SmartPointer & User Conversion & Sucking Compiler

[coder_lol]

MS VS 7.0 happily resolves by SmartPointer and Inheritance, but I got
to use another target compiler and it does not accept user conversion
for templates. Can I forced a recast somehow? I have judiciously
checked almost all constructs with both compiler before coding, but
during a heavy session, I forgot to check the user conversion part,
and now, I am stuck big time

So here is my user conversion for a smart pointer class (direct from
Scott Meyer)

public:
template<class aNewType> operator SmartPointer<aNewType>()
{
return SmartPointer<aNewType>(pointee);
}

For example,

Class Person;
Class Employee : Person
Class Student : Person

SmartPointer<Person> p;
SmartPointer<Employee> e;
SmartPointer<Student> s

p = e; // "Ambigous user conversion"

Can I safely force the recast? I have only 1-level of inheritance,
so maybe there is a quick rewrite that is safe?

Thanks,

 

[coder_lol]

MS VS 7.0 happily resolves by SmartPointer and Inheritance, but I got
to use another target compiler and it does not accept user conversion
for templates. Can I forced a recast somehow? I have judiciously
checked almost all constructs with both compiler before coding, but
during a heavy session, I forgot to check the user conversion part,
and now, I am stuck big time

So here is my user conversion for a smart pointer class (direct from
Scott Meyer)

public:
template<class aNewType> operator SmartPointer<aNewType>()
{
return SmartPointer<aNewType>(pointee);
}

For example,

Class Person;
Class Employee : Person
Class Student : Person

SmartPointer<Person> p;
SmartPointer<Employee> e;
SmartPointer<Student> s

p = e; // "Ambigous user conversion"

Can I safely force the recast? I have only 1-level of inheritance,
so maybe there is a quick rewrite that is safe?

Thanks,

I thought of something dirt ugly. Since my refcount is in the base
class P, I could just do the following:

SmartPointer<Person> p(s.getPointee);

Ugly, but that should be safe...?!?

 

[witkamp]

Do you have any template constructors for SmartPointer?
Constructors are included in C++ automatic type conversion system.
The error the you are most likely to be getting is where there is more
than on conversion path between to types.
I bet some constructor the auto type conversion system is trying to
use in the SmartPointer template class.

Thats my thought