Re: legal code?

From:
James Kanze <james.kanze@gmail.com>
Newsgroups:
comp.lang.c++
Date:
Fri, 12 Dec 2008 00:34:45 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID:
<7107bc09-8cc8-4349-acf5-5250bfb2ffe2@r15g2000prh.googlegroups.com>
On Dec 10, 7:24 pm, Noah Roberts <u...@example.net> wrote:

Someone in another list posted this code. It compiles in G++
and apparently is absorbed by comeau as well. VS vomits.

#include <cstddef>

template < typename T, std :: size_t sz >
   struct Block
{
   typedef T type[ sz ][ sz ];
};

template < typename T >
   void assign( T & assignee, const T & value )
{}

template < typename T, std :: size_t sz >
   void assign( T ( & assignee )[ sz ], const T ( & value )[ sz ] )
   {}

int main( )
{
   Block< int, 16 > :: type a;
   const Block< int, 16 > :: type b = { };

   assign( a, b );
}

1>e:\dev_workspace\experimental\boost_msg_test\boost_msg_test\boost_msg_t=

est.cpp(22)

: error C2782: 'void assign(T (&)[sz],const T (&)[sz])' : template
parameter 'T' is ambiguous
1>
e:\dev_workspace\experimental\boost_msg_test\boost_msg_test\boost_msg_tes=

t.cpp(14)

: see declaration of 'assign'
1> could be 'const int [16]'
1> or 'int [16]'
1>e:\dev_workspace\experimental\boost_msg_test\boost_msg_test\boost_msg_t=

est.cpp(22)

: error C2782: 'void assign(T &,const T &)' : template parameter 'T' is
ambiguous
1>
e:\dev_workspace\experimental\boost_msg_test\boost_msg_test\boost_msg_tes=

t.cpp(10)

: see declaration of 'assign'
1> could be 'const int [16][16]'
1> or 'int [16][16]'

G++ compiles and calls the T[] version.


It's a bug in VC++. Both function templates should be
instantiated (and the error message suggests they are) and
participate in overload resolution, but according to =A714.5.5.2,
the second is clearly more specialized than the first, and
according to =A713.3.3, if all other things are equal (and they
are, or at least they should be), the function instantiated from
the more specialized template is chosen.

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James Kanze (GABI Software) email:james.kanze@gmail.com
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