[cfe-dev] Explaining unqualified lookup in templates

[Bruce Merry]

Hi

With reference to http://clang.llvm.org/compatibility.html#dep_lookup:
I've just run into exactly the problem with overloaded operator<< that
this page describes. I've modified my code as suggested, but out of
interest I'm curious as to why the unqualified lookup on dependent
names is done immediately rather than deferred until template
instantiation (when the argument-dependent lookup is done). It seems
to contradict the C++11 spec 14.6.2 (it looks like C++98 has the same
language as well), which says:

"If an operand of an operator is a type-dependent expression, the
operator also denotes a dependent name. Such names are unbound and are
looked up at the point of the template instantiation (14.6.4.1) in
both the context of the template definition and the context of the
point of instantiation."

In the example at the URL above, std::cout<<value has a second
argument which is type-dependent, so I would expect operator<< to be
looked up in the context of the point of instantiation, at which point
the appropriate overload is defined.

Thanks
Bruce
-- 
Dr Bruce Merry
bmerry <@> gmail <.> com
http://www.brucemerry.org.za/
http://blog.brucemerry.org.za/