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absl/base/casts.h

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+//
+// Copyright 2017 The Abseil Authors.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+//
+// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// File: casts.h
+// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+//
+// This header file defines casting templates to fit use cases not covered by
+// the standard casts provided in the C++ standard. As with all cast operations,
+// use these with caution and only if alternatives do not exist.
+//
+
+#ifndef ABSL_BASE_CASTS_H_
+#define ABSL_BASE_CASTS_H_
+
+#include <cstring>
+#include <type_traits>
+
+#include "absl/base/internal/identity.h"
+
+namespace absl {
+
+// implicit_cast()
+//
+// Performs an implicit conversion between types following the language
+// rules for implicit conversion; if an implicit conversion is otherwise
+// allowed by the language in the given context, this function performs such an
+// implicit conversion.
+//
+// Example:
+//
+//   // If the context allows implicit conversion:
+//   From from;
+//   To to = from;
+//
+//   // Such code can be replaced by:
+//   implicit_cast<To>(from);
+//
+// An `implicit_cast()` may also be used to annotate numeric type conversions
+// that, although safe, may produce compiler warnings (such as `long` to `int`).
+// Additionally, an `implict_cast()` is also useful within return statements to
+// indicate a specific implicit conversion is being undertaken.
+//
+// Example:
+//
+//   return implicit_cast<double>(size_in_bytes) / capacity_;
+//
+// Annotating code with `implicit_cast()` allows you to explicitly select
+// particular overloads and template instantiations, while providing a safer
+// cast than `reinterpret_cast()` or `static_cast()`.
+//
+// Additionally, an `implicit_cast()` can be used to allow upcasting within a
+// type hierarchy where incorrect use of `static_cast()` could accidentally
+// allow downcasting.
+//
+// Finally, an `implicit_cast()` can be used to perform implicit conversions
+// from unrelated types that otherwise couldn't be implicitly cast directly;
+// C++ will normally only implicitly cast "one step" in such conversions.
+//
+// That is, if C is a type which can be implicitly converted to B, with B being
+// a type that can be implicitly converted to A, an `implicit_cast()` can be
+// used to convert C to B (which the compiler can then implicitly convert to A
+// using language rules).
+//
+// Example:
+//
+//   // Assume an object C is convertible to B, which is implicitly convertible
+//   // to A
+//   A a = implicit_cast<B>(C);
+//
+// Such implicit cast chaining may be useful within template logic.
+template <typename To>
+inline To implicit_cast(typename absl::internal::identity_t<To> to) {
+  return to;
+}
+
+// bit_cast()
+//
+// Performs a bitwise cast on a type without changing the underlying bit
+// representation of that type's value. The two types must be of the same size
+// and both types must be trivially copyable. As with most casts, use with
+// caution. A `bit_cast()` might be needed when you need to temporarily treat a
+// type as some other type, such as in the following cases:
+//
+//    * Serialization (casting temporarily to `char *` for those purposes is
+//      always allowed by the C++ standard)
+//    * Managing the individual bits of a type within mathematical operations
+//      that are not normally accessible through that type
+//    * Casting non-pointer types to pointer types (casting the other way is
+//      allowed by `reinterpret_cast()` but round-trips cannot occur the other
+//      way).
+//
+// Example:
+//
+//   float f = 3.14159265358979;
+//   int i = bit_cast<int32_t>(f);
+//   // i = 0x40490fdb
+//
+// Casting non-pointer types to pointer types and then dereferencing them
+// traditionally produces undefined behavior.
+//
+// Example:
+//
+//   // WRONG
+//   float f = 3.14159265358979;            // WRONG
+//   int i = * reinterpret_cast<int*>(&f);  // WRONG
+//
+// The address-casting method produces undefined behavior according to the ISO
+// C++ specification section [basic.lval]. Roughly, this section says: if an
+// object in memory has one type, and a program accesses it with a different
+// type, the result is undefined behavior for most values of "different type".
+//
+// Such casting results is type punning: holding an object in memory of one type
+// and reading its bits back using a different type. A `bit_cast()` avoids this
+// issue by implementating its casts using `memcpy()`, which avoids introducing
+// this undefined behavior.
+template <typename Dest, typename Source>
+inline Dest bit_cast(const Source& source) {
+  static_assert(sizeof(Dest) == sizeof(Source),
+                "Source and destination types should have equal sizes.");
+
+  Dest dest;
+  memcpy(&dest, &source, sizeof(dest));
+  return dest;
+}
+
+}  // namespace absl
+
+#endif  // ABSL_BASE_CASTS_H_