Auxilary Functions and Operators

Hey there

I know this is probably a silly question but is there a difference between auxilary functions and auxilary operators? If so, which one is declared outside the class and which one inside?

Thanks

 

Generally, the word auxiliary basically means it doesn't need to be a member of the class. This definition is pretty vague.

For a stricter definition, I prefer: An auxiliary function or operator is one which is defined outside the class that contains it.
I don't know how "correct" this definition is, because the term is sometimes used in other ways, as well. I made this one up. Auxiliary functions and operators are often defined in header files for declaration in classes.

The following contains example code of auxiliary operators, with a short description of auxiliary functions:
http://www.daniweb.com/software-development/cpp/threads/19665


Sources of confusion I know about:

There are different definitions, besides the two I already gave above. Some people call functions in a class that could be independent of the class auxiliary, even if they are defined in the class, and used as any other function. As I said, I don't know what the "correct" strict definition is. I've heard that any function could be made auxiliary, though I haven't seen a proof.

Definition and declaration are sometimes confused. My definition of auxiliary can rely on the difference between these.

I found a reference to wrapper functions being called auxiliary functions, though this is just a skewed term, afaik. Wrapper functions may tend to be auxiliary, but possibly not always, or depending on the definition used.

Auxiliary functions have a meaning in mathematics, as well, which sometimes gets things mixed up.

To clear these up, maybe someone has a textbook defining these terms?