[class.conv] (original) (raw)

11 Classes [class]

11.4 Class members [class.mem]

11.4.7 Conversions [class.conv]

Type conversions of class objects can be specified by constructors and by conversion functions.

[ Note

:

See [over.match] for a discussion of the use of conversions in function calls as well as examples below.

end note

]

At most one user-defined conversion (constructor or conversion function) is implicitly applied to a single value.

[ Example

:

struct X { operator int(); };

struct Y { operator X(); };

Y a; int b = a;
int c = X(a);

end example

]

User-defined conversions are used implicitly only if they are unambiguous.

A conversion function in a derived class does not hide a conversion function in a base class unless the two functions convert to the same type.

Function overload resolution ([over.match.best]) selects the best conversion function to perform the conversion.

[ Example

:

struct X { operator int(); };

struct Y : X { operator char(); };

void f(Y& a) { if (a) {
} }

end example

]

11.4.7.1 Conversion by constructor [class.conv.ctor]

A constructor that is not explicit ([dcl.fct.spec]) specifies a conversion from the types of its parameters (if any) to the type of its class.

Such a constructor is called aconverting constructor.

[ Example

:

struct X { X(int); X(const char*, int =0); X(int, int); };

void f(X arg) { X a = 1;
X b = "Jessie";
a = 2;
f(3);
f({1, 2});
}

end example

]

[ Note

:

An explicit constructor constructs objects just like non-explicit constructors, but does so only where the direct-initialization syntax ([dcl.init]) or where casts ([expr.static.cast], [expr.cast]) are explicitly used; see also [over.match.copy].

A default constructor may be an explicit constructor; such a constructor will be used to perform default-initialization or value-initialization ([dcl.init]).

[ Example

:

struct Z { explicit Z(); explicit Z(int); explicit Z(int, int); };

Z a;
Z b{};
Z c = {};
Z a1 = 1;
Z a3 = Z(1);
Z a2(1);
Z* p = new Z(1);
Z a4 = (Z)1;
Z a5 = static_cast(1);
Z a6 = { 3, 4 };

end example

]

end note

]

A non-explicit copy/move constructor ([class.copy.ctor]) is a converting constructor.

[ Note

:

An implicitly-declared copy/move constructor is not an explicit constructor; it may be called for implicit type conversions.

end note

]

11.4.7.2 Conversion functions [class.conv.fct]

A member function of a class X having no parameters with a name of the form

conversion-function-id: operator conversion-type-id

conversion-type-id: type-specifier-seq conversion-declarator

Such functions are called conversion functions.

The type of the conversion function ([dcl.fct]) is “function taking no parameter returningconversion-type-id.

A conversion function is never used to convert a (possibly cv-qualified) object to the (possibly cv-qualified) same object type (or a reference to it), to a (possibly cv-qualified) base class of that type (or a reference to it), or to cv void.106

[ Example

:

struct X { operator int(); operator auto() -> short;
};

void f(X a) { int i = int(a); i = (int)a; i = a; }

In all three cases the value assigned will be converted byX​::​operator int().

end example

]

A conversion function may be explicit ([dcl.fct.spec]), in which case it is only considered as a user-defined conversion for direct-initialization ([dcl.init]).

Otherwise, user-defined conversions are not restricted to use in assignments and initializations.

[ Example

:

class Y { }; struct Z { explicit operator Y() const; };

void h(Z z) { Y y1(z);
Y y2 = z;
Y y3 = (Y)z;
}

void g(X a, X b) { int i = (a) ? 1+a : 0; int j = (a&&b) ? a+b : i; if (a) { } }

end example

]

Theconversion-type-idshall not represent a function type nor an array type.

Theconversion-type-idin aconversion-function-idis the longest sequence of tokens that could possibly form a conversion-type-id.

[ Note

:

This prevents ambiguities between the declarator operator * and its expression counterparts.

[ Example

:

&ac.operator int*i;

The * is the pointer declarator and not the multiplication operator.

end example

]

This rule also prevents ambiguities for attributes.

[ Example

:

operator int [[noreturn]] ();

end example

]

end note

]

Conversion functions are inherited.

Conversion functions can be virtual.

A conversion function template shall not have a deduced return type ([dcl.spec.auto]).

[ Example

:

struct S { operator auto() const { return 10; }
template operator auto() const { return 1.2; }
};

end example

]