Tree;

//TreeNode class-template definition
template<typename NODETYPE>
class TreeNode
{
    friend class Tree<NODETYPE>;    //making class Tree a friend- Tree can access TreeNode's private members

public:
    //constructor
    TreeNode(const NODETYPE& d):
        leftPtr(nullptr),           //pointer to left subtree
        data(d),                    //tree node data
        rightPtr(nullptr)           //pointer to right subtree
    {}

    //return copy of node's data
    NODETYPE getData() const
    {
        return data;
    }

private:
    TreeNode<NODETYPE> *leftPtr;    //pointer to left subtree
    NODETYPE data;                  //data contained by an instance of TreeNode
    TreeNode<NODETYPE> *rightPtr;   //pointer to right subtree
};

#endif

And then, the class template Tree with the problematic function unction preOrderHelper (which is recursive) that is called by preOrderTraversal:

//  Tree class-template definition

#ifndef Tree_h
#define Tree_h

#include <iostream>
#include "TreeNode.h"

//Tree class-template definition
template <typename NODETYPE> class Tree
{
public:

    //constructor
    Tree(): rootPtr(nullptr)
    {}

    //inset node in Tree
    void insertNode(const NODETYPE& value)
    {
        insertNodeHelper(&rootPtr,value);
    }

    //begin preorder traversal of Tree
    void preOrderTraversal() const
    {
        this->preOrderHelper(rootPtr);
    }

    //begin inorder traversal of Tree
    void inOrderTraversal() const
    {
        this->inOrderHelper(rootPtr);
    }

    //begin postorder traversal of Tree
    void postOrderTraversal() const
    {
        this->postOrderHelper(rootPtr);
    }


private:
    TreeNode<NODETYPE> *rootPtr;

    //utilitiy function called by insertNode; recieves a pointer
    //a pointer so that the function can modify pointer's value
    void insertNodeHelper(TreeNode<NODETYPE> **ptr,const NODETYPE &value)
    {
        //subtree is empty; create new TreeNode containing value
        if (*ptr == nullptr)           //base case for recursion
            *ptr = new TreeNode<NODETYPE>(value);
        else                           //subtree is not empty
        {
            //data to insert is less than data in current node
            if (value < (*ptr)->data)
                insertNodeHelper(&((*ptr)->rightPtr), value);
            else
            {
                //data to insert is greater han data in current node
                if (value > (*ptr)->data)
                    insertNodeHelper(&((*ptr)->rightPtr), value);
                else
                    //duplicate data value ignored
                    std::cout << value << " dup" << std::endl;
            }
        }
    }

    //utility function to perform preorder traversal of Tree
    void preOrderHelper( Tree<NODETYPE> *ptr) const
    {
        if (ptr != nullptr)                 //base case for recursion
        {
            std::cout << (ptr->data) << ' ';//process node
            preOrderHelper(ptr->leftPtr);   //traverse left subtree
            preOrderHelper(ptr->rightPtr); //raverse right subtree
        }
    }

    //utility function to perform inorder traversal of Tree
    void inOrderHelper(TreeNode<NODETYPE> *ptr) const
    {
        if (ptr != nullptr)                 //base case for recursion
        {
            inOrderHelper(ptr->leftPtr);    //traverse left subtree
            std::cout << (ptr->data) << ' ';//process node
            inOrderHelper(ptr->rightPtr);   //traverse right subtree
        }
    }

    //utility function to perform postorder traversal of Tree
    void postOrderHelper(TreeNode<NODETYPE> *ptr) const
    {
        if (ptr != nullptr)
        {
            postOrderHelper(ptr->leftPtr);  //traverse left subtree
            postOrderHelper(ptr->rightPtr);//traverse right subtree
            std::cout << (ptr->data) << ' ';     //process node
        }
    }
};


#endif

I apoligize for the largeness of my code, but this is the only way to solve the problem.

All of them are Semantic issues.

I am going to put the error messages where they are occurring:

//begin preorder traversal of Tree
    void preOrderTraversal() const
    {
        this->preOrderHelper(rootPtr);
    }


/*  2 ERROR messages for line 4 of above code sample:  

    1-Cannot initialize a parameter of type 'Tree<int> *' with an rvalue of type 'TreeNode<int> *const *'
    2-Cannot initialize a parameter of type 'Tree<double> *' with an rvalue of type 'TreeNode<double> *const *'

    */




//utility function to perform preorder traversal of Tree
    void preOrderHelper( Tree<NODETYPE> *ptr) const
    {
        if (ptr != nullptr)                 //base case for recursion
        {
            std::cout << (ptr->data) << ' ';//process node
            preOrderHelper(ptr->leftPtr);   //traverse left subtree
            preOrderHelper(ptr->rightPtr); //raverse right subtree
        }
    }


    /* 
        Error messages are:

            1- No member named 'data' in Tree<int>
            2- No member named 'leftPtr' in Tree<int>
            3- No member named 'rightPtr' in Tree<int>
            4- No member named 'data' in Tree<double>
            5- No member named 'leftPtr' in Tree<double>
            6- No member named 'rightPtr' in Tree<double>

    */

The preOrderHelper function should take a TreeNode pointer, not a Tree pointer. It's probably a simple typo (by you or the author). It should be:

void preOrderHelper( TreeNode<NODETYPE> *ptr) const

Just like it is for the other helper functions.

If you read the errors, they give you a pretty clear indication of the error. The error messages are saying that you are trying to call the helper function with a pointer to a TreeNode pointer, but the helper function takes a Tree pointer. When that's the error, there are really only two possible solutions, either you should be calling the function with a Tree pointer instead, or the function should be taking in a TreeNode pointer instead. In this case, the latter is the solution.

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