This is an unofficial snapshot of the ISO/IEC JTC1 SC22 WG21 Core Issues List revision 115d. See http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/ for the official list.

2024-10-26


1186. Non-dependent constexpr violations in function templates

Section: 9.2.6  [dcl.constexpr]     Status: C++11     Submitter: Jason Merrill     Date: 2010-08-30

[Voted into the WP at the March, 2011 meeting as part of paper N3262.]

9.2.6 [dcl.constexpr] paragraph 5 says,

If the instantiated template specialization of a constexpr function template or member function of a class template would fail to satisfy the requirements for a constexpr function or constexpr constructor, that specialization is not a constexpr function or constexpr constructor. [Note: if the function is a member function it will still be const as described below. Implementations are encouraged to issue a warning if a function is rendered not constexpr by a non-dependent construct. —end note]

A non-dependent error in a function template renders it ill-formed with no diagnostic required (13.8 [temp.res] paragraph 8). A similar approach is being taken in the proposed resolution of issue 1125 with respect to constexpr functions. It would be more consistent to treat constexpr function templates in the same way, along the lines of

If no specialization of the template would be constexpr, the program is ill-formed, no diagnostic required.

Proposed resolution (November, 2010) [SUPERSEDED]:

Change 9.2.6 [dcl.constexpr] paragraph 6 as follows:

If the instantiated template specialization of a constexpr function template or member function of a class template would fail to satisfy the requirements for a constexpr function or constexpr constructor, that specialization is not a constexpr function or constexpr constructor. [Note: if the function is a member function it will still be const as described below. Implementations are encouraged to issue a warning if a function is rendered not constexpr by a non-dependent construct.end note] If no specialization of the template would yield a constexpr function or constexpr constructor, the program is ill-formed; no diagnostic required.