Compiler chooses conv ctor - why?

From:
"Cezary H. Noweta" <chncc@noemail.noemail>
Newsgroups:
microsoft.public.vc.language
Date:
Sun, 13 Apr 2008 01:00:40 +0200
Message-ID:
<OKGYAEPnIHA.980@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl>
Hello,

In the following code conversion from class A object to class B object
can be done in two ways: (1) by conversion function being member of
class A (line 6); (2) by conversion constructor being member of class B
(line 11). However conversion constructor is called. The sole way to
make A::operator B() to be called is removing ,,const'' qualifiers (at
lines 11 & 25). This causes that the only implicit conversion sequence
goes throughout conversion function (declared at line 6). Why? It seems
that according to 13.3 of ISO 14882 none of the sequences is better then
other. Thus ambiguity should occur causing error. Could somebody point
out what part of ISO 14882 causes that conversion constructor (and not
conv foo) should be chosen and why conv ctor is better then conv foo?

-- best regards

Cezary Noweta

======
#include <stdio.h>

struct B;

struct A {
       operator const B() const; // Line 6
};

struct B {
       B();
       B(const A& a); // Line 11
       const B& operator=(const B&) const;
};

A::operator const B() const
{
    printf("conv foo called\n");
    return(B());
}

B::B()
{
}

B::B(const A& a) // Line 25
{
    printf("conv ctor called\n");
}

const B& B::operator=(const B&) const
{
    return(this[0]);
}

const B foo(const A a)
{
       return(a);
}

const B foo1(const A a)
{
       return((const B)a);
}

const B foo2(const A a)
{
       return(const B(a));
}

main()
{
    const A a;
    const B b;

    b = foo(a);
    b = foo1(a);
    b = foo2(a);
}
======

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