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c++swaptype-traits

Discrepancy with is_swappable_with_v


This is a follow up of this question. A slightly modified version of the code, using std::swappable_with_v rather than std::swappable_v yields inconsistent results:

#include <type_traits>

template <class T>
struct A {};

template <class T, class U>
constexpr void
swap (A<T>&, A<U>&) {}


int main (){
    static_assert (std::is_swappable_with_v <A <int>,A<double>>);
    using std::swap;
    A<int> a;
    A<double> b;
    swap(a,b);
}

The static assert passes only with msvc https://godbolt.org/z/G6sj86sfq. Though all 3 major compilers accept the code when the static assert is removed: https://godbolt.org/z/hbdq4Eoh1

cppreference notes:

This trait does not check anything outside the immediate context of the swap expressions: if the use of T or U would trigger template specializations, generation of implicitly-defined special member functions etc, and those have errors, the actual swap may not compile even if std::is_swappable_with<T,U>::value compiles and evaluates to true.

But the reverse should not happen, ie when a call to swap succeeds after using std::swap the trait should yield true.

Are gcc and clang wrong in rejecting the assert?


Solution

  • Gcc and clang are correct. From the behavior of std::is_swappable_with,

    If the expressions swap(std::declval<T>(), std::declval<U>()) and swap(std::declval<U>(), std::declval<T>()) are both well-formed in unevaluated context after using std::swap;

    std::declval<T>() yields rvalue expression when T is a non-lvalue-reference type, it shouldn't be accepted by the user-defined swap (which accepts lvalue-references) and std::swap(which accepts only same types), the static assert should fail.

    You should specify template arguments as lvalue-reference as:

    static_assert (std::is_swappable_with_v <A <int>&,A<double>&>);
    

    BTW: This is also how std::is_swappable does.

    provides a member constant value equal to std::is_swappable_with<T&, T&>::value