How to reuse a friend operator?

[Piotr Wyderski]

Hello,

is it possible to reuse a friend operator which is defined
inside a class? I'd like to obtain the following behaviour:

class integer {

[...]

integer operator +(signed long int v) const {

// It somehow does its job
}

friend inline integer operator +(signed long int lhs, const integer&
rhs) {

return rhs.operator +(lhs); // This is allowed because of
commutativity
}

friend inline integer operator +(signed int lhs, const integer& rhs) {

return operator +(static_cast<signed long int>(lhs),rhs); // Here's
the problem
}
};


integer i;
i + 10; // the first operator is used
10L + i; // the second operator is used
10 + i; // the third is used and then control is passed to the second one


The problem is that the compiler (G++ 3.4) doesn't see the operators
declared as friends. It displays a message that no operator can be matched
and shows the list of alternatives, but only local operators are listed (in
this example there's only one, in the real project there are 6). When the
friend operators are declared in a standard way, i.e. outside of the class,
everything works OK. So the question is: how to qualify the "operator +()"
in the third operator's body to use the second one? None of these
ad hoc approaches works:

"return :perator +("
"return integer:perator +("
"return friend operator +("

Best regards
Piotr Wyderski

 

[Ali Cehreli]

Hello,

is it possible to reuse a friend operator which is defined inside a
class? I'd like to obtain the following behaviour:

class integer {

[...]

integer operator +(signed long int v) const {

// It somehow does its job
}

friend inline integer operator +(signed long int lhs, const
integer&
rhs) {

return rhs.operator +(lhs); // This is allowed because of
commutativity
}

friend inline integer operator +(signed int lhs, const integer&
rhs) {

return operator +(static_cast<signed long int>(lhs),rhs); //
Here's
the problem
}
};


integer i;
i + 10; // the first operator is used 10L + i; // the second operator is
used 10 + i; // the third is used and then control is passed to the
second one

If the problem that you are trying to solve is adding an integer to a
class either on the left or on the right hand side, the following is
the traditional way of doing that:

#include <iostream>

using namespace std;

class Integer
{
long value_;

friend ostream & operator<< (ostream &, Integer const &);

public:

Integer(long value = 0)
:
value_(value)
{}

Integer & operator+= (Integer const & rhs)
{
value_ += rhs.value_;
return *this;
}
};

Integer operator+ (Integer const & lhs, Integer const & rhs)
{
Integer sum = lhs;
sum += rhs;
return sum;
}

ostream & operator<< (ostream & os, Integer const & i)
{
return os << i.value_;
}

int main()
{
Integer i(42);
cout << (i + 10) << '\n'
<< (10L + i) << '\n'
<< (10 + i) << '\n'
<< (i + Integer(10)) << '\n';
}

Ali

 

[Piotr Wyderski]

If the problem that you are trying to solve is adding an integer to a
class either on the left or on the right hand side, the following is
the traditional way of doing that:

No, the problem is not the question how to add an integer to a class.
This way is very inefficient in this particular case, because it requires
a temporary object, which is quite big here. I have a very efficient
implementation of such operators and I want to use it. The problem
is that when the friend operators are defined inside the "integer" class,
the compiler doesn't allow to use another friend operator to implement
the current one. When they are defined outside the class, it works.
My question is: why does the compiler behave like that and how to
get rid of this problem without moving the operators outside?
Nobody knows? Have I found a hole in C++?

 

[Piotr Wyderski]

Ali Cehreli wrote:

Never mind, I have just found a solution, so EOT.

 

[Victor Bazarov]

No, the problem is not the question how to add an integer to a class.
This way is very inefficient in this particular case, because it requires
a temporary object, which is quite big here. I have a very efficient
implementation of such operators and I want to use it. The problem
is that when the friend operators are defined inside the "integer" class,
the compiler doesn't allow to use another friend operator to implement
the current one. When they are defined outside the class, it works.
My question is: why does the compiler behave like that and how to
get rid of this problem without moving the operators outside?
Nobody knows? Have I found a hole in C++?

No, you have more likely found a bug in your compiler. This should
work, at least according to 3.4.1/9:
---------
struct A {
friend int operator +(int, A) { return 42; }
operator double() const { return (2 + *this) / 10.; }
// ^^^^^^^^^ operator+ is used
operator float() const { return operator+(5,A()) / 5.f; }
// ^^^^^^^^^^ should also be found
// during name lookup.
};

#include <iostream>

int main() {
A a;
double d = a;
std::cout << d << std::endl; // should print 4.2
}

 

[Denis Remezov]

The code compiles fine with Comeau C++.

But consider this one, which is a simplified version of my problem:

-----------8<-------------

#include <iostream>

class X {

public:

int v;

int operator +(const int R) {

return 3;
}

friend inline int operator +(const int L, const X& R) {

std::cout << "OK int";
return L;
}

friend inline int operator +(const char L, const X& R) {

std::cout << "OK char";
return operator +(static_cast<int>(L),R); // (*)
}
};

int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {

X x;
'a'+x;
return 0;
}

-----------8<-------------

Desired behaviour is that the program displays "OK charOK int"

GPP 3.4 displays:

test.cpp: In function `int operator+(char, const X&)':
test.cpp:24: error: no matching function for call to `X:perator+(int,
const X&)'
test.cpp:10: note: candidates are: int X:perator+(int)

If I change the (*) line to

return :perator +(static_cast<int>(L),R);

then it works. VC7.1 in all cases reports an error:

error C3767: '+' matching function is not accessible
could be the friend function at 'vcadv.cpp(19)' : '+' [may be found via
argument-dependent lookup]

or the friend function at 'vcadv.cpp(25)' : '+' [may be found via
argument-dependent lookup]

Comeau on-line tester says:

error: the global scope has no "operator+"
return :perator +(static_cast<int>(L),R);
^

When I remove "::", it says:

error: a nonstatic member reference must be relative to a
specific object
return operator +(static_cast<int>(L),R);

So which behaviour is correct according to the C++ standard?

Best regards
Piotr Wyderski

Here is my take on it:

The scope resolution operator :: in the line (*) is needed because
without it a member function
int operator +(const int R)
is found, and the global scope is not considered. The reason why
the class scope takes precedence over the global scope is that the
friend function is defined inside the class (see 11.4/5).

So, unless you remove the member operator+ or move the definition
of the friend operators outside of the class definition, you have
to use the operator ::.

Now, it appears that Comeau cannot find a friend function in
the global scope unless this function is also declared in the
global scope, and I /think/ it is right (3.4.3/4). Gcc seems to
let you get away without a global declaration.

A few forward declarations just before the class defintion should
help:
class X;
int operator +(char L, const X& R); //lose the superfluous "const"
int operator +(int L, const X& R); //ditto

(now it compiles with both Gcc and Comeau).

Denis

 

[Piotr Wyderski]

The code compiles fine with Comeau C++.

But consider this one, which is a simplified version of my problem:


-----------8<-------------

#include <iostream>


class X {

public:

int v;

int operator +(const int R) {

return 3;
}

friend inline int operator +(const int L, const X& R) {

std::cout << "OK int";
return L;
}

friend inline int operator +(const char L, const X& R) {

std::cout << "OK char";
return operator +(static_cast<int>(L),R); // (*)
}
};

int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {

X x;
'a'+x;
return 0;
}


-----------8<-------------

Desired behaviour is that the program displays "OK charOK int"

GPP 3.4 displays:

test.cpp: In function `int operator+(char, const X&)':
test.cpp:24: error: no matching function for call to `X:perator+(int,
const X&)'
test.cpp:10: note: candidates are: int X:perator+(int)

If I change the (*) line to

return :perator +(static_cast<int>(L),R);

then it works. VC7.1 in all cases reports an error:

error C3767: '+' matching function is not accessible
could be the friend function at 'vcadv.cpp(19)' : '+' [may be found via
argument-dependent lookup]

or the friend function at 'vcadv.cpp(25)' : '+' [may be found via
argument-dependent lookup]

Comeau on-line tester says:

error: the global scope has no "operator+"
return :perator +(static_cast<int>(L),R);
^

When I remove "::", it says:

error: a nonstatic member reference must be relative to a
specific object
return operator +(static_cast<int>(L),R);

So which behaviour is correct according to the C++ standard?

Best regards
Piotr Wyderski

 

[Victor Bazarov]

The code compiles fine with Comeau C++.

But consider this one, which is a simplified version of my problem:


-----------8<-------------

#include <iostream>


class X {

public:

int v;

int operator +(const int R) {

return 3;
}

friend inline int operator +(const int L, const X& R) {

std::cout << "OK int";
return L;
}

friend inline int operator +(const char L, const X& R) {

std::cout << "OK char";
return operator +(static_cast<int>(L),R); // (*)
}
};

int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {

X x;
'a'+x;
return 0;
}


-----------8<-------------

Desired behaviour is that the program displays "OK charOK int"

GPP 3.4 displays:

test.cpp: In function `int operator+(char, const X&)':
test.cpp:24: error: no matching function for call to `X:perator+(int,
const X&)'
test.cpp:10: note: candidates are: int X:perator+(int)

If I change the (*) line to

return :perator +(static_cast<int>(L),R);

then it works. VC7.1 in all cases reports an error:

error C3767: '+' matching function is not accessible
could be the friend function at 'vcadv.cpp(19)' : '+' [may be found via
argument-dependent lookup]

or the friend function at 'vcadv.cpp(25)' : '+' [may be found via
argument-dependent lookup]

Comeau on-line tester says:

error: the global scope has no "operator+"
return :perator +(static_cast<int>(L),R);
^

When I remove "::", it says:

error: a nonstatic member reference must be relative to a
specific object
return operator +(static_cast<int>(L),R);

So which behaviour is correct according to the C++ standard?

Good question.

Name lookup is a complicated issue to say the least.

As I read it, the Standard, 3.4.3/2, the last part of it, says that
if during an ordinary unqualified name lookup a _member_ is found,
then the associated namespaces namespaces and classes are not considered.

Since your class has a member operator+, the rest of operators+ are not
found.

So, it is standard behaviour, there are work-arounds, do you want me to
help you with them or do you already know them?

Victor

 

[Piotr Wyderski]

As I read it, the Standard, 3.4.3/2, the last part of it, says that
if during an ordinary unqualified name lookup a _member_ is found,
then the associated namespaces namespaces and classes are not considered.

I'll look closer at that chapter.

So, it is standard behaviour, there are work-arounds, do you want me to
help you with them or do you already know them?

Well, of course, please describe the workarounds you know, maybe
something would be new to me. However, the question is not how to
fix it, becaue the most standard-conforming workaround is to move
friends outside the class. The question is how to do it using internal
friends, because:

a) the C++ standard allows internal friends;
b) it seems to be impossible to call one of them from another.

If the above statement is true, then there is an imperfection
in the name lookup algorithm and it should be fixed.

Best regards
Piotr Wyderski

 

[Piotr Wyderski]

The scope resolution operator :: in the line (*) is needed because
without it a member function
int operator +(const int R)
is found, and the global scope is not considered.

Right, but why does VC reject it?

So, unless you remove the member operator+ or move the definition
of the friend operators outside of the class definition, you have
to use the operator ::.

If it were the standard solution, it would be perfectly OK. But
the two mentioned compilers refuse to accept this syntax. And
I don't know which one is right...

A few forward declarations just before the class defintion should help:

Yes, but it is not better than moving the friend operators outside.
So, is it possible to keep internal friend operators without adding
anything outside the class (scope qualifiers inside of it are OK)?
It's a matter of honour, heh, because we don't want the standard
to be holey, do we? ;-)

Best regards
Piotr Wyderski

 

[Victor Bazarov]

considered.

I'll look closer at that chapter.


Well, of course, please describe the workarounds you know, maybe
something would be new to me. However, the question is not how to

If it not, then I won't bother.

fix it, becaue the most standard-conforming workaround is to move
friends outside the class. The question is how to do it using internal
friends, because:

a) the C++ standard allows internal friends;
b) it seems to be impossible to call one of them from another.

That's not necessarily true. The thing is that the member operator+
_interferes_ with name lookup of the friend.

If the above statement is true, then there is an imperfection
in the name lookup algorithm and it should be fixed.

Try describing the problem in comp.std.c++, and possibly suggest the
fix after studying the current behaviour in more detail.

Victor