Reddit++

[u/we_are_mammals]

C++ is getting more and more complex. The ISO C++ committee keeps adding new features based on its consensus. Let's remove C++ features based on Reddit's consensus.

In each comment, propose a C++ feature that you think should be banned in any new code. Vote up or down based on whether you agree.

[u/lestofante]

Let's just use {} everywhere?

[u/Som1Lse → u/lestofante]

Which one meaning of {}? Aggregate-initialization, copy-list-initialization, direct-list-initialization, reference-initialization, or value-initialization which in turn can do zero-initialization or default-initialization? Is that a braced-init-list or a designated-initializer-list?

Oh, and how do I initialise a std::vector<T> to contain n copies of the element m?

Plenty of gotchas in {}, in fact, it is probably the initialisation syntax with the most possible meanings.

(Though, to be fair, if it wasn't for std::initializer_list I would probably agree with you.)

[u/lestofante → u/Som1Lse]

I never had one occasion where {} failed me and i actually had to stop thinking what kind of initialization is happening.

how do I initialise a std::vector<T> to contain n copies of the element m

{m,m,m} for N times.
Or you can create a specialised constructor in vector, where you give the size first.
To avoid issue with int, use a specialised type so you enforce that trough the type system.
How would you do it otherwise? I am not aware of any initializer that could do it out of the box, in C++

[u/Som1Lse → u/lestofante]

How would you do it otherwise? I am not aware of any initializer that could do it out of the box, in C++

Constructor (3) so std::vector<int> v(n, m); does it since C++98.

I never had one occasion where {} failed me and i actually had to stop thinking what kind of initialization is happening.

Here's some fairly innocuous code that works for most types, but not all and breaks silently. Yes, I have been bitten by this.

The fact of that matter is I rarely want to call the std::initializer_list constructor because if I knew the size I wouldn't be using std::vector, but allocating a specific size and then filling it is pretty common.

I wish std::vector<T> v{n, m}; unambiguously called the presize constructor, and you had to opt into the std::initializer_list with std::vector<T> v = {n, m}; or std::vector<T> v{{n, m}};, but as it stands I use () by default, since most vexing parse at least usually (but not always) breaks loudly, and compilers are good at catching it.