xref: /external/chromium_org/third_party/cld/base/casts.h

// Copyright (c) 2006-2009 The Chromium Authors. All rights reserved.
// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style license that can be
// found in the LICENSE file.

#ifndef BASE_CASTS_H_
#define BASE_CASTS_H_

#include <assert.h>         // for use with down_cast<>
#include <string.h>         // for memcpy

#include "base/macros.h"


// Use implicit_cast as a safe version of static_cast or const_cast
// for upcasting in the type hierarchy (i.e. casting a pointer to Foo
// to a pointer to SuperclassOfFoo or casting a pointer to Foo to
// a const pointer to Foo).
// When you use implicit_cast, the compiler checks that the cast is safe.
// Such explicit implicit_casts are necessary in surprisingly many
// situations where C++ demands an exact type match instead of an
// argument type convertable to a target type.
//
// The From type can be inferred, so the preferred syntax for using
// implicit_cast is the same as for static_cast etc.:
//
//   implicit_cast<ToType>(expr)
//
// implicit_cast would have been part of the C++ standard library,
// but the proposal was submitted too late.  It will probably make
// its way into the language in the future.
template<typename To, typename From>
inline To implicit_cast(From const &f) {
  return f;
}


// When you upcast (that is, cast a pointer from type Foo to type
// SuperclassOfFoo), it's fine to use implicit_cast<>, since upcasts
// always succeed.  When you downcast (that is, cast a pointer from
// type Foo to type SubclassOfFoo), static_cast<> isn't safe, because
// how do you know the pointer is really of type SubclassOfFoo?  It
// could be a bare Foo, or of type DifferentSubclassOfFoo.  Thus,
// when you downcast, you should use this macro.  In debug mode, we
// use dynamic_cast<> to double-check the downcast is legal (we die
// if it's not).  In normal mode, we do the efficient static_cast<>
// instead.  Thus, it's important to test in debug mode to make sure
// the cast is legal!
//    This is the only place in the code we should use dynamic_cast<>.
// In particular, you SHOULDN'T be using dynamic_cast<> in order to
// do RTTI (eg code like this:
//    if (dynamic_cast<Subclass1>(foo)) HandleASubclass1Object(foo);
//    if (dynamic_cast<Subclass2>(foo)) HandleASubclass2Object(foo);
// You should design the code some other way not to need this.

template<typename To, typename From>     // use like this: down_cast<T*>(foo);
inline To down_cast(From* f) {                   // so we only accept pointers
  // Ensures that To is a sub-type of From *.  This test is here only
  // for compile-time type checking, and has no overhead in an
  // optimized build at run-time, as it will be optimized away
  // completely.
  if (false) {
    implicit_cast<From*, To>(0);
  }

  assert(f == NULL || dynamic_cast<To>(f) != NULL);  // RTTI: debug mode only!
  return static_cast<To>(f);
}

// Overload of down_cast for references. Use like this: down_cast<T&>(foo).
// The code is slightly convoluted because we're still using the pointer
// form of dynamic cast. (The reference form throws an exception if it
// fails.)
//
// There's no need for a special const overload either for the pointer
// or the reference form. If you call down_cast with a const T&, the
// compiler will just bind From to const T.
template<typename To, typename From>
inline To down_cast(From& f) {
  COMPILE_ASSERT(base::is_reference<To>::value, target_type_not_a_reference);
  typedef typename base::remove_reference<To>::type* ToAsPointer;
  if (false) {
    // Compile-time check that To inherits from From. See above for details.
    implicit_cast<From*, ToAsPointer>(0);
  }

  assert(dynamic_cast<ToAsPointer>(&f) != NULL);  // RTTI: debug mode only
  return static_cast<To>(f);
}

// bit_cast<Dest,Source> is a template function that implements the
// equivalent of "*reinterpret_cast<Dest*>(&source)".  We need this in
// very low-level functions like the protobuf library and fast math
// support.
//
//   float f = 3.14159265358979;
//   int i = bit_cast<int32>(f);
//   // i = 0x40490fdb
//
// The classical address-casting method is:
//
//   // WRONG
//   float f = 3.14159265358979;            // WRONG
//   int i = * reinterpret_cast<int*>(&f);  // WRONG
//
// The address-casting method actually produces undefined behavior
// according to ISO C++ specification section 3.10 -15 -.  Roughly, this
// section says: if an object in memory has one type, and a program
// accesses it with a different type, then the result is undefined
// behavior for most values of "different type".
//
// This is true for any cast syntax, either *(int*)&f or
// *reinterpret_cast<int*>(&f).  And it is particularly true for
// conversions betweeen integral lvalues and floating-point lvalues.
//
// The purpose of 3.10 -15- is to allow optimizing compilers to assume
// that expressions with different types refer to different memory.  gcc
// 4.0.1 has an optimizer that takes advantage of this.  So a
// non-conforming program quietly produces wildly incorrect output.
//
// The problem is not the use of reinterpret_cast.  The problem is type
// punning: holding an object in memory of one type and reading its bits
// back using a different type.
//
// The C++ standard is more subtle and complex than this, but that
// is the basic idea.
//
// Anyways ...
//
// bit_cast<> calls memcpy() which is blessed by the standard,
// especially by the example in section 3.9 .  Also, of course,
// bit_cast<> wraps up the nasty logic in one place.
//
// Fortunately memcpy() is very fast.  In optimized mode, with a
// constant size, gcc 2.95.3, gcc 4.0.1, and msvc 7.1 produce inline
// code with the minimal amount of data movement.  On a 32-bit system,
// memcpy(d,s,4) compiles to one load and one store, and memcpy(d,s,8)
// compiles to two loads and two stores.
//
// I tested this code with gcc 2.95.3, gcc 4.0.1, icc 8.1, and msvc 7.1.
//
// WARNING: if Dest or Source is a non-POD type, the result of the memcpy
// is likely to surprise you.
//

template <class Dest, class Source>
inline Dest bit_cast(const Source& source) {
  // Compile time assertion: sizeof(Dest) == sizeof(Source)
  // A compile error here means your Dest and Source have different sizes.
  typedef char VerifySizesAreEqual [sizeof(Dest) == sizeof(Source) ? 1 : -1];

  Dest dest;
  memcpy(&dest, &source, sizeof(dest));
  return dest;
}

#endif  // BASE_CASTS_H_