std::addressof
| Defined in header <memory>
|
||
template< class T > T* addressof( T& arg ) noexcept; |
(1) | (since C++11) (constexpr since C++17) |
template< class T > const T* addressof( const T&& ) = delete; |
(2) | (since C++11) |
arg, even in presence of overloaded operator&.const rvalues.|
The expression |
(since C++17) |
Parameters
| arg | - | lvalue object or function |
Return value
Pointer to arg.
Possible implementation
The implementation below is not constexpr, because reinterpret_cast is not usable in a constant expression. Compiler support is needed (see below).
template<class T>
typename std::enable_if<std::is_object<T>::value, T*>::type addressof(T& arg) noexcept
{
return reinterpret_cast<T*>(
&const_cast<char&>(
reinterpret_cast<const volatile char&>(arg)));
}
template<class T>
typename std::enable_if<!std::is_object<T>::value, T*>::type addressof(T& arg) noexcept
{
return &arg;
}
|
Correct implementation of this function requires compiler support: GNU libstdc++, LLVM libc++, Microsoft STL.
Notes
| Feature-test macro | Value | Std | Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
__cpp_lib_addressof_constexpr |
201603L |
(C++17) | constexpr std::addressof
|
constexpr for addressof is added by LWG2296, and MSVC STL applies the change to C++14 mode as a defect report.
There are some weird cases where use of built-in operator& is ill-formed due to argument-dependent lookup even if it is not overloaded, and std::addressof can be used instead.
template<class T>
struct holder { T t; };
struct incomp;
int main()
{
holder<holder<incomp>*> x{};
// &x; // error: argument-dependent lookup attempts to instantiate holder<incomp>
std::addressof(x); // OK
}
Example
operator& may be overloaded for a pointer wrapper class to obtain a pointer to pointer:
#include <iostream>
#include <memory>
template<class T>
struct Ptr
{
T* pad; // add pad to show difference between 'this' and 'data'
T* data;
Ptr(T* arg) : pad(nullptr), data(arg)
{
std::cout << "Ctor this = " << this << '\n';
}
~Ptr() { delete data; }
T** operator&() { return &data; }
};
template<class T>
void f(Ptr<T>* p)
{
std::cout << "Ptr overload called with p = " << p << '\n';
}
void f(int** p)
{
std::cout << "int** overload called with p = " << p << '\n';
}
int main()
{
Ptr<int> p(new int(42));
f(&p); // calls int** overload
f(std::addressof(p)); // calls Ptr<int>* overload, (= this)
}
Possible output:
Ctor this = 0x7fff59ae6e88
int** overload called with p = 0x7fff59ae6e90
Ptr overload called with p = 0x7fff59ae6e88
Defect reports
The following behavior-changing defect reports were applied retroactively to previously published C++ standards.
| DR | Applied to | Behavior as published | Correct behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
| LWG 2598 | C++11 | std::addressof<const T> could take address of rvalues
|
disallowed by a deleted overload |
See also
| the default allocator (class template) | |
[static] |
obtains a dereferenceable pointer to its argument (public static member function of std::pointer_traits<Ptr>)
|