Strange behavoiur of ostringstream (tested on g++3.3.5/4.0.2)

[Howard Hinnant]

On Jan 28, 2006, at 4:14 AM, Wladimir Mutel wrote:

> #define SFORMAT(e) ((dynamic_cast<const ostringstream&> 
> (ostringstream() << e)).str())
>
> int main(int argc, char* argv[])
> {
> 	cout << SFORMAT("2 x " << " 2 = " << 2*2);
> 	return 0;
> }
>
> 	When I compile and run it, the first string constant ("2 x ") is
> 	printed as pointer in hexadecimal form. The second constant
> 	(" 2 = ") prints as it should.
> 	ltrace shows that first one is printed by

This is unfortunately standard behavior.  In a nutshell, rvalue  
streams are ill-supported in C++ today.  When your macro operates on  
ostringstream() << e, the ostringstream() is an rvalue, and this  
leads to the behavior you're seeing.

Workarounds:  You could cast your rvalue to an lvalue (say ostream&)  
before applying the operator <<.

Hope:  I'm fighting tooth and nail to get this behavior changed for C+ 
+0X, and right now it is looking promising:

http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/papers/2004/n1690.html#Use 
%20of%20Rvalue%20Streams

This link also contains another workaround that would look like  
(untested):

#define SFORMAT(e) ((dynamic_cast<const ostringstream&>(ostringstream 
().flush() << e)).str())

The C++0X fix involves a language change, so it is not as simple as  
just fixing the library (the compiler needs to change too).

-Howard