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

2024-11-11

2861. dynamic_cast on bad pointer value

Section: 7.6.1.7  [expr.dynamic.cast]     Status: DR     Submitter: Jim X     Date: 2024-02-06

[Accepted as a DR at the June, 2024 meeting.]

(From submission #497.)

Base-to-derived casts and cross-casts need to inspect the vtable of a polymorphic type. However, this is not defined as an "access" and there is no provision for undefined behavior analoguous to 7.2.1 [basic.lval] paragraph 11.

Proposed resolution (approved by CWG 2024-06-26):

  1. Add a new paragraph after 7.6.1.7 [expr.dynamic.cast] paragraph 6 as follows:

    If v is a null pointer value, the result is a null pointer value.

    If v has type "pointer to cv U" and v does not point to an object whose type is similar (7.3.6 [conv.qual]) to U and that is within its lifetime or within its period of construction or destruction (11.9.5 [class.cdtor]), the behavior is undefined. If v is a glvalue of type U and v does not refer to an object whose type is similar to U and that is within its lifetime or within its period of construction or destruction, the behavior is undefined.

  2. Change in 7.3.12 [conv.ptr] paragraph 3 as follows:

    A prvalue v of type “pointer to cv D”, where D is a complete class type, can be converted to a prvalue of type “pointer to cv B”, where B is a base class (11.7 [class.derived]) of D. If B is an inaccessible (11.8 [class.access]) or ambiguous (6.5.2 [class.member.lookup]) base class of D, a program that necessitates this conversion is ill-formed. The result of the conversion is a pointer to the base class subobject of the derived class object. The null pointer value is converted to the null pointer value of the destination type. If v is a null pointer value, the result is a null pointer value. Otherwise, if B is a virtual base class of D and v does not point to an object whose type is similar (7.3.6 [conv.qual]) to D and that is within its lifetime or within its period of construction or destruction (11.9.5 [class.cdtor]), the behavior is undefined. Otherwise, the result is a pointer to the base class subobject of the derived class object.