src/casts.h

// Copyright 2011 Google Inc. All Rights Reserved.

#ifndef ART_SRC_CASTS_H_
#define ART_SRC_CASTS_H_

#include <assert.h>
#include <string.h>
#include "macros.h"

namespace art {

// 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);
}

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.
  COMPILE_ASSERT(sizeof(Dest) == sizeof(Source), verify_sizes_are_equal);
  Dest dest;
  memcpy(&dest, &source, sizeof(dest));
  return dest;
}

}  // namespace art

#endif  // ART_SRC_CASTS_H_