BLM> How would you define "ascribing to much responsibility to the 
 BLM> constructor?"  Is this to much... 
 BLM> manifest::manifest(){ 
 BLM>      filename = new char[FILENAME_MAX]; 
 BLM>      while (!select(filename, FILENAME_MAX - 1)); 
 BLM>      mstreamp = new ifstream(filename); 
 BLM> } 
this is okay. i often write bigger constructors. (i know the language
well enough to know when copies of objects are created, and i make sure
references are used everywhere, and make sure no temporaries are
created.)
matju
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