Error while overloading operators

[tvm78]

So I'm trying to write a program that is due tomorrow. I am trying to overload operators and dealing with template classes. I have everything written already but keep getting this error whenever i try to compile the driver file:

NOTE: proj4.cpp has #include "box.h" and box.h compiles fine, but it says box.h has errors whenever i try to compile proj4.cpp

student@student-desktop:~$ g++ -c proj4.cpp
box.h: In member function ‘void listT<elemType>::insert(elemType) [with elemType = Box]’:
proj4.cpp:51: instantiated from here
box.h:18: error: ‘bool Box::operator<(Box&)’ is private
listT.cpp:63: error: within this context

Here is some of the code that I think is part of the problem:

box.h:

#ifndef _Box_H
#define _Box_H
#include <iostream>
#include <string>
using namespace std;

class Box
{
	//Insertion(<<) operator definition
	friend ostream& operator<< (ostream&, const Box&);
	//Extraction(>>) operator definition
	friend istream& operator>> (istream&, Box&);
	//Equality(==) operator definition
	bool operator== (Box&); 
	//Greater than(>) operator definition
	bool operator> (Box&);
	//Less than(<) operator definition
	bool operator< (Box&); *********************************************LINE18 ERROR

box.cpp:

//Overloading equality(==) operator
bool Box::operator== (Box& box)
{
	return (getSurfaceArea() == box.getSurfaceArea());
}

//Overloading greater than(>) operator
bool Box::operator> (Box& box)
{
	return (getSurfaceArea() > box.getSurfaceArea());
}

//Overloading less than(<) operator
bool Box::operator< (Box& box)
{
	return (getSurfaceArea() < box.getSurfaceArea());
}

listT.cpp:

template<class elemType>
void listT<elemType>::insert(elemType insertItem)
{
	elemType temp;
	list[length++] = insertItem;
	for(int i = length - 1; i >= 0; i--)
	{
		if(list[i] < list[i-1])*********************************LINE63 ERROR
		{
			temp = list[i];
			list[i] = list[i-1];
			list[i-1] = temp;
		}
	}
} // end insert

proj4.cpp:

//Load data into array
	inFile >> boxTemp;
	bList.insert(boxTemp);**********************************************LINE 51 ERROR

	while(inFile)
	{
		inFile >> boxTemp;
		bList.insert(boxTemp);
	}

Can anyone help me? thanks again.

[NathanOliver]

By default members of a class are private not public. If you want to make them public you need to use the public keyword.

class foo
{
    int bar;
public:
    foo() : bar(10) {}
    int getBar() const {return bar; }
}

int main
{
    foo temp;
    int testBar;
    testBar = temp.bar; // error bar is private
    testBar = temp.getBar();  // okay getBar() is public
}

[tvm78]

Thank you but i already know that, it is saying that operator< is private...and i did not reference any private data members in the overloading implementation. Why is it telling me operator< is private?

[mzimmers]

From http://www.cprogramming.com/tutorial/operator_overloading.html:

... the overloaded operator is a member of the class ...

Try declaring it in the public section of your class definition.

[NathanOliver]

You never put the function in the public part of your class so the entire function is private and can not be used by anything other than other member functions. So when you try to use it in your list class it will cause an error because the list is not part of the class.