c++ - Operator= of class 'Entity' doesn't work properly -

okay i'm making own entity component system, , want able set entity another, here how looks:

entity& operator=(const entity& other) {     this->name = other.name;     this->tag = other.tag;     this->isstatic = other.isstatic;     return entity(this->name, this->tag, true, this->isstatic); } 

an entity has id has unique other entities, when set entity another, id gets set:

'main.cpp'  entity = entity("a", "tag of a"); // automatically gets id: 0 because first entity created entity b = entity("b", "tag of b"); // b gets id: 1 because second entity created a.printall(); // function prints name, tag, , id of entity, prints out: " "a" has "tag of a" tag, , id = "0" " // after set b, things little messy = b; a.printall(); // prints out: " "b" has "tag of b" tag, , id = "1" ", should not happen, why did id of change ? 

the way ids work when entity constructed id set global variable increments 1, so:

'public.h' // included everywhere, has global variables  int idcounter = 0; int getnewid(){  return idcounter;  idcounter++; } 

and inside entity constructor:

'entity.cpp'  entity::entity(string name, string tag){  this->name = name;  this->tag = tag;  this->id = getnewid(); // fine, problem operator= } 

edit:

i tried guys told me, here how tried it:

entity* leshko; entity* ent2; leshko = new entity("leshko", "lesh");  ent2 = new entity("ent2", "presh"); leshko->printall(); // id = 0 leshko = ent2; leshko->printall(); // id = 1 

i think problem may i'm using pointer 'entities' , not regular 'entities', cannot change that.

the issue here trying return reference local variable. in assignment operator have

return entity(this->name, this->tag, true, this->isstatic); 

which creates temporary. cannot return reference.

what want instead return reference object assigned to. with

return *this; 

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note in code leshko = ent2; pointer assignment not object assignment. if want assign underlying objects need *leshko = *ent2;.