Re: C++0x: move() & a hypotheticyl language feature

From:
SG <s.gesemann@gmail.com>
Newsgroups:
comp.lang.c++.moderated
Date:
Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:04:36 CST
Message-ID:
<0c96553d-624a-4d97-b529-eac98b1346da@z1g2000yqn.googlegroups.com>
David Abrahams wrote:

I like it! Write a proposal!


Alberto Ganesh Barbati wrote:

Vidar Hasfjord ha scritto:

On Nov 10, 6:31 pm, SG <s.gesem...@gmail.com> wrote:

[...]
Disclaimer: I'm going to describe a *hypothetical* language
feature that solves these kinds of "dangling reference"is not
problems.
[...]
   string&& operator+(string&& a : return, string const& b);

Interesting.
Here's an alternative syntax based on the new C++0x function
declaration syntax:
      [] operator + (string&& a, string const& b) -> a;

Very nice. Please notice that the "unified" function declaration syntax
(the one using []) was not voted into the CD. However, the idea is still
good, if you replace [] with auto:

  auto operator+(string&& a, string const& b) -> a;

Although probably less useful, we might also want to introduce a similar
syntax for member functions:

  struct A
  {
    auto operator=(const A&) -> this // returns A&
  };

the syntax should behave nicely with cv- and ref-qualifiers:

  struct A
  {
    auto f() -> this // returns A&

    auto g() & -> this // returns A&
    auto g() && -> this // returns A&&

    auto h() const -> this // returns const A&
  };


Nice! I actually didn't expect such a positive response. I thought
about this idea alot during the past two days and made some
observations:

* This feature would introduce a new class of function types that must
   be supported by function pointers etc.

* Unfortunately, I don't have a solution for perfect forwarding yet for
   such functions.

* It could be extended to non-references (pass by value for argument
   and return). This allows a compiler to elide one copy/move.

* I think it's desirable to have a returned reference behave exactly
   like the original argument in most cases. This would reduce the need
   to overload on &/&& parameters. It is believed to be convenient and
   less error-prone. (See examples below)

* This feature should allow overriding the above "convenience rule".
   Think of std::move that always results in an rvalue expression.
   Think of std::forward that should

Here are a couple of examples I currently favour in terms of syntax
and semantics:

    struct A {
      auto operator+=(int) -> this;
      auto move() -> this : A&&;
    }

    auto foo(A x) -> x; // pass by value for argument and result

                           // default behaviour = caller
    auto bar(A && x) -> x; // implicitly converts reference
                           // to the original "value-ness"
    A source();
    A& getref();

    void demo() {
      // "convenience rule"
      bar(source()); // rvalue expression (known temporary)
      bar(getref()); // lvalue expression
      source()+=23; // rvalue expression (known temporary)
      getref()+=42; // lvalue expression
    }

    template<RvalueOf T>
    auto move(T && x) -> x : RvalueOf<T>::type&&

    tempalte<IdentityOf T>
    auto forward(T && x) -> x : IdentityOf<T>::type&&

Cheers!
SG

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