std::static_pointer_cast,std::dynamic_pointer_cast,std::const_pointer_cast,std::reinterpret_pointer_cast (3) - Linux Manuals

std::static_pointer_cast,std::dynamic_pointer_cast,std::const_pointer_cast,std::reinterpret_pointer_cast: std::static_pointer_cast,std::dynamic_pointer_cast,std::const_pointer_cast,std::reinterpret_pointer_cast

Command to display std::static_pointer_cast,std::dynamic_pointer_cast,std::const_pointer_cast,std::reinterpret_pointer_cast manual in Linux: $ man 3 std::static_pointer_cast,std::dynamic_pointer_cast,std::const_pointer_cast,std::reinterpret_pointer_cast

NAME

std::static_pointer_cast,std::dynamic_pointer_cast,std::const_pointer_cast,std::reinterpret_pointer_cast - std::static_pointer_cast,std::dynamic_pointer_cast,std::const_pointer_cast,std::reinterpret_pointer_cast

Synopsis

Defined in header <memory>
template< class T, class U > (1) (since C++11)
std::shared_ptr<T> static_pointer_cast( const std::shared_ptr& r ) noexcept;
template< class T, class U > (2) (since C++20)
std::shared_ptr<T> static_pointer_cast( std::shared_ptr&& r ) noexcept;
template< class T, class U > (3) (since C++11)
std::shared_ptr<T> dynamic_pointer_cast( const std::shared_ptr& r ) noexcept;
template< class T, class U > (4) (since C++20)
std::shared_ptr<T> dynamic_pointer_cast( std::shared_ptr&& r ) noexcept;
template< class T, class U > (5) (since C++11)
std::shared_ptr<T> const_pointer_cast( const std::shared_ptr& r ) noexcept;
template< class T, class U > (6) (since C++20)
std::shared_ptr<T> const_pointer_cast( std::shared_ptr&& r ) noexcept;
template< class T, class U > (7) (since C++17)
std::shared_ptr<T> reinterpret_pointer_cast( const std::shared_ptr& r ) noexcept;
template< class T, class U > (8) (since C++20)
std::shared_ptr<T> reinterpret_pointer_cast( std::shared_ptr&& r ) noexcept;

Creates a new instance of std::shared_ptr whose stored pointer is obtained from r's stored pointer using a cast expression.
If r is empty, so is the new shared_ptr (but its stored pointer is not necessarily null). Otherwise, the new shared_ptr will share ownership with the initial value of r, except that it is empty if the dynamic_cast performed by dynamic_pointer_cast returns a null pointer.
Let Y be typename std::shared_ptr<T>::element_type, then the resulting std::shared_ptr's stored pointer will be obtained by evaluating, respectively:
1-2) static_cast<Y*>(r.get()).
3-4) dynamic_cast<Y*>(r.get()) (If the result of the dynamic_cast is a null pointer value, the returned shared_ptr will be empty.)
5-6) const_cast<Y*>(r.get()).
7-8) reinterpret_cast<Y*>(r.get())
The behavior of these functions is undefined unless the corresponding cast from U* to T* is well formed:
1-2) The behavior is undefined unless static_cast<T*>((U*)nullptr) is well formed.
3-4) The behavior is undefined unless dynamic_cast<T*>((U*)nullptr) is well formed.
5-6) The behavior is undefined unless const_cast<T*>((U*)nullptr) is well formed.
7-8) The behavior is undefined unless reinterpret_cast<T*>((U*)nullptr) is well formed.

After calling the rvalue overloads (2,4,6,8), r is empty and r.get() == nullptr, except that r is not modified for dynamic_pointer_cast (4) if the dynamic_cast fails. (since C++20)

Parameters

r - The pointer to convert

Notes

The expressions std::shared_ptr<T>(static_cast<T*>(r.get())), std::shared_ptr<T>(dynamic_cast<T*>(r.get())) and std::shared_ptr<T>(const_cast<T*>(r.get())) might seem to have the same effect, but they all will likely result in undefined behavior, attempting to delete the same object twice!

Possible implementation

First version

template< class T, class U >
 std::shared_ptr<T> static_pointer_cast( const std::shared_ptr& r ) noexcept
 {
 auto p = static_cast<typename std::shared_ptr<T>::element_type*>(r.get());
 return std::shared_ptr<T>(r, p);
 }

Second version

template< class T, class U >
 std::shared_ptr<T> dynamic_pointer_cast( const std::shared_ptr& r ) noexcept
 {
 if (auto p = dynamic_cast<typename std::shared_ptr<T>::element_type*>(r.get())) {
 return std::shared_ptr<T>(r, p);
 } else {
 return std::shared_ptr<T>();
 }
 }

Third version

template< class T, class U >
 std::shared_ptr<T> const_pointer_cast( const std::shared_ptr& r ) noexcept
 {
 auto p = const_cast<typename std::shared_ptr<T>::element_type*>(r.get());
 return std::shared_ptr<T>(r, p);
 }

Fourth version

template< class T, class U >
 std::shared_ptr<T> reinterpret_pointer_cast( const std::shared_ptr& r ) noexcept
 {
 auto p = reinterpret_cast<typename std::shared_ptr<T>::element_type*>(r.get());
 return std::shared_ptr<T>(r, p);
 }

Example

// Run this code

#include <iostream>
#include <memory>

struct Base
 {
 int a;
 virtual void f() const { std::cout << "I am base!\n";}
 virtual ~Base(){}
 };

struct Derived : Base
 {
 void f() const override
 { std::cout << "I am derived!\n"; }
 ~Derived(){}
 };

int main(){
 auto basePtr = std::make_shared<Base>();
 std::cout << "Base pointer says: ";
 basePtr->f();

auto derivedPtr = std::make_shared<Derived>();
 std::cout << "Derived pointer says: ";
 derivedPtr->f();

// static_pointer_cast to go up class hierarchy
 basePtr = std::static_pointer_cast<Base>(derivedPtr);
 std::cout << "Base pointer to derived says: ";
 basePtr->f();

// dynamic_pointer_cast to go down/across class hierarchy
 auto downcastedPtr = std::dynamic_pointer_cast<Derived>(basePtr);
 if(downcastedPtr)
 {
 std::cout << "Downcasted pointer says: ";
 downcastedPtr->f();
 }

// All pointers to derived share ownership
 std::cout << "Pointers to underlying derived: "
 << derivedPtr.use_count()
 << "\n";
 }

Output:

  Base pointer says: I am base!
  Derived pointer says: I am derived!
  Base pointer to derived says: I am derived!
  Downcasted pointer says: I am derived!
  Pointers to underlying derived: 3