Compile time check AND runtime check 'at the same time'

Question

Suppose I have the following simplified program:

Link to godbolt.org:

#include <cassert>

struct Dimensions {

    Dimensions& operator=(int i) {
      assert(i != 0);
      return *this;
    }

};

int getDim();

int main() {
    Dimensions dims;
    dims = getDim();//ok, just use runtime assert
    dims = 0;//compile error wanted here
    return 0;
}

In the first case (getDim), it's not possible to check compile-time so we are happy to just check it at runtime.

But is it somehow possible to detect at compile as well (for the second case, dims = 0;), when in theory it looks like it could be possible ? (perhaps with some kind of overloading or wrapper even ?)

Answer 1

A typical way to do in C with gcc compiler, that will also work in C++: you use __builtin_constant_p builtin to check if an expression is a constantly evaluated and then check the expression and then call a function declared with a __attribute__((__warning__)) or with __attribute__((__error__)). Like so:

#include <cassert>
#include <type_traits>

#define CONCAT(a, b) a ## b
#define XCONCAT(a, b) CONCAT(a, b)
#define maybe_static_maybe_not_assert(expr) do { \
    if (__builtin_constant_p(expr)) { \
            if (!(expr)) { \
                extern __attribute__((__warning__( \
                "static_assert: expression: " #expr " will fail on runtime!" \
                ))) void XCONCAT(maybe_static_maybe_not_assert_warn, __LINE__)(); \
              XCONCAT(maybe_static_maybe_not_assert_warn, __LINE__)(); \
         } \
    } \
    assert(expr); \
} while(0)

struct Dimensions {

    Dimensions& operator=(int i) {
        maybe_static_maybe_not_assert(i != 0);
        return *this;
    }

};

int getDim();

int main() {
    Dimensions dims;
    dims = getDim();
    dims = 0;
    dims = 1;
    return 0;
}

It should issue a warning when compiled with optimizations:

In member function 'Dimensions& Dimensions::operator=(int)',
    inlined from 'int main()' at <source>:32:12:
<source>:12:70: warning: call to 'maybe_static_maybe_not_assert_warn21' declared with attribute warning: static_assert: expression: i != 0 will fail on runtime! [-Wattribute-warning]
   12 |                 XCONCAT(maybe_static_maybe_not_assert_warn, __LINE__)(); \
      |                                                                      ^
<source>:21:9: note: in expansion of macro 'maybe_static_maybe_not_assert'
   21 |         maybe_static_maybe_not_assert(i != 0);
      |         ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Compiler returned: 0

This is the way _FORTIFY_SOURCE is implemented in glibc.