Swapping the Contents of n Variables
C++11's std::swap is a binary function template which exchanges the contents of its two reference arguments. In C++20 std::swap will likely also permit execution at compile-time1. In this post we consider a version which can swap the contents of an arbitrary number of arguments using a C++17 fold-expression.
An implementation for the non-array overload of std::swap is shown below. A simple noexcept specifier is also required, but this can come later.
template <typename T>
constexpr void swap(T &t1, T &t2)
{
T tmp = std::move(t1);
t1 = std::move(t2);
t2 = std::move(tmp);
}
A version of swap which takes three arguments can help to identify a recursive pattern. In swap3, below, a temporary variable tmp is declared, and initialised, by a move assignment to the first argument. This is followed by a move assignment, of each function (template) argument, to the argument which follows it. The update of the last argument is irregular, in that its move assignment is to the temporary variable; still holding the contents of the first argument. Nevertheless, a simple pattern of move assignments is observed; one for each argument:
template <typename T>
constexpr void swap3(T &t1, T &t2, T &t3)
{
T tmp = std::move(t1);
t1 = std::move(t2);
t2 = std::move(t3);
t3 = std::move(tmp);
}
A general version can use variadic templates and a C++17 fold expression. The operator provided to a fold must be a binary function. Each of swap3's move assignments involves two of swap3's function (template) arguments; so a fold can be considered. The combining operation of a C++17 fold expression must though be an operator.
Of course there is no standard binary operator overload which will do anything like the move assignment we require. A simple class template container can be defined with a suitable binary operator; let's treat ourselves to operator+:
template <typename T>
struct wrap {
constexpr wrap operator+(wrap &&w) { x = std::move(w.x); return w; }
T &x;
};
template <typename T> wrap(T) -> wrap<T>;
The operator's definition comprises a move assignment, and a return statement. The move assignment is reassuringly similar to those in swap or swap3, with the additional consideration to work on the x member of the two wrap objects involved.
The value returned by the operator will be required by the fold expression; just as ((0-1)-2)2 "returns" the result of (0-1) as the minuend of the remaining subtraction expression. Let's demonstrate the wrap class in another version of a binary swap function:
template <typename T>
constexpr void swap_op_1(T &t1, T &t2)
{
T tmp = std::move(t1);
wrap{t1} + wrap{t2};
wrap{t2} + wrap{tmp};
}
As shown below (with optional parentheses) we can now also execute the two move assigments using a single expression:
template <typename T>
constexpr void swap_op_2(T &t1, T &t2)
{
T tmp = std::move(t1);
(wrap{t1} + wrap{t2}) + wrap{tmp};
}
We have the type and operator for our fold expression; and a candidate using them is shown below. First of all, this will be a variadic function template, with a compulsory first parameter, allowing us to easily initialise the tmp temporary variable. This first parameter is also used to obtain a type parameter T, allowing wrap to be declared as a local, non-template, class; and with no need for a user-defined deduction guide. The fold expression presents one final hurdle, in that our function parameter pack xs includes neither the first argument, x; nor the last, tmp. Accordingly, a lambda function c is defined with a parameter pack; and called on the following line, with a pack expansion of xs, bracketed by x and tmp. The fold expression statement can then execute, as the entire body of the lambda function.
template <typename T, typename ...Ts>
constexpr void swap(T &x, Ts &...xs)
{
T tmp = std::move(x);
struct wrap {
constexpr wrap operator+(wrap &&w) { x = std::move(w.x); return w; }
T &x;
};
auto c = [](auto &...xs) { (... + wrap{xs}); };
c(x,xs...,tmp);
}
The final n-ary swap function template requires just a top and a tail. The type trait std::enable_if_t is used to specify the return type. Through use of std::conjunction_v and std::is_same we can ensure the function template is instantiated only when all of its arguments have the same type. The noexcept specifier is also added: lexically identical to that of the standard std::swap, this variadic version can assure us that no exceptions are thrown when variable templates std::is_nothrow_move_constructible_v and std::is_nothrow_move_assignable_v both instantiate as true, given the type of the first argument. In addition we are assured that this condition applies to all argument types, by our specification that they are all the same.
template <typename T, typename ...Ts>
constexpr
std::enable_if_t<std::conjunction_v<std::is_same<T,Ts>...>>
swap(T &x, Ts &...xs)
noexcept (
std::is_nothrow_move_constructible_v<T> &&
std::is_nothrow_move_assignable_v<T>
)
{
T tmp = std::move(x);
struct wrap {
constexpr wrap operator+(wrap &&w) { x = std::move(w.x); return w; }
T &x;
};
auto c = [](auto &...xs) { (... + wrap{xs}); };
c(x,xs...,tmp);
}
To accommodate generic code, a nullary overload of swap is also provided. A single argument is already supported in the code above. A Github repository is available here.