[Bug c++/15684] New: Pointer to member function called on incomplete type should diag

[Bug c++/15684] New: Pointer to member function called on incomplete type should diag

[gianni at mariani dot ws]

Leor Zolman posted this example on comp.lang.c++

http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&selm=due8b09cd2lp3kip4ivtcrn2m3nu6jvmuu%404ax.com

It seems according to the standard that the code below is illegal.  However it
is accepted by all compilers I know of.  I verified that 3.4.0 accepts the code
below.


#include <iostream>
using std::cout;
using std::endl;

class A;

class B {
    public:
        typedef void (A::*ftype)();
        void CallIt(A *ap, ftype f)
        {
            (ap->*f)(); // Is this legal with ptr to incomplete type A?
        }
};

class A
{
    public:
        void method_for_B() {
            std::cout << "In method_for_B...()" << std::endl;
        }

};

int main()
{
    void (A::*fp)() = &A::method_for_B;
    A a1;
    B b1;
    b1.CallIt(&a1, fp);
    return 0;
}

-- 
           Summary: Pointer to member function called on incomplete type
                    should diag
           Product: gcc
           Version: 3.4.0
            Status: UNCONFIRMED
          Severity: normal
          Priority: P2
         Component: c++
        AssignedTo: unassigned at gcc dot gnu dot org
        ReportedBy: gianni at mariani dot ws
                CC: gcc-bugs at gcc dot gnu dot org


http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=15684

[Bug c++/15684] Pointer to member function called on incomplete type should diag

[gianni at mariani dot ws]

-- 
           What    |Removed                     |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
           Keywords|                            |accepts-invalid


http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=15684

[Bug c++/15684] Pointer to member function called on incomplete type should diag

[pinskia at gcc dot gnu dot org]

------- Additional Comments From pinskia at gcc dot gnu dot org  2004-05-27 17:00 -------
Not a bug.
>From the standard, 8.3.3:
class Y;
char Y::* pmc; 
...
Similarly, the declaration of pmc is well-formed even though Y is an incomplete type. 

-- 
           What    |Removed                     |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Status|UNCONFIRMED                 |RESOLVED
         Resolution|                            |INVALID


http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=15684

[Bug c++/15684] Pointer to member function called on incomplete type should diag

[leor at bdsoft dot com]

------- Additional Comments From leor at bdsoft dot com  2004-05-27 17:12 -------
(In reply to comment #1)
> Not a bug.
> From the standard, 8.3.3:
> class Y;
> char Y::* pmc; 
> ...
> Similarly, the declaration of pmc is well-formed even though Y is an 
incomplete type. 

OK, I'm no expert, but all it says is that the declaration is well-formed, not 
that you can actually use it (the way they show pmi and pmf being used)
   -leor



-- 


http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=15684

[Bug c++/15684] Pointer to member function called on incomplete type should diag

[pinskia at gcc dot gnu dot org]

------- Additional Comments From pinskia at gcc dot gnu dot org  2004-05-27 17:18 -------
Why do you think it will not work, as the point-to-member function type is just have a reference to the 
offset at which you call the function nothing more (well there is more but that is an ABI definition).
Since the pointer-to-member type includes all the needed info there is no reason why it should not 
work.

-- 


http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=15684

[Bug c++/15684] Pointer to member function called on incomplete type should diag

[gianni at mariani dot ws]

------- Additional Comments From gianni at mariani dot ws  2004-05-27 19:40 -------
> Why do you think it will not work ...

I think it's not a question of wether it works or not, it's more an issue of
wether it is legal according to the standard.  In the c.l.c++ thread I cited
earlier, there is an assertion that a call can only be made when the class is
complete.

I personally like the gcc behaviour and if anything I'd like to see this caught
in strict mode only.  An alternative would be to write up a defect report on the
standard since it seems all the compilers are consistant !  I don't have my copy
of the standard handy to I can't say for sure.


-- 


http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=15684

[Bug c++/15684] Pointer to member function called on incomplete type should diag

[pinskia at gcc dot gnu dot org]

------- Additional Comments From pinskia at gcc dot gnu dot org  2004-05-27 19:49 -------
I cannot find where in the C++ standard that this is invalid and in the thread it only says that they 
contracted EDG, if you think this is an issue, raise it to comp.lang.c++.moderated instead and then 
when they decide it is invalid you can reopen this bug.

-- 


http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=15684

[Bug c++/15684] Pointer to member function called on incomplete type should diag

[pinskia at gcc dot gnu dot org]

------- Additional Comments From pinskia at gcc dot gnu dot org  2004-05-27 19:52 -------
Always this already came up in that newsgroup before: <http://groups.google.com/groups?
hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&c2coff=1&threadm=3ACC2828.45CA0D3C%40dresdner-
bank.com&rnum=1&prev=/groups%3Fq%3Dincomplete%2Btypes%2Bpointer%2Bto%2Bmember%2Bgroup:
comp.lang.c%252B%252B.moderated%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF
-8%26group%3Dcomp.lang.c%252B%252B.moderated%26c2coff%3D1%26selm%3D3ACC2828.45CA0D3C
%2540dresdner-bank.com%26rnum%3D1>.

-- 


http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=15684

[Bug c++/15684] Pointer to member function called on incomplete type should diag

[leor at bdsoft dot com]

------- Additional Comments From leor at bdsoft dot com  2004-05-27 20:29 -------
(In reply to comment #5)
> I cannot find where in the C++ standard that this is invalid and in the 
thread it only says that they 
> contracted EDG, if you think this is an issue, raise it to 
comp.lang.c++.moderated instead and then 
> when they decide it is invalid you can reopen this bug.

The citation from the standard is (5.5p3):

3 The binary operator ->* binds its second operand, which  shall  be  of
   type  "pointer  to member of T" (where T is a completely-defined class
   type) to its first operand, which shall be of type "pointer to  T"  or
   "pointer  to  a class of which T is an unambiguous and accessible base
   class."  The result is an object or a function of the  type  specified
   by the second operand.

"where T is a completely-defined class type" is pretty cut-and-dried. Plus,
as John Spicer has indicated to me in a private email:

"An implementation could choose different forms of pointer-to-member 
representations depending on whether or not the class had virtual functions, or 
something like that.  In such implemenations, a complete type would be needed 
to get correct behavior."  
    -leor







-- 


http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=15684

[Bug c++/15684] Pointer to member function called on incomplete type should diag

[pinskia at gcc dot gnu dot org]

------- Additional Comments From pinskia at gcc dot gnu dot org  2004-05-27 20:32 -------
Read the link I gave gives a different story in that it is always valid.

-- 


http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=15684

[Bug c++/15684] Pointer to member function called on incomplete type should diag

[gianni at mariani dot ws]

------- Additional Comments From gianni at mariani dot ws  2004-05-27 20:48 -------

About Leor's citation on virtual's being difficult.  It seems like it's not so
hard after all.  BTW I also tried this example where B::CallIt was in a
different translation unit and it all worked fine.  So, while I can agree that
you might need different implementation for pointer to virtual member function
and regular member functions, it seems like gcc at least has no such issue.
(tested on 3.4.0).

#include <iostream>
using std::cout;
using std::endl;

class A;

class B {
    public:
        typedef void (A::*ftype)();
        void CallIt(A *ap, ftype f)
        {
            (ap->*f)(); // Is this legal with ptr to incomplete type A?
        }
};

class A
{
    public:
        virtual void method_for_B() {
            std::cout << "A In method_for_B...()" << std::endl;
        }

};

class AX
  : public A
{
    public:
        virtual void method_for_B() {
            std::cout << "AX In method_for_B...()" << std::endl;
        }

};

int main()
{
    void (A::*fp)() = &A::method_for_B;
    AX a1;
    B b1;
    b1.CallIt(&a1, fp);
    return 0;
}

oh - here is the link again, hopefully without wrapping

http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&c2coff=1&threadm=3ACC2828.45CA0D3C%40dresdner-bank.com&rnum=1&prev=/groups%3Fq%3Dg:thl1416673164d%26dq%3D%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26c2coff%3D1%26selm%3D3ACC2828.45CA0D3C%2540dresdner-bank.com


-- 


http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=15684

[Bug c++/15684] Pointer to member function called on incomplete type should diag

[leor at bdsoft dot com]

------- Additional Comments From leor at bdsoft dot com  2004-05-27 21:46 -------
> oh - here is the link again, hopefully without wrapping
> http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-
8&c2coff=1&threadm=3ACC2828.45CA0D3C%40dresdner-bank.com&rnum=1&prev=/groups%
3Fq%3Dg:thl1416673164d%26dq%3D%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26c2coff%3D1%
26selm%3D3ACC2828.45CA0D3C%2540dresdner-bank.com

That worked. I'm confused by some things Kanze says in that article. First, 
there's this:

   The question was whether you can take a pointer to member function 
   on an incomplete class.  I don't think that the standard says
   anything about this directly.

But the way I read it, 5.5.3 is /very/ clear and direct. You can't do it.
Then there's this:

   More generally, the standard always specifies when an incomplete type 
   is illegal; using an incomplete type in a context which requires a
   complete type makes the program ill-formed, and requires a
   diagnostic.  Considering this, it is interesting that 5.5 makes no
   such restriction.  I interpret this to mean that you can also
   dereference the pointer without completing the type; the following
   is legal:

    class X ;

    void
    f( X* pc , void (X::*pmf)() )
    {
        (pc->*pmf)() ;
    }

Here again, the Standard says something must be a complete type (OK, the term 
actually used is "completely-defined", but I'm assuming that's the same thing), 
and Kanze is saying that the Standard "always specifies" when an incomplete 
type is illegal? As if saying something "must be completely-defined" is 
insufficient?

Kanze goes on to show the /exact/ situation we're talking about, but he seems 
to think the Standard sanctions it. Help me out here, I don't get it.
    -leor








-- 


http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=15684

[Bug c++/15684] Pointer to member function called on incomplete type should diag

[giovannibajo at libero dot it]

------- Additional Comments From giovannibajo at libero dot it  2004-05-28 01:10 -------
Given the quote from the standard, I think this is pretty clearly a bug

-- 
           What    |Removed                     |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Status|RESOLVED                    |UNCONFIRMED
         Resolution|INVALID                     |


http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=15684

[Bug c++/15684] Pointer to member function called on incomplete type should diag

[pinskia at gcc dot gnu dot org]

------- Additional Comments From pinskia at gcc dot gnu dot org  2004-05-28 01:42 -------
Confirmed, note that is well defined though as ->* is the pointer-to-member of T only T needs to be 
completely-defined and not the left side.
class A
{};
class B;
class C
{
        typedef void (A::*ftype)();
        C(B* a){a->*ftype();}
}

-- 
           What    |Removed                     |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Status|UNCONFIRMED                 |NEW
     Ever Confirmed|                            |1
   Last reconfirmed|0000-00-00 00:00:00         |2004-05-28 01:42:02
               date|                            |


http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=15684

[Bug c++/15684] Pointer to member function called on incomplete type should diag

[pinskia at gcc dot gnu dot org]

------- Additional Comments From pinskia at gcc dot gnu dot org  2004-05-28 01:46 -------
Woops my example is invalid too.

-- 


http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=15684

[Bug c++/15684] Pointer to member function called on incomplete type should diag

[pinskia at gcc dot gnu dot org]

------- Additional Comments From pinskia at gcc dot gnu dot org  2004-12-10 21:09 -------
*** Bug 18933 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

-- 
           What    |Removed                     |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 CC|                            |efrias at syncad dot com


http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=15684

[Bug c++/15684] Pointer to member function called on incomplete type should diag

[pinskia at gcc dot gnu dot org]

------- Additional Comments From pinskia at gcc dot gnu dot org  2004-12-10 21:41 -------
Ok, now we produce an error_mark_node which seems wrong if we don't produce an error.

-- 


http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=15684