mutable constants

[ischuldt]

I'm getting an error message on each of the getters for a class i'm writting.
The error says:
error: passing `const model::container::Item' as `this' argument of `void model::container::Item::get_fields()' discards qualifiers

my getters are each defined like this.

const int& division()const{
    get_fields();
    return division_;
}

I'm assuming the problem is that my get_fields() method has the potential to modifiy division_, but I have division declared as mutable so I would think everything should be fine. What am I missing?

[Athar]

get_fields() is not const if it can change a member. Therefore division isn't either and you should not declare it as such. The mutable keyword subverts the entire const system.

mutable constants

See the contradiction?

[ischuldt]

Either way it should still compile the way i'm doing it.

I'm doing this because I don't want do a look up on the database every time a new object is constructed. I want to wait until I know I need the data before doing the full read. At that point all the fields are set once and for all.

[Athar]

Well then, did you declare get_fields() as const?

[ischuldt]

that was all it was. Thank you.