c++11 - C++ Unified Assignment Operator move-semantics

Question

EDIT: solved see comments --don't know how to mark as solved with out an answer.

After watching a Channel 9 video on Perfect Forwarding / Move semantics in c++0x i was some what led into believing this was a good way to write the new assignment operators.

#include <string>
#include <vector>
#include <iostream>

struct my_type 
{
    my_type(std::string name_)
            :    name(name_)
            {}

    my_type(const my_type&)=default;

    my_type(my_type&& other)
    {
            this->swap(other);
    }

    my_type &operator=(my_type other)
    {
            swap(other);
            return *this;
    }

    void swap(my_type &other)
    {
            name.swap(other.name);
    }

private:
    std::string name;
    void operator=(const my_type&)=delete;  
    void operator=(my_type&&)=delete;
};


int main()
{
    my_type t("hello world");
    my_type t1("foo bar");
    t=t1;
    t=std::move(t1);
}

This should allow both r-values and const& s to assigned to it. By constructing a new object with the appropriate constructor and then swapping the contents with *this. This seems sound to me as no data is copied more than it need to be. And pointer arithmetic is cheap.

However my compiler disagrees. (g++ 4.6) And I get these error.

copyconsttest.cpp: In function ‘int main()’:
copyconsttest.cpp:40:4: error: ambiguous overload for ‘operator=’ in ‘t = t1’
copyconsttest.cpp:40:4: note: candidates are:
copyconsttest.cpp:18:11: note: my_type& my_type::operator=(my_type)
copyconsttest.cpp:30:11: note: my_type& my_type::operator=(const my_type&) <deleted>
copyconsttest.cpp:31:11: note: my_type& my_type::operator=(my_type&&) <near match>
copyconsttest.cpp:31:11: note:   no known conversion for argument 1 from ‘my_type’ to ‘my_type&&’
copyconsttest.cpp:41:16: error: ambiguous overload for ‘operator=’ in ‘t = std::move [with _Tp = my_type&, typename std::remove_reference< <template-parameter-1-1> >::type = my_type]((* & t1))’
copyconsttest.cpp:41:16: note: candidates are:
copyconsttest.cpp:18:11: note: my_type& my_type::operator=(my_type)
copyconsttest.cpp:30:11: note: my_type& my_type::operator=(const my_type&) <deleted>
copyconsttest.cpp:31:11: note: my_type& my_type::operator=(my_type&&) <deleted>

Am I doing something wrong? Is this bad practice (I don't think there is way of testing whether you are self assigning)? Is the compiler just not ready yet?

Thanks

Answer 1

Be very leery of the copy/swap assignment idiom. It can be sub-optimal, especially when applied without careful analysis. Even if you need strong exception safety for the assignment operator, that functionality can be otherwise obtained.

For your example I recommend:

struct my_type 
{
    my_type(std::string name_)
            :    name(std::move(name_))
            {}

    void swap(my_type &other)
    {
            name.swap(other.name);
    }

private:
    std::string name;
};

This will get you implicit copy and move semantics which forward to std::string's copy and move members. And the author of std::string knows best how to get those operations done.

If your compiler does not yet support implicit move generation, but does support defaulted special members, you can do this instead:

struct my_type 
{
    my_type(std::string name_)
            :    name(std::move(name_))
            {}

    my_type(const mytype&) = default;
    my_type& operator=(const mytype&) = default;
    my_type(mytype&&) = default;
    my_type& operator=(mytype&&) = default;

    void swap(my_type &other)
    {
            name.swap(other.name);
    }

private:
    std::string name;
};

You may also choose to do the above if you simply want to be explicit about your special members.

If you're dealing with a compiler that does not yet support defaulted special members (or implicit move members), then you can explicitly supply what the compiler should eventually default when it becomes fully C++11 conforming:

struct my_type 
{
    my_type(std::string name_)
            :    name(std::move(name_))
            {}

    my_type(const mytype& other)
        : name(other.name) {}
    my_type& operator=(const mytype& other)
    {
        name = other.name;
        return *this;
    }
    my_type(mytype&& other)
        : name(std::move(other.name)) {}
    my_type& operator=(mytype&& other)
    {
        name = std::move(other.name);
        return *this;
    }

    void swap(my_type &other)
    {
            name.swap(other.name);
    }

private:
    std::string name;
};

If you really need strong exception safety for assignment, design it once and be explicit about it (edit to include suggestion by Luc Danton):

template <class C>
typename std::enable_if
<
    std::is_nothrow_move_assignable<C>::value,
    C&
>::type
strong_assign(C& c, C other)
{
    c = std::move(other);
    return c;
}

template <class C>
typename std::enable_if
<
    !std::is_nothrow_move_assignable<C>::value,
    C&
>::type
strong_assign(C& c, C other)
{
    using std::swap;
    static_assert(std::is_nothrow_swappable_v<C>,  // C++17 only
                  "Not safe if you move other into this function");
    swap(c, other);
    return c;
}

Now your clients can choose between efficiency (my type::operator=), or strong exception safety using strong_assign.