In C++, there are two ways to use subobjects to build up an object, base classes and data members.  A significant distinction is that, in a Standard-blessed way,  you can derive (using static_cast) the address of the object from the address of a base class.  This proposal implicitly asserts that this distinction is undesirable and unnecessary.


I propose adding these two templates to the Standard Library:


template <class Mbr, typename Obj>
Obj & obj_from_dmbr(Mbr Obj::*mbr_ptr, Mbr &mbr);


template <class Mbr, typename Obj>
Obj * obj_from_dmbr(Mbr Obj::*mbr_ptr, Mbr *mbr);


For mbr a reference/pointer to the indicated (by Mbr_ptr) data member of an object (of tclass Obj), these functions return a reference/pointer to the object.  Their behavior is undefined if mbr does not actually refer/point to the indicated data member of an instance of Obj.


Here is a model implementation:   https://godbolt.org/z/1oM5rGPK8

I did implement exactly the same thing a while ago in my root_ptr:

https://github.com/philippeb8/root_ptr/blob/master/include/boost/smart_ptr/detail/classof.hpp#L88

But I don't use reinterpret_cast, but just a sequence of static_cast upcasts / downcasts.

The effectiveness of this proposal is a bit hamstrung by unfortunate limitations with member pointers.  For example, if array[] is an array within class C, I can't write &(C::array[i42]).  But it would be possible to implement this proposal with a macro, where an invocation like:


C *cp = OBJ_FROM_DMBR(C, array[i42], pointer_to_element_42_in_array);


would work.

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Phil Bouchard CTO T: (819) 328-4743 E: phil@fornux.com | www.fornux.com 1188 rue Saint-Louis | Gatineau (Qc), J8T 2L8 Canada

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