Re: user-defined op= for type with reference member

From:
Paul Bibbings <paul.bibbings@gmail.com>
Newsgroups:
comp.lang.c++
Date:
Fri, 11 Jun 2010 22:38:41 +0100
Message-ID:
<87aar1dzby.fsf@gmail.com>
"Leigh Johnston" <leigh@i42.co.uk> writes:

"Paul Bibbings" <paul.bibbings@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:87iq5pe056.fsf@gmail.com...

Since I have used the following in another post, can someone just
confirm (or otherwise) whether the following definition of a
user-defined op= for a type with a reference member is well defined?

  class AType
  {
  public:
     AType(int& i)
        : i_(i)
     { }
     // ...
     AType& operator=(const AType& other)
     {
        if (this != &other)
        {
           this->~Atype();
           new (this) AType(other);
        }
        return *this;
     }
  private:
     int& i_;
  };

According to my reading of the example given in [basic.life] ??3.8/7 I
believe that it is, in this instance (since the constructor doesn't
throw, except on bad_alloc).

Regards

Paul Bibbings


Attempting to use this trick to reseat a reference or
destruct/re-construct const members is UB IIRC, there was a thread
about this a few months ago I think.


I had that same recollection, but take a look at ??3.8/7, where the
following example is given:

   struct C {
      int i;
      void f();
      const C& operator=( const C& );
   };

   const C& C::operator=( const C& other)
   {
      if ( this != &other ) {
         this->~??C(); //lifetime of *this ends
         new (this) C(other); // new object of type C created
         f(); //well-defined
      }
      return *this;
   }

   C c1;
   C c2;
   c1 = c2; // well-defined
   c1.f(); //well-defined; c1 refers to a new object of type C

The only relevant difference here is the reference data member, but I
have not been able to find a reason why this should present an especial
problem. The copy constructor can seat a reference, so I can't see why
using it in the context of a placement new (if that is the right term)
should be problematic. I will try and find the earlier thread.

Regards

Paul Bibbings

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