In this context, using the this
pointer isn't entirely necessary, but it will make your code clearer to the reader, by indicating that a given function or variable is a member of the class. An example in this situation:
// Example for this pointer
#include <iostream>
#include <string>
using std::cout;
using std::endl;
class Class
{
public:
Class();
~Class();
int getPrivateNumber () const;
private:
int private_number = 42;
};
Class::Class(){}
Class::~Class(){}
int Class::getPrivateNumber() const
{
return this->private_number;
}
int main()
{
Class class_example;
cout << class_example.getPrivateNumber() << endl;
}
See it in action here.