Can I do this?
class A { ... };
class B : private A
{
const A &foo() const
{
return *((const A *)this);
}
};
Can I take a subclass that inherits privately from a base class and cast it to a public version of its base class? Can I do this without it having virtual methods?
My guess is yes, but I wanted to make sure it's safe / portable.
Yes you can: §5.4/7 of the standard:
... the following static_cast and reinterpret_cast operations (optionally followed by a const_cast operation) may be performed using the cast notation of explicit type conversion, even if the base class type is not accessible:
a pointer to an object of derived class type or an lvalue of derived class type may be explicitly converted to a pointer or reference to an unambiguous base class type, respectively;
But try not to as it defeats the purpose of private inheritance.
Collected from the Internet
Please contact [email protected] to delete if infringement.
Comments