Force lvalue (`cast(ref)`)
IchorDev
zxinsworld at gmail.com
Wed Jan 22 08:58:56 UTC 2025
Sometimes you want an rvalue to bind to `ref`, but the compiler
can’t be sure the reference isn’t escaped. But if you know that
the reference won’t be escaped, or you don’t care if your code is
safe at all, you can use `cast(ref)` to forcibly turn an rvalue
into an lvalue:
```d
ref x = cast(ref)10;
x++; //10 exists for the duration of this function. If this
function returns x by reference, it is undefined behaviour.
auto y = returnPassedRef(cast(ref)24);
y++; //24 exists for the duration of the function it was created
in, so `returnPassedRef` safely returned it. If this function
returns the reference however, it is undefined behaviour.
```
The cast is `@system `. If the lvalue reference is escaped, it is
undefined behaviour.
Passing a newly made lvalue into `return ref` parameters should
probably issue a warning.
This feature is useful in writing low-level code where safety is
manually verified, especially when interfacing with C++ libraries.
Possible alternative: the hideous `__lvalue`. However, `__rvalue`
is dissimilar in that it is not `@system` and does not produce
undefined behaviour, whereas casts are often `@system `, so
perhaps the dissimilar syntax is a good reflection of the
differences between the two.
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