How to determine programmatically if an expression is rvalue or lvalue in C++?
Use std::is_lvalue_reference
and std::is_rvalue_reference
.
You don't need a wrapper if you're happy with using decltype.
std::string a("Hello");
std::is_lvalue_reference<decltype((std::string()))>::value; // false
std::is_lvalue_reference<decltype((a))>::value; // true
In C++17 you'll be able to use the following:
std::string a("Hello");
std::is_lvalue_reference_v<decltype((std::string()))>; // false
std::is_lvalue_reference_v<decltype((a))>; // true
Or you could write a wrapper as @Ryan Haining suggests, just make sure you get the types correct.
I would take a page from boost::hana
and make the return value of is_lvalue
encode the lvalue-ness of its argument both as a constexpr
value, and as a type.
This lets you do stuff like tag dispatching without extra boilerplate.
template<class T>
constexpr std::is_lvalue_reference<T&&>
is_lvalue(T&&){return {};}
the body of this function does nothing, and the parameter's value is ignored. This lets it be constexpr even on non-constexpr values.
An advantage of this technique can be seen here:
void tag_dispatch( std::true_type ) {
std::cout << "true_type!\n";
}
void tag_dispatch( std::false_type ) {
std::cout << "not true, not true, shame on you\n";
}
tag_dispatch( is_lvalue( 3 ) );
Not only is the return value of is_lvalue
available in a constexpr
context (as true_type
and false_type
have a constexpr operator bool
), but we can easily pick an overload based on its state.
Another advantage is that it makes it hard for the compiler to not inline the result. With a constexpr
value, the compiler can 'easily' forget that it is a true constant; with a type, it has to be first converted to bool
for the possibility of it being forgotten to happen.
Most of the work is already done for you by the stdlib, you just need a function wrapper:
template <typename T>
constexpr bool is_lvalue(T&&) {
return std::is_lvalue_reference<T>{};
}
in the case you pass a std::string
lvalue then T
will deduce to std::string&
or const std::string&
, for rvalues it will deduce to std::string
Note that Yakk's answer will return a different type, which allows for more flexibility and you should read that answer and probably use it instead.
I solved the above question using two overloaded template functions. The first takes as input a reference to a lvalue and return true
. Whereas the second function uses a reference to rvalue. Then I let the compiler match the correct function depending on the expression passed as input.
Code:
#include <iostream>
template <typename T>
constexpr bool is_lvalue(T&) {
return true;
}
template <typename T>
constexpr bool is_lvalue(T&&) {
return false;
}
int main()
{
std::string a = std::string("Hello");
std::cout << "Is lValue ? " << '\n';
std::cout << "std::string() : " << is_lvalue(std::string()) << '\n';
std::cout << "a : " << is_lvalue(a) << '\n';
std::cout << "a+b : " << is_lvalue(a+ std::string(" world!!! ")) << '\n';
}
Output:
Is Lvalue ?
std::string() : 0
a : 1
a+b : 0