More Exceptional C++

Chapter 32. Recursive Declarations

Difficulty: 6

Can you write a function that returns a pointer to itself? If so, why would you want to?

1. What is a pointer to function? How can it be used?

2. Assume it is possible to write a function that can return a pointer to itself. That function could equally well return a pointer to any function with the same signature as itself. When might this be useful? Explain.

3. Is it possible to write a function f() that returns a pointer to itself? It should be usable in the following natural way:

   // Example 32-3
   //
   // FuncPtr is a typedef for a pointer to a
   // function with the same signature as f()
   //
   FuncPtr p = f();    // executes f()
    (*p)();            // executes f()
   

   If it is possible, demonstrate how. If it is not possible, explain ...