Use of auto, decltype(), and decltype(auto)

How auto deduces types

auto deduces types using template argument deduction, except in the case of decltype(auto) where the type is decltype(e), where e is the initializer.

When auto sets the type of a declared variable from its initializing expression, it uses template argument deduction. It proceeds as follows:

1. First, if an auto vairable is assigned from a reference, the reference is ignored in determing the type of the auto variable. For example,

int x = 10;
int& rx = x;
auto y = rx; // Ref. ignored. The type of y is int.

2. Next, if, after the step above has been performed, any const and/or volatile qualifier is also ignored.

int x = 10;

const int& crx = x;

*crx = 11;   // error: *crx is read only

auto y = rx; // The type of y is int not 'const int'.

The type of y above is int. Both the reference and const are ignored. To make y a reference you simply use auto& or const auto&&.

int x = 10;
const int& crx = x;
auto& a = crx;       // The type of a is 'const int&'
const auto& b = crx; // The type of b is 'const int&'

const int cx = 20;
auto& c = cx;       // The type of c is 'const int&'
const auto& d = cx; // The type of d is 'const int&'

In the code above, template type deduction is used. For example, the type of a is determined just like the type of arg is determined were crx to be passed to the function template template<class T> void f(T& arg). The type of arg would be const int& and the type of T would be int. The reasoning for the other auto variable assignments is similar:

1. The type of b is determined just like the type of arg is determined were crx to be passed to the function template template<class T> void f(const T& arg). The type of arg would be const int& and the type of T would be int.

2. The type of c is determined just like the type of arg is determined were cx to be passed to the function template template<class T> void f(T& arg). The type of arg would again be const int& and the type of T would again be int.

3. The type of d is determined just like the type of arg is determined were cx to be passed to the function template template<class T> void f(const T& arg). The type of arg would again be const int& and the type of T would again be int.

auto Examples

These C++17 examples illustrate the various ways to initial an auto variable.

auto x1 = {1, 2};      // decltype(x1) is std::initializer_list<int>
auto x2 = {1, 2.5 };   // error cannot deduce element type
auto x3{1, 2};         // error: direct initialization must be a single element
auto x4 = {3};         // decltype(x4) is std::initializer_list<int>
auto x5{3};            // declytpe(x5) is int

Use of auto with const pointers

If a pointer of type some_type *const, is assigned to a variable declared auto, the type will be some_type *:

auto x = 10;       // x is 'int'
int *const p = &x; // *p is read/write, but p is read-only
*p  = 20;          // x is now 20
auto y = 50;       // y is 'int'
p = y;             // error p is const, read-only

auto pauto1 = p;       // pauto1 is 'int *'
const auto pauto2 = p; // pauto2 is 'int *const' just like p

If a pointer of type const some_type *, is assigned to a variable declared auto, the type will be const some_type *:

auto x = 10;       // x is 'int'
const int *p = &x; // *p is read/write, but p is read-only

auto pauto = p;       // pauto1 is 'const int *'
const auto pauto = p; // pauto1 is 'const int * const'

The auto deduced types for pointer involving const follow common sense rules: they preserve const when it is necessary; otherwise, they ignore it.

auto&&

The type of auto&& is deduced in the same way the type of a template forwarding reference parameter is deduced, and auto&&, just like forwarding references, binds to rvalues, lvalues, const, non-const, etc. It binds to everything.

class Example {
   std::vector<int> v;
  public:
   Example() : v{0, 1, 2, 3} {}
   Example(const Example& lhs) : v{lhs}
   {
      cout << "Example copy ctor called." << std::endl;
   }

   Example(Example&& lhs) : v{std::move(lhs}
   {
      cout << "Example move ctor called." << std::endl;
   }
   const std::vector<int>&  get_vector() const { return v;}
};

Example example1{}; // lvalue

auto&& v1{example1};   // v1 is of type Example&
auto&& v2{Example{}};  // v2 is of type Example&&

The type of v1 is determined from the theoretical template function template<class T> void f(T&& arg). The type of v` is that of arg, if example1 were passed to it f(example1), would be Example&. While, if type of v2 is determined from the theorectical invocation of f(Example{}), in which case arg, whose type determines the type of v2, is of type Example&&.

When should you use auto&&?

The cppreference.com entry Range-based for loop explains auto&& is prefered in range-based for loop in generic code, and an example (taken from Auto Type Deduction in Range-Based For Loops) is:

// Sets all elements in the given range to the given value.
// Now working even with std::vector<bool>.
template<typename Range, typename Value>
void set_all_to(Range& range, const Value& value) {

    for (auto&& x : range) { // Notice && instead of &.
        x = value;
    }
}

Todo

Read the article referenced immediately below, understand it, and explain it.

The article Use auto&& for range-based for loops also gives an example and succinctly explains auto&& “works with both const and non-const containers, but also works with proxy objects. It is always correct and efficient!”

decltype(name) and decltype(expression) deduction rules

decltype means the ‘declared type’. If you use decltype with a name, it will give you the declared type of that name

int x = 10;
decltype(x); //  decltype(x) = int

const auto& rx = x;
decltype(rx); //  decltype(x) = const int&

If you have an expression instead of a name, then decltype(expr) is either an lvalue or an rvalue. If it an lvalue, then decltype will add a reference to it. Below, when we add parenthesis to x before passing it to decltype, we turn it into an expression; it is not longer solely a name:

decltype((x));

and the result of decltype((x)) is int & because (x) is an expression not a name, and thus decltype adds a reference to the type of the lvalue expression.

Template Functions Returning auto versus decltype(auto)

Consider this function template that whose return type is declared auto

template<class Container, class Index> auto get_value(Container& c, Index i)
{
    return c[i];
}

vector<int> v{1, 2, 3 ,4, 5};

cout << "get_value(1, 3) = is: " << get_value(v, 3) << endl;

This produces the expected output of:

get_value(v, 3) is: 4

However, assigning to get_values(v, 3) = 10 fails to compile. Why? Most containers with an index operator like std::vector<int> return an reference to an lvalue: in the case of vecotr<int>, an int& is retunred. However, if the return type of the template get_value() is auto, instead of returning in&, int is returned. That is, the value of the return type is the same as the value of x as below:

vector<int> v{1 ,2 ,3 ,4 5};
auto y = v[3]; // y is of type 'int' not 'int&'

This is because the auto return type uses template type deduction rules and not the normal auto type deduction rules for objects. So when auto is used as a return type, it uses template type deduction rules. Therefore, to return the desired int& return type above, the type identical to c[i], we must use decltype(auto), which will retun the same type as y and z below

vector<int> v{1, 2, 3, 4, 5};

auto x = v[3];

decltype(auto) y = v[3];

decltype(v[3]) z = v[3];

y = 10;

cout << "v[3] = " << v[3] << ", x = " << x << ", y = " << y << ", and z = " << z << endl;

The output is:

v[3] = 10, x = 4, y = 10, and z = 10

because the decltype(auto) means ‘automatically deduce the return type using the decltype type deduction rules’. So we must reimplement get_values() as

template<class Container, class Index> decltype(auto) get_value(Container& c, Index i)
{
    return c[i];
}

vector<int> v{1, 2, 3, 4, 5};

get_value(v, 3) = 10;

cout << "v[3] = " << v[3] << ", get_value(v, 3) = " << get_value(v, 3) << endl;

which produces:

v[3] = 10, get_value(v, 3) = 10

In summary, we need to know the use case for your function: if you want template type deduction rules, then use auto for the return type; if you want the decltype type deduction, then use decltype(auto). It often boils down to whether you want an lvalue reference return or an rvalue. In general, decltype(auto) will return the type of the actual expression or object being returned. So in general it is the first choice to always consider.

These same comments about template returns types apply to lambdas.

Using decltype(declval<some_type>())

The cplusplus.com entry for decval explains:

Returns an rvalue reference to type T without referring to any object.

This function shall only be used in unevaluated operands (such as the operands of sizeof and decltype).

T may be an incomplete type.

This is a helper function used to refer to members of a class in unevaluated operands, especially when either the constructor signature is unknown or when no objects of that type can be constructed (such as for abstract base classes).

And it gives this example:

// declval example
#include <utility>      // std::declval
#include <iostream>     // std::cout

struct A {              // abstract class
  virtual int value() = 0;
};

class B : public A {    // class with specific constructor
  int val_;
public:

  B(int i,int j) : val_(i*j) {}

  int value() { return val_; }
};

int main() {
  decltype(std::declval<A>().value()) a;  // int a
  decltype(std::declval<B>().value()) b;  // int b
  decltype(B(0,0).value()) c;   // same as above (known constructor)
  a = b = B(10,2).value();
  std::cout << a << '\n';
  return 0;
}