BM>  class  manifest  { 
BM>  public: 
BM>          manifest(); 
BM>          manifest(const char *filename); 
Better   declare  the  2nd  constructor  "explicit"  to  avoid  silent
conversions.
BM>      private:
BM>           char* select(char *filename, int len);
This method could as well return bool, which  would  make  its  return
value clearer.
BM>  manifest::manifest(const  char*  manfile){  
BM>     filename  =  new char[FILENAME_MAX]; 
BM>     strncpy(filename, manfile, FILENAME_MAX -  1);
This will cause you problems: strncpy will not zero-terminate filename
if manfile has FILENAME_MAX - 1  characters.  I'd  suggest  to  use  a
string class instead of your char *.
BM> How do I handle errors in opening the ifstream?
Depends on what class manifest is responsible for. Options include:
- do it the way the fstream classes do
- throw an exception (which will make it difficult to free the  memory
referenced by filename if you don't change filename's type to string)
BM> Is it a good idea perhaps, to just allocate space for filename withi
BM> the constructor and then handle everything else in a manifest::init(
BM> member?  That would seem redundant to me but perhaps overloading
BM> constructors is already redundant.
You could just use the 2nd constructor with a default argument if  you
prefer:
manifest(const char *filename = 0); 
and
manifest::manifest(const  char*  manfile){  
    filename  =  new char[FILENAME_MAX]; 
    if (manfile)
    {
        strncpy(filename, manfile, FILENAME_MAX -  1);
        *filename[FILENAME_MAX-1] = 0;    
    }
    else
        while (!select(filename, FILENAME_MAX - 1));
    mstreamp = new ifstream(filename);
}
Thomas
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 þ MM 1.0 #0113 þ I don't care WHO you are! Get those reindeer off my roof!
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