iterator/doc/quickbook/facade.qbk

[section:facade Iterator Facade]

While the iterator interface is rich, there is a core subset of the
interface that is necessary for all the functionality.  We have
identified the following core behaviors for iterators:

* dereferencing
* incrementing
* decrementing
* equality comparison
* random-access motion
* distance measurement

In addition to the behaviors listed above, the core interface elements
include the associated types exposed through iterator traits:
`value_type`, `reference`, `difference_type`, and
`iterator_category`.

Iterator facade uses the Curiously Recurring Template
Pattern (CRTP) [Cop95]_ so that the user can specify the behavior
of `iterator_facade` in a derived class.  Former designs used
policy objects to specify the behavior, but that approach was
discarded for several reasons:

1. the creation and eventual copying of the policy object may create
   overhead that can be avoided with the current approach.

2. The policy object approach does not allow for custom constructors
   on the created iterator types, an essential feature if
   `iterator_facade` should be used in other library
   implementations.

3. Without the use of CRTP, the standard requirement that an
   iterator's `operator++` returns the iterator type itself
   would mean that all iterators built with the library would
   have to be specializations of `iterator_facade<...>`, rather
   than something more descriptive like
   `indirect_iterator<T*>`.  Cumbersome type generator
   metafunctions would be needed to build new parameterized
   iterators, and a separate `iterator_adaptor` layer would be
   impossible.

[h2 Usage]

The user of `iterator_facade` derives his iterator class from a
specialization of `iterator_facade` and passes the derived
iterator class as `iterator_facade`\ 's first template parameter.
The order of the other template parameters have been carefully
chosen to take advantage of useful defaults.  For example, when
defining a constant lvalue iterator, the user can pass a
const-qualified version of the iterator's `value_type` as
`iterator_facade`\ 's `Value` parameter and omit the
`Reference` parameter which follows.

The derived iterator class must define member functions implementing
the iterator's core behaviors.  The following table describes
expressions which are required to be valid depending on the category
of the derived iterator type.  These member functions are described
briefly below and in more detail in the iterator facade
requirements.

[table Core Interface
  [
    [Expression]
    [Effects]
  ]
  [
    [`i.dereference()`]
    [Access the value referred to]
  [
    [`i.equal(j)`]
    [Compare for equality with `j`]
  ]
  [
    [`i.increment()`]
    [Advance by one position]
  ]
  [
    [`i.decrement()`]
    [Retreat by one position]
  ]
  [
    [`i.advance(n)`]
    [Advance by `n` positions]
  [
    [`i.distance_to(j)`]
    [Measure the distance to `j`]
  ]
]

[/ .. Should we add a comment that a zero overhead implementation of iterator_facade is possible with proper inlining?]

In addition to implementing the core interface functions, an iterator
derived from `iterator_facade` typically defines several
constructors. To model any of the standard iterator concepts, the
iterator must at least have a copy constructor. Also, if the iterator
type `X` is meant to be automatically interoperate with another
iterator type `Y` (as with constant and mutable iterators) then
there must be an implicit conversion from `X` to `Y` or from `Y`
to `X` (but not both), typically implemented as a conversion
constructor. Finally, if the iterator is to model Forward Traversal
Iterator or a more-refined iterator concept, a default constructor is
required.

[h2 Iterator Core Access]

`iterator_facade` and the operator implementations need to be able
to access the core member functions in the derived class.  Making the
core member functions public would expose an implementation detail to
the user.  The design used here ensures that implementation details do
not appear in the public interface of the derived iterator type.

Preventing direct access to the core member functions has two
advantages.  First, there is no possibility for the user to accidently
use a member function of the iterator when a member of the value_type
was intended.  This has been an issue with smart pointer
implementations in the past.  The second and main advantage is that
library implementers can freely exchange a hand-rolled iterator
implementation for one based on `iterator_facade` without fear of
breaking code that was accessing the public core member functions
directly.

In a naive implementation, keeping the derived class' core member
functions private would require it to grant friendship to
`iterator_facade` and each of the seven operators.  In order to
reduce the burden of limiting access, `iterator_core_access` is
provided, a class that acts as a gateway to the core member functions
in the derived iterator class.  The author of the derived class only
needs to grant friendship to `iterator_core_access` to make his core
member functions available to the library.


`iterator_core_access` will be typically implemented as an empty
class containing only private static member functions which invoke the
iterator core member functions. There is, however, no need to
standardize the gateway protocol.  Note that even if
`iterator_core_access` used public member functions it would not
open a safety loophole, as every core member function preserves the
invariants of the iterator.

[h2 `operator\[\]`]

The indexing operator for a generalized iterator presents special
challenges.  A random access iterator's `operator[]` is only
required to return something convertible to its `value_type`.
Requiring that it return an lvalue would rule out currently-legal
random-access iterators which hold the referenced value in a data
member (e.g. |counting|_), because `*(p+n)` is a reference
into the temporary iterator `p+n`, which is destroyed when
`operator[]` returns.

.. |counting| replace:: `counting_iterator`

Writable iterators built with `iterator_facade` implement the
semantics required by the preferred resolution to `issue 299`_ and
adopted by proposal n1550_: the result of `p[n]` is an object
convertible to the iterator's `value_type`, and `p[n] = x` is
equivalent to `*(p + n) = x` (Note: This result object may be
implemented as a proxy containing a copy of `p+n`).  This approach
will work properly for any random-access iterator regardless of the
other details of its implementation.  A user who knows more about
the implementation of her iterator is free to implement an
`operator[]` that returns an lvalue in the derived iterator
class; it will hide the one supplied by `iterator_facade` from
clients of her iterator.

.. _n1550: http://www.open-std.org/JTC1/SC22/WG21/docs/papers/2003/n1550.htm

.. _`issue 299`: http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/lwg-active.html#299

.. _`operator arrow`:

[h2 `operator->`]

The `reference` type of a readable iterator (and today's input
iterator) need not in fact be a reference, so long as it is
convertible to the iterator's `value_type`.  When the `value_type`
is a class, however, it must still be possible to access members
through `operator->`.  Therefore, an iterator whose `reference`
type is not in fact a reference must return a proxy containing a copy
of the referenced value from its `operator->`.

The return types for `iterator_facade`\ 's `operator->` and
`operator[]` are not explicitly specified. Instead, those types
are described in terms of a set of requirements, which must be
satisfied by the `iterator_facade` implementation.

.. [Cop95] [Coplien, 1995] Coplien, J., Curiously Recurring Template
   Patterns, C++ Report, February 1995, pp. 24-27.

[section:facade_reference Reference]

  template <
      class Derived
    , class Value
    , class CategoryOrTraversal
    , class Reference  = Value&
    , class Difference = ptrdiff_t
  >
  class iterator_facade {
   public:
      typedef remove_const<Value>::type value_type;
      typedef Reference reference;
      typedef Value\* pointer;
      typedef Difference difference_type;
      typedef /* see below__ \*/ iterator_category;

      reference operator\*() const;
      /* see below__ \*/ operator->() const;
      /* see below__ \*/ operator[](difference_type n) const;
      Derived& operator++();
      Derived operator++(int);
      Derived& operator--();
      Derived operator--(int);
      Derived& operator+=(difference_type n);
      Derived& operator-=(difference_type n);
      Derived operator-(difference_type n) const;
   protected:
      typedef iterator_facade iterator_facade\_;
  };

  // Comparison operators
  template <class Dr1, class V1, class TC1, class R1, class D1,
            class Dr2, class V2, class TC2, class R2, class D2>
  typename enable_if_interoperable<Dr1,Dr2,bool>::type // exposition
  operator ==(iterator_facade<Dr1,V1,TC1,R1,D1> const& lhs,
              iterator_facade<Dr2,V2,TC2,R2,D2> const& rhs);

  template <class Dr1, class V1, class TC1, class R1, class D1,
            class Dr2, class V2, class TC2, class R2, class D2>
  typename enable_if_interoperable<Dr1,Dr2,bool>::type
  operator !=(iterator_facade<Dr1,V1,TC1,R1,D1> const& lhs,
              iterator_facade<Dr2,V2,TC2,R2,D2> const& rhs);

  template <class Dr1, class V1, class TC1, class R1, class D1,
            class Dr2, class V2, class TC2, class R2, class D2>
  typename enable_if_interoperable<Dr1,Dr2,bool>::type
  operator <(iterator_facade<Dr1,V1,TC1,R1,D1> const& lhs,
             iterator_facade<Dr2,V2,TC2,R2,D2> const& rhs);

  template <class Dr1, class V1, class TC1, class R1, class D1,
            class Dr2, class V2, class TC2, class R2, class D2>
  typename enable_if_interoperable<Dr1,Dr2,bool>::type
  operator <=(iterator_facade<Dr1,V1,TC1,R1,D1> const& lhs,
              iterator_facade<Dr2,V2,TC2,R2,D2> const& rhs);

  template <class Dr1, class V1, class TC1, class R1, class D1,
            class Dr2, class V2, class TC2, class R2, class D2>
  typename enable_if_interoperable<Dr1,Dr2,bool>::type
  operator >(iterator_facade<Dr1,V1,TC1,R1,D1> const& lhs,
             iterator_facade<Dr2,V2,TC2,R2,D2> const& rhs);

  template <class Dr1, class V1, class TC1, class R1, class D1,
            class Dr2, class V2, class TC2, class R2, class D2>
  typename enable_if_interoperable<Dr1,Dr2,bool>::type
  operator >=(iterator_facade<Dr1,V1,TC1,R1,D1> const& lhs,
              iterator_facade<Dr2,V2,TC2,R2,D2> const& rhs);

  // Iterator difference
  template <class Dr1, class V1, class TC1, class R1, class D1,
            class Dr2, class V2, class TC2, class R2, class D2>
  /* see below__ \*/
  operator-(iterator_facade<Dr1,V1,TC1,R1,D1> const& lhs,
            iterator_facade<Dr2,V2,TC2,R2,D2> const& rhs);

  // Iterator addition
  template <class Dr, class V, class TC, class R, class D>
  Derived operator+ (iterator_facade<Dr,V,TC,R,D> const&,
                     typename Derived::difference_type n);

  template <class Dr, class V, class TC, class R, class D>
  Derived operator+ (typename Derived::difference_type n,
                     iterator_facade<Dr,V,TC,R,D> const&);

__ `iterator category`_

__ `operator arrow`_

__ brackets_

__ minus_

.. _`iterator category`:

The `iterator_category` member of `iterator_facade` is

.. parsed-literal::

  *iterator-category*\ (CategoryOrTraversal, value_type, reference)

where *iterator-category* is defined as follows:

.. include:: facade_iterator_category.rst

The `enable_if_interoperable` template used above is for exposition
purposes.  The member operators should only be in an overload set
provided the derived types `Dr1` and `Dr2` are interoperable, 
meaning that at least one of the types is convertible to the other.  The
`enable_if_interoperable` approach uses SFINAE to take the operators
out of the overload set when the types are not interoperable.  
The operators should behave *as-if* `enable_if_interoperable`
were defined to be:

  template <bool, typename> enable_if_interoperable_impl
  {};

  template <typename T> enable_if_interoperable_impl<true,T>
  { typedef T type; };

  template<typename Dr1, typename Dr2, typename T>
  struct enable_if_interoperable
    : enable_if_interoperable_impl<
          is_convertible<Dr1,Dr2>::value || is_convertible<Dr2,Dr1>::value
        , T
      >
  {};


[h2 Requirements]

The following table describes the typical valid expressions on
`iterator_facade`\ 's `Derived` parameter, depending on the
iterator concept(s) it will model.  The operations in the first
column must be made accessible to member functions of class
`iterator_core_access`.  In addition,
`static_cast<Derived*>(iterator_facade*)` shall be well-formed.

In the table below, `F` is `iterator_facade<X,V,C,R,D>`, `a` is an
object of type `X`, `b` and `c` are objects of type `const X`,
`n` is an object of `F::difference_type`, `y` is a constant
object of a single pass iterator type interoperable with `X`, and `z`
is a constant object of a random access traversal iterator type
interoperable with `X`.

.. _`core operations`:

.. topic:: `iterator_facade` Core Operations

[table Core Operations
  [
    [Expression]
    [Return Type]
    [Assertion/Note]
    [Used to implement Iterator Concept(s)]
  ]
  [
    [`c.dereference()`]
    [`F::reference`]
    []
    [Readable Iterator, Writable Iterator]
  ]
  [
    [`c.equal(y)`]
    [convertible to bool]
    [true iff `c` and `y` refer to the same position]
    [Single Pass Iterator]
  ]
  [
    [`a.increment()`]
    [unused]
    []
    [Incrementable Iterator]
  ]
  [
    [`a.decrement()`]
    [unused]
    []
    [Bidirectional Traversal Iterator]
  ]
  [
    [`a.advance(n)`]
    [unused]
    []
    [Random Access Traversal Iterator]
  ]
  [
    [`c.distance_to(z)`]
    [convertible to `F::difference_type`]
    [equivalent to `distance(c, X(z))`.]
    [Random Access Traversal Iterator]
  ]
]

[h2 Operations]

The operations in this section are described in terms of operations on
the core interface of `Derived` which may be inaccessible
(i.e. private).  The implementation should access these operations
through member functions of class `iterator_core_access`.

  reference operator*() const;

[*Returns:] `static_cast<Derived const*>(this)->dereference()`

  operator->() const; (see below__)

__ `operator arrow`_

[*Returns:] If `reference` is a reference type, an object of type `pointer` equal to: `&static_cast<Derived const*>(this)->dereference()`
Otherwise returns an object of unspecified type such that, 
`(*static_cast<Derived const*>(this))->m` is equivalent to `(w = **static_cast<Derived const*>(this),
w.m)` for some temporary object `w` of type `value_type`.

.. _brackets:

  *unspecified* operator[](difference_type n) const;

[*Returns:] an object convertible to `value_type`. For constant
     objects `v` of type `value_type`, and `n` of type
     `difference_type`, `(*this)[n] = v` is equivalent to
     `*(*this + n) = v`, and `static_cast<value_type
     const&>((*this)[n])` is equivalent to
     `static_cast<value_type const&>(*(*this + n))`

  Derived& operator++();

[*Effects:] 

    static_cast<Derived*>(this)->increment();
    return *static_cast<Derived*>(this);

  Derived operator++(int);

[*Effects:]

    Derived tmp(static_cast<Derived const*>(this));
    ++*this;
    return tmp;

  Derived& operator--();

[*Effects:]

      static_cast<Derived*>(this)->decrement();
      return *static_cast<Derived*>(this);

  Derived operator--(int);

[*Effects:]

    Derived tmp(static_cast<Derived const*>(this));
    --*this;
    return tmp;


  Derived& operator+=(difference_type n);

[*Effects:]

      static_cast<Derived*>(this)->advance(n);
      return *static_cast<Derived*>(this);


  Derived& operator-=(difference_type n);

[*Effects:]
 
      static_cast<Derived*>(this)->advance(-n);
      return *static_cast<Derived*>(this);


  Derived operator-(difference_type n) const;

[*Effects:]

    Derived tmp(static_cast<Derived const*>(this));
    return tmp -= n;

  template <class Dr, class V, class TC, class R, class D>
  Derived operator+ (iterator_facade<Dr,V,TC,R,D> const&,
                     typename Derived::difference_type n);

  template <class Dr, class V, class TC, class R, class D>
  Derived operator+ (typename Derived::difference_type n,
                     iterator_facade<Dr,V,TC,R,D> const&);

[*Effects:]

    Derived tmp(static_cast<Derived const*>(this));
    return tmp += n;

  template <class Dr1, class V1, class TC1, class R1, class D1,
            class Dr2, class V2, class TC2, class R2, class D2>
  typename enable_if_interoperable<Dr1,Dr2,bool>::type
  operator ==(iterator_facade<Dr1,V1,TC1,R1,D1> const& lhs,
              iterator_facade<Dr2,V2,TC2,R2,D2> const& rhs);

[*Returns:]
 
  if `is_convertible<Dr2,Dr1>::value`

  then 
    `((Dr1 const&)lhs).equal((Dr2 const&)rhs)`.

  Otherwise, 
    `((Dr2 const&)rhs).equal((Dr1 const&)lhs)`.


  template <class Dr1, class V1, class TC1, class R1, class D1,
            class Dr2, class V2, class TC2, class R2, class D2>
  typename enable_if_interoperable<Dr1,Dr2,bool>::type
  operator !=(iterator_facade<Dr1,V1,TC1,R1,D1> const& lhs,
              iterator_facade<Dr2,V2,TC2,R2,D2> const& rhs);

[*Returns:]
 
  if `is_convertible<Dr2,Dr1>::value`

  then 
    `!((Dr1 const&)lhs).equal((Dr2 const&)rhs)`.

  Otherwise, 
    `!((Dr2 const&)rhs).equal((Dr1 const&)lhs)`.


  template <class Dr1, class V1, class TC1, class R1, class D1,
            class Dr2, class V2, class TC2, class R2, class D2>
  typename enable_if_interoperable<Dr1,Dr2,bool>::type
  operator <(iterator_facade<Dr1,V1,TC1,R1,D1> const& lhs,
             iterator_facade<Dr2,V2,TC2,R2,D2> const& rhs);

[*Returns:]
 
  if `is_convertible<Dr2,Dr1>::value`

  then 
    `((Dr1 const&)lhs).distance_to((Dr2 const&)rhs) < 0`.

  Otherwise, 
    `((Dr2 const&)rhs).distance_to((Dr1 const&)lhs) > 0`.


  template <class Dr1, class V1, class TC1, class R1, class D1,
            class Dr2, class V2, class TC2, class R2, class D2>
  typename enable_if_interoperable<Dr1,Dr2,bool>::type
  operator <=(iterator_facade<Dr1,V1,TC1,R1,D1> const& lhs,
              iterator_facade<Dr2,V2,TC2,R2,D2> const& rhs);

[*Returns:]
 
  if `is_convertible<Dr2,Dr1>::value`

  then 
    `((Dr1 const&)lhs).distance_to((Dr2 const&)rhs) <= 0`.

  Otherwise, 
    `((Dr2 const&)rhs).distance_to((Dr1 const&)lhs) >= 0`.


  template <class Dr1, class V1, class TC1, class R1, class D1,
            class Dr2, class V2, class TC2, class R2, class D2>
  typename enable_if_interoperable<Dr1,Dr2,bool>::type
  operator >(iterator_facade<Dr1,V1,TC1,R1,D1> const& lhs,
             iterator_facade<Dr2,V2,TC2,R2,D2> const& rhs);

[*Returns:]
 
  if `is_convertible<Dr2,Dr1>::value`

  then 
    `((Dr1 const&)lhs).distance_to((Dr2 const&)rhs) > 0`.

  Otherwise, 
    `((Dr2 const&)rhs).distance_to((Dr1 const&)lhs) < 0`.


  template <class Dr1, class V1, class TC1, class R1, class D1,
            class Dr2, class V2, class TC2, class R2, class D2>
  typename enable_if_interoperable<Dr1,Dr2,bool>::type
  operator >=(iterator_facade<Dr1,V1,TC1,R1,D1> const& lhs,
              iterator_facade<Dr2,V2,TC2,R2,D2> const& rhs);

[*Returns:]
 
  if `is_convertible<Dr2,Dr1>::value`

  then 
    `((Dr1 const&)lhs).distance_to((Dr2 const&)rhs) >= 0`.

  Otherwise, 
    `((Dr2 const&)rhs).distance_to((Dr1 const&)lhs) <= 0`.

.. _minus:


  template <class Dr1, class V1, class TC1, class R1, class D1,
            class Dr2, class V2, class TC2, class R2, class D2>
  typename enable_if_interoperable<Dr1,Dr2,difference>::type
  operator -(iterator_facade<Dr1,V1,TC1,R1,D1> const& lhs,
             iterator_facade<Dr2,V2,TC2,R2,D2> const& rhs);

[*Return Type:]
 
  if `is_convertible<Dr2,Dr1>::value`

   then 
    `difference` shall be
    `iterator_traits<Dr1>::difference_type`.

   Otherwise 
    `difference` shall be `iterator_traits<Dr2>::difference_type`

[*Returns:]
 
  if `is_convertible<Dr2,Dr1>::value`

  then 
    `-((Dr1 const&)lhs).distance_to((Dr2 const&)rhs)`.

  Otherwise, 
    `((Dr2 const&)rhs).distance_to((Dr1 const&)lhs)`.


[endsect]

[include facade_tutorial.qbk]

[endsect]