book

Exceptional C++ Style 40 New Engineering Puzzles, Programming Problems, and Solutions

by Herb Sutter

August 2004

Intermediate to advanced

352 pages

7h 38m

English

Addison-Wesley Professional

Read now

Unlock full access

Dedication
Titles in the Series
Style or Substance?The Exceptional SocratesWhat I Assume You KnowHow to Read This Book
Acknowledgments
SolutionAccessing Vector ElementsSize-ing Up VectorSummary
SolutionThe Joys and Sorrows of sprintf
SolutionAlternative #1: snprintfAlternative #2: std::stringstreamAlternative #3: std::strstreamAlternative #4: boost::lexical_castSummary
SolutionFun with mem_funUse mem_fun, Just Not with the Standard LibraryUse Pointers to Member Functions, Just Not with the Standard LibrarySummary
Solution

Solution
SolutionWhy Not Specialize: The Dimov/Abrahams ExampleImportant MoralsSummary
SolutionThe Original AttemptWhy It's Legal But DarkIssue 1: It Doesn't Always WorkIssue 2: It's Surprising to PeopleIssue 3: It's Surprising to CompilersAside: It's the Namespace That's Confusing ThemTwo Non-WorkaroundsSummary
SolutionA Tale of Two ModelsIllustrating the IssuesExport InAction [sic]Issue the First: Source ExposureIssue the Second: Dependencies and Build TimesSummary
SolutionHistorical Perspective: 1988-19961996Our Export Experience to DateCh-ch-ch-changes: Export's Shadow Falls on Existing Language FeaturesExport Can Be Difficult to Use CorrectlyPotential Benefits of ExportMorals
SolutionPlaying catchThere's More to Life Than Playing catchSummary
SolutionThe Abrahams GuaranteesWhen Are Stronger Guarantees Worthwhile?
SolutionMoving ViolationsThe Story So FarIssue the First: A “Shadow Type System”Issue the Second: (Mis)understandingsThe Scoop on Exception SpecificationsSummary
SolutionSummary: A(nother) Word About Inheritance
SolutionCriminal #1: The ForgerCriminal #2: The PickpocketCriminal #3: The CheatPerson #4: The Language LawyerDon't Subvert
SolutionThe Basic Story: AccessibilityThe Other Story: VisibilityBack to the First Story: Granting AccessSummary
SolutionEncapsulation's Place in OOPublic, Protected, or Private Data?A General TransformationA Case in PointSummary
SolutionThe Common Advice About Base Class DestructorsVirtual Question #1: Publicity vs. Privacy?Virtual Question #2: What About Base Class Destructors?Summary
SolutionImplicitly Generated Functions (or, What the Compiler Does for/to You)Exception Specifications of Implicitly Declared FunctionsImplicit Default ConstructorImplicit Copy ConstructorImplicit Copy Assignment OperatorImplicit DestructorAn auto_ptr MemberRenegade Children and Other Family ProblemsEnforcing Rules for Derived ClassesSummary
SolutionMemory Managers and Their Strategies: A Brief SurveyPlotting StrategySummary
Solution“I'll Take 'Operator New' for 200 Bytes, Alex”Memory and the Standard Containers: The Basic StoryMemory and the Standard Containers: The Real WorldSummary
SolutionIn-Place, Plain, and Nothrow newClass-Specific newA Name-Hiding SurpriseSummary
SolutionExceptions, Errors, and new(nothrow)When the Theoretical Rubber Meets the Real-World RoadWhat Should You Check?Summary
SolutionHow Writing const Really Can OptimizeSummary
SolutionBrief Recap: InliningAnswer A: At Coding TimeAnswer B: At Compile TimeAnswer C: At Link TimeAnswer D: At Application Installation TimeAnswer E: At Run TimeAnswer F: At Some Other TimeSummary
SolutionDifferent Ways to Represent Data
SolutionBitBuffer, the Binary SlayerAttempt #1: Bit-Fiddling into an unsigned char BufferAttempt #2: Reusing a Standard Bit-Packed ContainerThe Big SqueezeSummary
SolutionWhy Have Keywords?Our Rather Reserved Cast: The KeywordsKeywords: The Lesser OnesautoregisterSummary
SolutionBasic Population MechanicsInterlude: Population ExplosionProper Population ControlSummary
Solutionfloat and double in a NutshellThe Wheel of TimeA Word About Narrowing ConversionsSummary
SolutionMotivationMacros Don't CareSummary
Solution
SolutionWho Is Max Munch, and What's He Doing in My C++ Compiler?Some Fun with OperatorsAbuses of OperatorsBonus Challenge QuestionSummary
SolutionClarity: A Short SermonDissecting Index TablesCorrecting Mechanical ErrorsImproving StyleSummary
SolutionGeneric QualityDissecting Generic CallbacksImproving StyleCorrecting Mechanical Errors and LimitationsSummary
SolutionUnions ReduxDissecting Construction UnionsInto the CodeUnderhanded NamesToward a Better Way: boost::anyAlexandrescu's Discriminated UnionsSummary
SolutionAvoid Unduly Monolithic DesignsThe Basics of StringsSummary
SolutionMembership Has Its Rewards—and Its CostsOperations That Must Be MembersOperations That Should Be MembersInto the Fray: Possibly-Contentious Operations That Can Be Nonmember Nonfriends
SolutionMore Operations That Can Be Nonmember Nonfriendsresizeassign and +=/append/push_backinsertInterlude
SolutionStill More Operations That Can Be Nonmember NonfriendsCoffee Break (Sort Of): Erasing eraseBack to Work: Replacing replaceCoffee Break #2: Copying copy and substrAlmost There: Comparing comparesThe Home Stretch: Finding the findsSummary

Content preview from Exceptional C++ Style 40 New Engineering Puzzles, Programming Problems, and Solutions

Chapter 36. Construction Unions

Difficulty: 4

No, this Item isn't about organizing carpenters and bricklayers. Rather, it's about deciding between what's cool and what's uncool, good motivations gone astray, and the consequences of subversive activities carried on under the covers. It's about getting around the C++ rule of using constructed objects as members of unions.