(C++ 11) template argument deduction
C++11加入了rvalue reference的概念后，类型推导规则更加复杂了。微软的Stephan Lavavej在Channel9的Core C++系列中对deduction简单地做了些介绍 ，但并没有深入地讲。我拿C++标准研究了一把，发现deduction的规则细节还是比较繁琐的。标准文档的可读性不太好，颇费脑细胞. 相对而言cppreference可读性要好一些。这篇主要总结函数调用时的类型推导(Deduction from a function call)和不进行类型推导的几种情况(Non-deduced contexts)
(Mirror)
如果不了解lvalue, xvalue和pvalue. 可参考前一篇.
Deduction from a function call
先说明一下几个术语。模板函数的形数parameter简称为 P，实参argument简称为 A. 编译器推导是指根据P/A pair推导出P的真正Type。 推导过程中，通过一定规则对P/A进行调整. P调整后称为deduced A, A调整后称为tranformed A.
推导规则
一般来说deduced A==tranformed A，如果不相同，再由额外规则处理。多个参数的情况，则对每个P/A pair分别进行推导，如果有不一致，则失败。有一点，在标准里没找到（我没有通读），if A is reference type，tranformed A is the type referred by A.
(Rule 1) if P is NOT a reference type
(rule 1): if P is NOT a reference type: (N3690, 14.8.2.1/2)
- 1.1 A is array, array-to-pointer conversion
- 1.2 A is function type, function-to-pointer conversion
- 1.3 if A is cv-qualified type, top level cv-qulifiers of A's type are ignored
看例子，具体的推导过程写在注释里。
template <class T> void f(T);
int a[3];
f(a); // P = T,
// A = int[3], after adjustment, transformed A is int*. (Rule 1.1)
// T -> int* calls: f<int*>()
void g(int);
f(g); // P = T,
// A = void(int), adjusted to void(*)(int). (Rule 1.1)
// T -> void(*)(int) calls:f<void(*)(int) >()
const int b = 13;
f(b); // P = T,
// A = const int, transformed A is int. (Rule 1.3)
// T -> int calls:f<int>()
//A is a reference
Foo&& fref = Foo();
f (fref);// P = T,
// A = Foo&&. 'Foo' is used for deduction
// T -> Foo. calls:f<Foo>(Foo)
(Rule 2): if P is cv-qualified type, the top level cv-qualifiers of P's type are ignored for tyep deduction
template <class T> void f(const T);
int i = 1;
f (i); // P = const T, deduced P is T.
// A = int
// T -> int calls:f<int>()
const int j = 1;
f (i); // P = const T, deduced P is T.
// A = const int, transformed A is int (Rule 1.3)
// T -> int calls:f<int>()
(Rule 3): if P is a reference type, the type referred by P is used for type deduction
这里reference type包括lvalue reference 和 rvalue reference.
template <class T> void f ( T&);
const int i = 1;
f (i); // P = T&, deduced P is T. (Rule 3)
// A = const int, no adjustment
// T -> int calls:f<const int>(const int&)
template <class T> void g ( T&&);
const int i = 1;
f (i); // P = T&&, deduced P is T. (Rule 3)
// A = const int, no adjustment
// T -> int calls:f<const int>(const int&&)
Foo && xvalue() { Foo f; return static_cast<Foo&&>f; } //funciton call is an xvalue
fun_rvalue_ref_param ( xvalue () );
//P is 'T&&' type, deduced P is T.
//A is 'Foo&&' type, (xvalue), transformed A is Foo
//deduces: T is Foo.
//calls: fun_rvalue_ref_param<Foo>(Foo &&)
接着看另一个接近的case
Foo && xvalue() { Foo f; return static_cast<Foo&&>f; } //funciton call is an xvalue
Foo && ref = xvalue ();
fun_rvalue_ref_param ( ref );
推导结果却不是fun_rvalue_ref_param
(Rule 4) special case: P is T&&, and A is an lvalue
(N3690, 14.8.2.1/3) if P is rvalue refernce to a cv-unqualified template parameter and the argument is an lvalue, the type "lvalue reference to A" is used in place of A for type deduction (special case)
如果模板参数P是T或者T&, 那么类型推导只需要关注P/A的类型即可。 但是当P 为 T&&时，则还涉及expresion category taxonomy。类型推导不仅仅关注P/A的类型，还要关注A 这个expression的category是lvalue 还是xvalue, pvalue.
这里多举几个例子，涉及了几个推导规则。每一个都有详细的推导过程。
Foo && rvalue_ref () { return Foo (); }
const Foo&& const_rvalue_ref () { return Foo (); }
//universal
template <typename T> void fun_rvalue_ref_param (T&& val) { };
int main {
int int_lvalue_arg = 2;
const int int_const_lvalue_arg = 1;
int& int_lvalue_ref_arg = int_lvalue_arg;
const int& int_const_lvalue_ref_arg = int_const_lvalue_arg;
fun_rvalue_ref_param (int_lvalue_arg);
//P is 'T&&' type, deduced P is T. (Rule 3)
//A is 'int' type, lvalue, transformed A is 'int&' (rule 4, special case)
//calls: fun_rvalue_ref_param <int&> (int&).
fun_rvalue_ref_param (int_const_lvalue_arg);
//P is 'T&&' type, deduced P is T.
//A is 'const int' type, lvalue, (special case), transformed A is 'const int &'
//calls: fun_rvalue_ref_param <const int &> (const int &)
fun_rvalue_ref_param (int_lvalue_ref_arg);
//P is 'T&&' type, deduced P is T.
//A is 'int&' type, lvalue, (special case)
//calls: fun_rvalue_ref_param <int &> (int &)
fun_rvalue_ref_param (int_const_lvalue_ref_arg);
//P is 'T&&' type, deduced P is T.
//A is 'const int&' type, lvalue, (special case)
//calls: fun_rvalue_ref_param <const int &> (const int &)
fun_rvalue_ref_param (3); //rvalue. build in
//P is 'T&&' type, deduced P is T.
//A is 'int', rvalue, no adjustment. transformed A is int
//deduces: T is int.
//calls: fun_rvalue_ref_param<int>(int &&)
fun_rvalue_ref_param ( Foo() );
//P is 'T&&' type, deduced P is T.
//A is 'Foo' type, rvalue (pvalue), no adjustment. transformed A is Foo
//deduces: T is Foo.
//calls: fun_rvalue_ref_param<Foo>(Foo &&)
Foo&& foo_rvalue_ref_arg = Foo();
const Foo&& foo_const_rvalue_ref_arg = Foo();
fun_rvalue_ref_param (foo_rvalue_ref_arg);
//A's type is rvalue reference, it is a named reference, so it is an lvalue. special case!
//calls: fun_rvalue_ref_param<Foo&>(Foo &)
fun_rvalue_ref_param (foo_const_rvalue_ref_arg);
//A is lvalue, special case
//calls: fun_rvalue_ref_param<Foo const &>(Foo const &)
fun_rvalue_ref_param (rvalue_ref());
//P is 'T&&' type, deduced P is T.
//A is 'Foo&&' type, (xvalue, not a lvalue), transformed A is Foo
//deduces: T is Foo.
//calls: fun_rvalue_ref_param<Foo>(Foo &&)
fun_rvalue_ref_param (const_rvalue_ref());
//P is 'T&&' type, deduced P is T.
//A is 'const Foo&&' type, (xvalue, not a lvalue), transformed A is const Foo
//deduces: T is Foo.
//calls: fun_rvalue_ref_param<Foo>(Foo &&)
return 0;
}
(Rule 5) 几个deduced A和tranformed A不一致的规则
(rule 5): In general, the deduction process attempts to find template argument values that will make the deduced A
identical to A (after the type A is transformed as described above). However, there are three cases that allow
a difference:
— (5.1) — If the original P is a reference type, the deduced A (i.e., the type referred to by the reference) can be more cv-qualified than the transformed A.
— (5.2) — The transformed A can be another pointer or pointer to member type that can be converted to the
deduced A via a qualification conversion (4.4).
— (5.3) — If P is a class and P has the form simple-template-id, then the transformed A can be a derived class of
the deduced A. Likewise, if P is a pointer to a class of the form simple-template-id, the transformed A
can be a pointer to a derived class pointed to by the deduced A.
(5.1)
如果P是reference type, deduced A 可以比transformed A多出 cv-qualified。
template<typename T> void f1(const T& t);
bool a = false;
f1(a); // P=const T&, adjusted to const T, A=bool,
// deduced T = bool, deduced A = const bool
// deduced A is more cv-qualified than A
(5.2)
和(5.1)类似，是指针或者类的成员的情况。
template<typename T> void f(const T*);
int* p;
f(p); // P=T, A=int*
// deduces T=int, deduced A = const int*
// qualification conversion applies (from int* to const int*)
(5.3)
如果P是simple-template-id的形式(template-name < template-argument-listopt>)，可以有类继承关系。
template <class T> struct B { };
template <class T> struct D : public B<T> {};
template <class T> void f(B<T>&){}
void f() {
D<int> d;
f(d); // P = B<T>&, adjusted P = B<T> (a simple-template-id)
// A = D<int>
// deduced T = int, deduced A = B<int>
// A is derived from deduced A
}
## Non-deduced contexts 如下情况，P不参与template argument deduction。
- The nested-name-specifier (everything to the left of the scope resolution operator :😃 of a type that was specified using a qualified-id.
在 操作符::左边的T不参与deduction，这个规则是理解std::forward实现的关键点之一。
// the identity template, often used to exclude specific arguments from deduction
template <typename T> struct identity { typedef T type; };
template <typename T>
void bad(std::vector<T> x, T value = 1);
template <typename T>
void good(std::vector<T> x, typename identity<T>::type value = 1);
std::vector<std::complex<double>> x;
bad(x, 1.2); // P1 = std::vector<T>, A1 = std::vector<std::complex<double>>
// P1/A1 deduction determines T = std::complex<double>
// P2 = T, A2 = double
// P2/A2 deduction determines T = double -- Error
good(x, 1.2); // P1/A1 deduces T = std::complex<double>
// P2 = identity<T>::type, T is to the left of ::, non-deduced
- The expression of a decltype-specifier.
template<typename T> void f(decltype(*std::declval<T>()) arg);
int n; f<int*>(n); // P = decltype(*declval<T>()), A=int. T is not deducible (since C++14)
- A template parameter used in the parameter type of a function parameter that has a default argument that is being used in the call for which argument deduction is being done
template<typename T, typename F>
void f(const std::vector<T> &arr, const F& comp = std::less<T>());
std::vector<std::string> arr(3);
f(arr); // P1 = const std::vector<T> &, A1=std::vector<std::string> lvalue,
// P1/A1 deduces T = std::string
// P2 = non-deduced context for F (template parameter) used in the
// parameter type const F& of the function parameter comp,
// that has a default argument that is being used in the call f(arr)
还有其他case，不太常用，这里不提。可参考文档
注：
- 标准链接是草稿,只有微小差别，可以去isocpp.org找最新版.
