Adpating on old c++ book

[baordog]

I'm adapting code from Scott Robert Ladd's "C++ Templates and Tools". It's a very old book, and the code looks different from what I'm used to.

Here's an example that I'm having trouble with:

A Random Number Generator

class randgen
{
 
protected: 
	// Seem from system time
	static unsigned long TimeSeed()
	{
	return (unsigned long)time(NULL); /// This looks utterly wrong, and doesn't seem to conform to how "time" works
	}
public:
	// Constructor 
	randgen(
		unsigned long initSeed = TimeSeed()
); 
	// Set seed value 
	void SetSeed( 
		unsigned long newSeed = TimeSeed()
		); 
	// Get a psuedo-random number from 0 to (lim -1) 
	unsigned short operator ()
		( 
		unsigned short lim 
		); 

	~randgen(void);
};

and the strange implementation

inline randgen::randgen
       (
        unsigned long initSeed
        ) 
        (
         seed = initSeed; 
        )
inline void randgen::SetSeed
        (
         unsigned long newSeed
         )
         (
          Seed = newSeed
         )

Any idea what he's trying to do? This definitely doesn't work in MSVC++.
Thanks guys!

[zb0S216C]

If it's an old book, don't use it. I'm not sure what standard it's based on, but some things don't look right. Take the constructor definitions, for example: The definitions lack the parentheses, and therefore, lack the parameters. Without the parameters, the compiler will not be able to decide which constructor you're defining.

Get a new book before you pick up bad habits.

_Wazzak