My first example is not correct --- according to the standard, the
lifetime of the temporary should be extended. The second example is an
user error.
C++ standard says this in 12.2.5:
"
The second context is when a reference is bound to a temporary. The
temporary to which the reference is
bound or the temporary that is the complete object of a subobject to
which the reference is bound persists
for the lifetime of the reference except:
— A temporary bound to a reference member in a constructor’s
ctor-initializer (12.6.2) persists until the
constructor exits.
— A temporary bound to a reference parameter in a function call
(5.2.2) persists until the completion of
the full-expression containing the call.
— The lifetime of a temporary bound to the returned value in a
function return statement (6.6.3) is not
extended; the temporary is destroyed at the end of the full-expression
in the return statement.
— A temporary bound to a reference in a new-initializer (5.3.4)
persists until the completion of the
full-expression containing the new-initializer. [Example:
struct S { int mi; const std::pair<int,int>& mp; };
S a { 1, {2,3} };
S* p = new S{ 1, {2,3} }; // Creates dangling reference
— end example ] [ Note: This may introduce a dangling reference, and
implementations are encouraged
to issue a warning in such a case. — end note ]
"
David
On Sun, Dec 2, 2012 at 4:31 AM, Olivier Ballereau
<olivier.baller...@gmx.net> wrote:
> Hello David,
>
> Sorry to come so late into the discussion, but...
>
> On 21/06/12 00:50, Xinliang David Li wrote:
>> One of the most common runtime errors we have seen in gcc-4_7 is
>> caused by dangling references to temporaries whole life time have
>> ended
>>
>> e.g,
>>
>> const A& a = foo();
>>
>> or
>> foo (A());// where temp's address is saved and used after foo.
>>
>> Of course this is user error according to the standard,
>> [...]
>
> ... is the first of your 2 examples really a user error? If so, it
> breaks GotW #88: A Candidate For the “Most Important const” [1]. Can you
> please clarify?
>
> Thanks in advance!
> Olivier
>
> [1]
> http://herbsutter.com/2008/01/01/gotw-88-a-candidate-for-the-most-important-const/
>
