c++/1841: Incorrect error: invalid use of member '' in static member function

[Jean-Bernard Delva]

> In my experience MSVC compiling something tells you very little about
> its correctness, unless you're talking about -ve correlations :-)

Agreed.

That is why I compiled it with the Diab compiler (a well-repected compiler
for embedded systems) and I get the same results.
 
> > struct X
> > {
> >     static int X::* foo () { return &x; };
> > 
> >     int x;
> > };
> 
> Maybe you could explain what this means?  I don't think it has a
> meaning.  If a member function is static, it applies to the class as a
> type, and not any specific instance.  So the 'x' of which instance are
> you trying to return a pointer to?

I understand that this construct is bordering on the isoteric but we need
code that uses this. And after analysis, it seems correct.

Since the static function foo returns a pointer to the data member x, it is
only an offset into the structure. And this offset cannot be used without a
structure instance. So a 'this' isn't really necessary in this case.

Ex:

int main ()
{
    int X::* p, x;
    X Object;

    p = X::foo ();

    x = Object.*p;

    return 0;
}

If I understand pointer to members correctly, this is the way to use them
(.* and ->*). That is why I think our construct is ok and safe in a static
function. Other compilers seem to think so.

I hope this makes my case more clear.

Jean-Bernard Delva