P0292R1
Jens Maurer <Jens.Maurer@gmx.net>
Audience: Core Working Group
2016-05-26

P0292R1: constexpr if: A slightly different syntax

Introduction

The paper P0128R1 "constexpr if" by Ville Voutilainen proposes a very useful facility to write compact template code that is instantiated depending on a compile-time condition. The motivation and rationale is sound and not repeated here.

This paper proposes a slightly different syntax, namely

  if constexpr(cond)
     statement1;
  else
     statement2;
The differences vs. P0128R1 are: This syntax avoids seemingly disingenous repetitions of constexpr in if ... else if ... chains:
  // P0128R1
  constexpr if (cond)
    statement1;
  constexpr else constexpr if (cond)
    statement2;
  constexpr else constexpr if (cond)
    statement3;
  constexpr else
    statement4;
Compare with the syntax proposed in this paper:
  if constexpr (cond)
    statement1;
  else if constexpr (cond)
    statement2;
  else if constexpr (cond)
    statement3;
  else
    statement4; 

The proposed syntax was approved by EWG during the Jacksonville (2016-03) meeting of WG21.

The wording below incorporates initial feedback from CWG.

Not proposed

Disarming static_assert declarations in the non-taken branch of a constexpr if is not proposed.
void f() {
  if constexpr (false)
    static_assert(false);   // ill-formed
}

template<class T>
void g() {
  if constexpr (false)
    static_assert(false);   // ill-formed; no diagnostic required for template definition
}

Changes compared to P0292R0

Wording

The wording is based on the wording presented in P0128R1 with modifications for the changes explained above.

Change in 3.2 [basic.def.odr] paragraph 4:

Every program shall contain exactly one definition of every non-inline function or variable that is odr-used in that program outside of a discarded statement (6.4.1 [stmt.if]); no diagnostic required. The definition can appear explicitly in the program, it can be found in the standard or a user-defined library, or (when appropriate) it is implicitly defined (see 12.1, 12.4 and 12.8). An inline function shall be defined in every translation unit in which it is odr-used outside of a discarded statement.
Change in 6.4 [stmt.select] paragraph 1:
selection-statement:
       if constexpropt ( condition ) statement
       if constexpropt ( condition ) statement else statement
       switch ( condition ) statement
See 8.3 [dcl.meaning] for the optional attribute-specifier-seq in a condition. In Clause 6, the term substatement refers to the contained statement or statements that appear in the syntax notation. ...
Add a new paragraph after 6.4.1 [stmt.if] paragraph 1:
If the parenthesized condition is prefixed with constexpr, the condition shall be a contextually converted constant expression of type bool (5.20 [expr.const]); this form is called a constexpr if statement. If the value of the converted condition is false, the first substatement is a discarded statement, otherwise the second substatement, if present, is a discarded statement. A case or default label appearing within such an if statement shall be associated with a switch statement (6.4.2 [stmt.switch]) within the same if statement. A label (6.1 [stmt.label]) declared in a discarded statement shall not be referred to by a statement (6.6.4 [stmt.goto]) outside of a discarded statement. When a constexpr if statement appears in a templated entity, during an instantiation of the enclosing template or generic lambda, a discarded statement is not instantiated. [ Example:
    template<typename T, typename ... Rest> void g(T&& p, Rest&& ...rs) {
      // ... handle p
      if constexpr (sizeof...(rs) > 0)
        g(rs...);  // never instantiated with an empty argument list.
    }

    extern int x;   // no definition of x required
    int f() {
      if constexpr (true)
        return 0;
      else if (x)
        return x;
      else
        return -x;
    }
--- end example] [ Note: Odr-uses (3.2 [basic.def.odr]) in a discarded statement do not require an entity to be defined. -- end note ]
Change in 7.1.6.4 [dcl.spec.auto] paragraph 2:
... If the declared return type of the function contains a placeholder type, the return type of the function is deduced from non-discarded return statements, if any, in the body of the function, if any (6.4.1 [stmt.if]).
Change in 7.1.6.4 [dcl.spec.auto] paragraph 7:
When a variable declared using a placeholder type is initialized, or a non-discarded return statement occurs in a function declared with a return type that contains a placeholder type, the deduced return type or variable type is determined from the type of its initializer. ...
Change in 7.1.6.4 [dcl.spec.auto] paragraphs 9-11:
If a function with a declared return type that contains a placeholder type has multiple non-discarded return statements, the return type is deduced for each return statement. If the type deduced is not the same in each deduction, the program is ill-formed.

If a function with a declared return type that uses a placeholder type has no non-discarded return statements, the return type is deduced as though from a return statement with no operand at the closing brace of the function body. [ Example: ... ]

Once a non-discarded return statement has been seen in a function, however, the return type deduced from that statement can be used in the rest of the function, including in other return statements. ...

Change in 14.5 [temp.decls] paragraph 2 as follows:
For purposes of name lookup and instantiation, default arguments and exception-specifications of function templates and default arguments and exception-specifications of member functions of class templates are considered definitions; each default argument or exception-specification is a separate definition which is unrelated to the function template definition or to any other default arguments or exception-specifications. For the purpose of instantiation, the substatements of a constexpr if statement (6.4.1 [stmt.if]) are considered definitions.
Change in 14.6 [temp.dep] paragraph 8:
... If no valid specialization can be generated for a template or a substatement of a constexpr if statement (6.4.1 [stmt.if]) within a template, and that the template is not instantiated, the template is ill-formed, no diagnostic required. ...
Change 14.7.1 [temp.inst] paragraph 11 as follows:
An implementation shall not implicitly instantiate a function template, a variable template, a member template, a non-virtual member function, a member class, or a static data member of a class template, or a substatement of a constexpr if statement (6.4.1 [stmt.if]) that does not require instantiation , unless such instantiation is required.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Walter Brown for suggestions for wording improvement.