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Calling a non-member function inside a class in C++

Last Updated : 23 Jul, 2025

Member Function: It is a function that can be declared as members of a class. It is usually declared inside the class definition and works on data members of the same class. It can have access to private, public, and protected data members of the same class. This function is declared as shown below:


Non-member Function: The function which is declared outside the class is known as the non-member function of that class. Below is the difference between the two:

  • The member function can appear outside of the class body (for instance, in the implementation file). But, this approach is followed, the member function must be qualified by the name of its class. This is to identify that function is a member of a particular class. But a non-member function always appears outside of a class.
  • Another difference between member functions and non-member functions is how they are called (or invoked) in the main routine.

:

Output:
Member function inside class declared
Member function but declared outside the class
Non-member function

Explanation: From the above program, there are three types of cases:

  • A member function is declared and defined in the class and called using the object of the class.
  • A member function is declared in the class but defined outside the class and is called using the object of the class.
  • A non-member function that is declared outside the class but called a normal function inside the main function.

Now, the question here arises whether it is possible to call a non-member function inside a member function in a program or not. The answer is YES. Below is the program to illustrate how to call a non-member function inside a member function:

:

Output:
120

Explanation: A non-member function can be called inside a member function but the condition is that the non-member function must be declared before the member function. In the above example, the same approach is followed and it becomes possible to invoke a non-member function thus the answer is the factorial of 5 i.e. 120.

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