Can You Overload the Array Operator in C with Multiple Arguments?

Overloading Array Operator in C with Multiple Arguments

In C , arrays can be accessed using the array operator [], which typically takes a single index as an argument. However, some scenarios may require accessing an array using multiple indices. Is it possible to overload the array operator to take multiple arguments?

The code snippet provided attempts to overload the array operator to accept three arguments, but it fails with the error "binary operator '[' has too many parameters."

Prior to C 23

Before C 23, it was not possible to overload the array operator to accept multiple arguments. A workaround was to overload the operator() instead. By creating a function with the appropriate prototype, one could simulate the behavior of an array operator with multiple arguments.

C 23 and Beyond

With the advent of C 23, multiple subscript arguments can be passed directly to the array operator. This feature simplifies code and improves readability, especially when working with multi-dimensional arrays.

For example, consider the following code snippet:

struct MultiDimArray {
    std::vector<int> m_cells;
    int m_res;
    int m_resSqr;

    const T& operator[](const int i, const int j, const int k) const {
        return m_cells[k*m_resSqr + j*m_res + i];
    }

    T& operator[](const int i, const int j, const int k) {
        return m_cells[k*m_resSqr + j*m_res + i];
    }
};

In this code, the array operator is overloaded to take three arguments. This allows the programmer to access the array using multiple indices without the need for additional functions or workarounds.

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