Topic: Returning void
Author: "Paul D. DeRocco" <pderocco@ix.netcom.com>
Date: 1996/02/18 Raw View
The C++ standard doesn't allow a return statement with an expression to
be used in a function whose return type is void.
I suggest that it should be legal to return a void expression from a
function whose type is void. Why? It can be useful in templates.
Consider the following:
template <class T, class R> class Functor {
public:
R& operator()() { return (obj.*mem)(); }
Functor(T& o, R& (T::*m)()): obj(o), mem(m) {}
private:
T& obj;
R& (T::*mem)();
}
This defines a functor containing a pointer to an object to be operated
on, and a pointer to a member function defined for that object. It
should work for any member function that takes no arguments and returns
a result. Unfortunately, it won't work for a member function that
returns void. If return were modified as described above, this function
template would work for member functions that return void as well.
--
Ciao,
Paul D. DeRocco
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Author: Michael Cook <mcook@cognex.com>
Date: 1996/02/20 Raw View
>>>>> "P" == "Paul D DeRocco" <pderocco@ix.netcom.com> writes:
P> R& operator()() { return (obj.*mem)(); }
You're trying to return a `void&', not a `void'.
Surely we wouldn't want the standard to allow `void&'.
---
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