为什么主流的静态类型语言不支持按返回类型重载函数/方法?我想不出有什么能做到。这似乎并不比支持按参数类型重载更有用或更合理。为什么它不那么受欢迎呢?


当前回答

好的答案!A.Rex的回答尤其详细且有启发性。正如他所指出的,c++在编译lhs = func()时确实会考虑用户提供的类型转换操作符;(func实际上是结构体的名称)。我的解决方法有点不同——不是更好,只是不同(尽管它基于相同的基本思想)。

而我想写的是……

template <typename T> inline T func() { abort(); return T(); }

template <> inline int func()
{ <<special code for int>> }

template <> inline double func()
{ <<special code for double>> }

.. etc, then ..

int x = func(); // ambiguous!
int x = func<int>(); // *also* ambiguous!?  you're just being difficult, g++!

我最终得到了一个使用参数化结构体(T =返回类型)的解决方案:

template <typename T>
struct func
{
    operator T()
    { abort(); return T(); } 
};

// explicit specializations for supported types
// (any code that includes this header can add more!)

template <> inline
func<int>::operator int()
{ <<special code for int>> }

template <> inline
func<double>::operator double()
{ <<special code for double>> }

.. etc, then ..

int x = func<int>(); // this is OK!
double d = func<double>(); // also OK :)

这种解决方案的一个好处是,任何包含这些模板定义的代码都可以为更多类型添加更多专门化。此外,您还可以根据需要对结构进行部分特殊化。例如,如果你想对指针类型进行特殊处理:

template <typename T>
struct func<T*>
{
    operator T*()
    { <<special handling for T*>> } 
};

作为一个负数,你不能写int x = func();用我的解决方案。你必须写int x = func<int>();。您必须显式地说明返回类型是什么,而不是让编译器通过查看类型转换操作符来确定它。我想说的是,“我的”解决方案和a . rex的解决方案都属于解决这个c++困境的帕累托最优方法:)

其他回答

从另一个非常相似的问题(dupe?)中窃取一个c++特定的答案:


函数返回类型不会在重载解析中发挥作用,因为Stroustrup(我假设来自其他c++架构师的输入)希望重载解析是“上下文独立的”。参见“c++编程语言,第三版”中的“重载和返回类型”。

原因是为了保持独立于上下文的单个操作符或函数调用的解析。

They wanted it to be based only on how the overload was called - not how the result was used (if it was used at all). Indeed, many functions are called without using the result or the result would be used as part of a larger expression. One factor that I'm sure came into play when they decided this was that if the return type was part of the resolution there would be many calls to overloaded functions that would need to be resolved with complex rules or would have to have the compiler throw an error that the call was ambiguous.

而且,上帝知道,c++的重载解析已经足够复杂了……

在这样一种语言中,你将如何解决以下问题:

f(g(x))

如果f有重载void f(int)和void f(字符串)和g有重载int g(int)和字符串g(int)?你需要某种消歧器。

我认为,在需要这个函数的情况下,最好为函数选择一个新名称。

大多数静态语言现在也支持泛型,这将解决您的问题。如前所述,如果没有参数差异,就无法知道调用哪一个。如果你想这样做,使用泛型就可以了。

如前所述,对仅因返回类型不同而不同的函数的模糊调用会引入模糊。 模糊性会导致有缺陷的代码。 必须避免有缺陷的代码。

试图模糊化所带来的复杂性表明这不是一个好的hack。 除了智力练习之外,为什么不使用带有引用参数的过程呢?

procedure(reference string){};
procedure(reference int){};
string blah;
procedure(blah)

在. net中,有时我们使用一个参数来指示一个通用结果的期望输出,然后进行转换以得到我们期望的结果。

C#

public enum FooReturnType{
        IntType,
        StringType,
        WeaType
    }

    class Wea { 
        public override string ToString()
        {
            return "Wea class";
        }
    }

    public static object Foo(FooReturnType type){
        object result = null;
        if (type == FooReturnType.IntType) 
        {
            /*Int related actions*/
            result = 1;
        }
        else if (type == FooReturnType.StringType)
        {
            /*String related actions*/
            result = "Some important text";
        }
        else if (type == FooReturnType.WeaType)
        {
            /*Wea related actions*/
            result = new Wea();
        }
        return result;
    }

    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Expecting Int from Foo: " + Foo(FooReturnType.IntType));
        Console.WriteLine("Expecting String from Foo: " + Foo(FooReturnType.StringType));
        Console.WriteLine("Expecting Wea from Foo: " + Foo(FooReturnType.WeaType));
        Console.Read();
    }

也许这个例子也有帮助:

C++

    #include <iostream>

enum class FooReturnType{ //Only C++11
    IntType,
    StringType,
    WeaType
}_FooReturnType;

class Wea{
public:
    const char* ToString(){
        return "Wea class";
    }
};

void* Foo(FooReturnType type){
    void* result = 0;
    if (type == FooReturnType::IntType) //Only C++11
    {
        /*Int related actions*/
        result = (void*)1;
    }
    else if (type == FooReturnType::StringType) //Only C++11
    {
        /*String related actions*/
        result = (void*)"Some important text";
    }
    else if (type == FooReturnType::WeaType) //Only C++11
    {
        /*Wea related actions*/
        result = (void*)new Wea();
    }
    return result;
}

int main(int argc, char* argv[])
{
    int intReturn = (int)Foo(FooReturnType::IntType);
    const char* stringReturn = (const char*)Foo(FooReturnType::StringType);
    Wea *someWea = static_cast<Wea*>(Foo(FooReturnType::WeaType));
    std::cout << "Expecting Int from Foo: " << intReturn << std::endl;
    std::cout << "Expecting String from Foo: " << stringReturn << std::endl;
    std::cout << "Expecting Wea from Foo: " << someWea->ToString() << std::endl;
    delete someWea; // Don't leak oil!
    return 0;
}