Using C++ base class constructors?

Question

While working with templates I ran into a need to make a base class constructors accessible from inherited classes for object creation to decrease copy/paste operations. I was thinking to do this through using keyword in same manner with functions case, but that not work.

class A
{
public: 
    A(int val) {}
};

class B : public A
{
};

class C : public A
{
public:
    C(const string &val) {}
};

class D : public A
{
public:
    D(const string &val) {}
    using A::A;              // g++ error: A::A names constructor
};

void main()
{
    B b(10);                // Ok.   (A::A constructor is not overlapped)
    C c(10);                // error: no matching function to call to 'C::C(int)'
}

So my question: Is there any way to import a base class constructors after new ones in inherited class been declared?

Or there is only one alternative to declare new constructors and call a base ones from initializer list?

Answer 1

Yes, Since C++11:

struct B2 {
    B2(int = 13, int = 42);
};
struct D2 : B2 {
    using B2::B2;
// The set of inherited constructors is
// 1. B2(const B2&)
// 2. B2(B2&&)
// 3. B2(int = 13, int = 42)
// 4. B2(int = 13)
// 5. B2()

// D2 has the following constructors:
// 1. D2()
// 2. D2(const D2&)
// 3. D2(D2&&)
// 4. D2(int, int) <- inherited
// 5. D2(int) <- inherited
};

For additional information see http://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/language/using_declaration