Re: What should std::InputIterator<T>::pointer be? [n2193 / n2083]

From:
Carl Barron <cbarron413@adelphia.net>
Newsgroups:
comp.std.c++
Date:
Mon, 2 Apr 2007 14:48:08 CST
Message-ID:
<020420071546196988%cbarron413@adelphia.net>
In article <1175280502.400506.152680@e65g2000hsc.googlegroups.com>,
Richard Smith <richard@ex-parrot.com> wrote:

It is not unusual to encounter iterators whose operator* returns by
value (c.f. boost::iterator_facade). They satisfy the current (C++03)
InputIterator concept, and it seems that the intention is that these
can satisfy any of the new (C++09) immutable iterator concepts,
including InputIterator.

It's standard practice to implement operator-> on such iterators by
way of a proxy object in order to extend the lifetime of the
temporary:

  class my_iterator {
    struct arrow_proxy {
      arrow_proxy( value_type const& val ) : val(val) {}
      operator value_type const*() const { return &val; }
      value_type const* operator->() const { return &val; }
    private:
      value_type val;
    };
  public:
    arrow_proxy operator->() const { return **this; }
  };

However, it is also current practice to make the 'pointer' typedef a
raw pointer (see the boost::iterator_facade and elsewhere in Boost for
examples):


   my usual inplimentation ,if the provided proxy does not work, is
something like this:

    class my_iterator:boost::iterator_facade<...>
    {
    public:
      Foo operator ->();
      // ...
    };

   All is fine as my_iterator::operator->() will be called not
iterator_facade<...>::operator->().

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