Hi pals please let me know the Difference between a "assignment operator" and a "copy constructor"?

The copy constructor is creating a new object.
The assignment operator has to deal with the existing data in the object. For a simple class, the work done may be the same, but for more complex classes, especially those with pointers to other objects, we will have more to do. This is related to the deep and shallow copy issue, and ownership and is-a-part relationships.

(I) Copy Constructor:

• C++ calls a copy constructor to make a copy of an object
  
• Copy constructor creates the new object by copying the existing one
  
• Copy constructor always creates a new object , but the assignment never copies the object
  
• If ther is no copy constructor created for the class,C++ creates the default copy constructor for all the fields it is called as shallow copy

EXAMPLE:
A variable is declared which is initialized from another object
Point p; // calls default constructor

point s=p; //calls copy constrctor

p=s; //assignment,not copy constructor

(II)Assignment Operator:

• assignment operator assigns a value to a already existing object
  
• The assignment operator makes an already existing object into a copy of an existing one

Thanks,
Lavanya.J