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c++c++11const-correctness

Is there some ninja trick to make a variable constant after its declaration?


I know the answer is 99.99% no, but I figured it was worth a try, you never know.

void SomeFunction(int a)
{
    // Here some processing happens on a, for example:
    a *= 50;
    a %= 10;
    if(example())
       a = 0;
    // From this point on I want to make "a" const; I don't want to allow
    // any code past this comment to modify it in any way.
}

I can do something somewhat similar with const int b = a;, but it's not really the same and it creates a lot of confusion. A C++0x-only solution is acceptable.

EDIT: another less abstracted example, the one that made me ask this question:

void OpenFile(string path)
{
    boost::to_lower(path);
    // I want path to be constant now
    ifstream ...
}

EDIT: another concrete example: Recapture const-ness on variables in a parallel section.


Solution

  • One solution would be to factor all of the mutation code into a lambda expression. Do all of the mutation in the lambda expression and assign the result out to a const int in the method scope. For example

    void SomeFunction(const int p1) { 
      auto calcA = [&]() {
        int a = p1;
        a *= 50;
        a %= 10;
        if(example())
           a = 0;
        ..
        return a;
      };
      const int a = calcA();
      ...
    }
    

    or even

    void SomeFunction(const int p1) { 
      const int a = [&]() {
        int a = p1;
        a *= 50;
        a %= 10;
        if(example())
           a = 0;
        ..
        return a;
      }();
      ...
    }