C++ Truths

A new writeup on Int-to-type idiom has been posted on More C++ Idioms wikibook. It is used to achieve static dispatching based on constant integral values. I'll finish the writeup of the idiom here with special attention to how int-to-type idiom can lead to infinite series of type instantiations and why. The idiomatic form of the Int-to-type idiom is given below. template <int I> struct Int2Type { enum { value = I }; typedef Int2Type<I> type; typedef Int2Type<I+1> next; }; The type typedef defined inside the template is the type itself. I.e, Int2Type ::type is same as Int2Type . The next typedef gives the following type in order. However, compiler is not required to instantiate the next type unless and until two things happen: (1) an instance of the type is created or (2) an associated type is accessed at compile-time. For example, Int2Type will be instantiated if one the following two things are written. Int2Type<10> a; // a variable declaration...

An updated writeup of the copy-and-swap idiom is now available on the More C++ Idioms wikibook. A comparison of two different styles of assignment operator is shown. First version accepts the parameter as pass-by-const-reference whereas the second version accepts it as pass-by-value . For some classes pass-by-value turns out to be more efficient as a copy of the object is elided when the right hand side is a rvalue.