Incomplete type

ChemicalBurn · 02-23-2005, 07:44 AM

Im getting this error when I call a method from a class in the library Im using, and it assigns at one point a value to an object of type 'FiberEdgeType':

error: base class `FiberEdgeType' has incomplete type

Anyone know what this error means?
Sorry I didnt include much code, but I'd have to include massive blocks if I put all thats relevant.
Basically:

Code:

RelatedEdges<FiberEdge> _RelatedFiberEdges; //FiberEdge is a type definition of a template class.

and in 
class RelatedEdges
template<class EdgeTPointer> void RelatedEdges<EdgeTPointer>::ReadTwo(BasicIo* parser) { //The EdgeTPointer is in this case the object of type FiberEdgeType

....
                  EdgeTPointer n2 = 0;
                  n = Convert(vg->Id2Edge(id),n2); //Id2Edge returns an EdgeTPointer
//Here is where the error occurs
                 ...
...
}

Never seen this error before... Anyone?

YetAnotherDave · 02-23-2005, 10:21 AM

The error (probably) means that you need to include the file that defines FiberEdgeType .

ChemicalBurn · 02-24-2005, 05:54 AM

Thanks!!
Excuse my ignorance, but HOW did that solve it? It recognized everything related to the object because I included the type definition. And why would it give "incompatible type" error, instead of a, for example, no definition for... found.

YetAnotherDave · 02-24-2005, 08:32 AM

Glad to have helped.

The "incomplete type" error generally means that the compiler knows something about a type but not enough to do what you want to do with it.

In this case FiberEdgeType was forward declared somewhere along the way - probaby in some other include file. The compiler knew that FiberEdgeType is a class but not the internal details. The code you posted did something that needs to know about the internal details of the class - probably just trying to access a member. At this point you got the "incomplete type" error. Including the full class definition before this point takes care of it.

- Dave

ChemicalBurn · 02-24-2005, 08:44 AM

Thanks, appreciate the help.