How can I create a n way Cartesian product of type lists in C++?

Question

Self explanatory.

Basically, say I have type lists like so:

using type_list_1 = type_list<int, somestructA>;
using type_list_2 = type_list<somestructB>;
using type_list_3 = type_list<double, short>;

They can be variadic number of type lists.

How do I get a typelist of Cartesian product?

result = type_list<
type_list<int, somestructB, double>,
type_list<int, somestructB, short>,
type_list<somestructA, somestructB, double>,
type_list<somestructA, somestructB, short>
>;

I did dabble on how to create a two-way Cartesian product as given here: How to create the Cartesian product of a type list?, but n way seems to be no so trivial.

For now I am trying...

template <typename...> struct type_list{};

// To concatenate
template <typename... Ts, typename... Us>
constexpr auto operator|(type_list<Ts...>, type_list<Us...>) {
   return type_list{Ts{}..., Us{}...};
}

template <typename T, typename... Ts, typename... Us>
constexpr auto cross_product_two(type_list<T, Ts...>, type_list<Us...>) {
    return (type_list<type_list<T,Us>...>{} | ... | type_list<type_list<Ts, Us>...>{});
}

template <typename T, typename U, typename... Ts>
constexpr auto cross_product_impl() {
    if constexpr(sizeof...(Ts) >0) {
        return cross_product_impl<decltype(cross_product_two(T{}, U{})), Ts...>();
    } else {
        return cross_product_two(T{}, U{});
    }
}

I will just say that considering how difficult it is to get it right, just use boost as in the answer by Barry. Unfortunately I have to be stuck with a hand rolled approach because to use boost or not is a decision that comes from somewhere else :(

Answer 1

With Boost.Mp11, this is a short one-liner (as always):

using result = mp_product<
    type_list,
    type_list_1, type_list_2, type_list_3>;

Demo.

Answer 2

Ok, got it. It's not pretty but it works:

template<class ... T>
struct type_list{};

struct somestructA{};
struct somestructB{};

using type_list_1 = type_list<int, somestructA, char>;
using type_list_2 = type_list<somestructB>;
using type_list_3 = type_list<double, short, float>;

template<class TL1, class TL2>
struct add;

template<class ... T1s, class ... T2s>
struct add<type_list<T1s...>, type_list<T2s...>>
{
    using type = type_list<T1s..., T2s...>;
};

template<class ... TL>
struct concat;

template<class TL, class ... TLs>
struct concat<TL, TLs...>
{
    using type = typename add<TL, typename concat<TLs...>::type>::type;
};

template<class TL>
struct concat<TL>
{
    using type = TL;
};

static_assert(std::is_same_v<type_list<int, somestructA, char, double, short, float>, typename add<type_list_1, type_list_3>::type>);

template<class TL1, class TL2>
struct multiply_one;

// Prepends each element of T1 to the list T2.
template<class ... T1s, class ... T2s>
struct multiply_one<type_list<T1s...>, type_list<T2s...>>
{
    using type = typename concat<type_list<type_list<T1s, T2s...>...>>::type;
};

static_assert(std::is_same_v<
    type_list<
        type_list<int, double, short, float>,
        type_list<somestructA, double, short, float>,
        type_list<char, double, short, float>
        >,
    typename multiply_one<type_list_1, type_list_3>::type>);

// Prepends each element of TL to all type lists in TLL.
template<class TL, class TLL>
struct multiply_all;

template<class TL, class ... TLs>
struct multiply_all<TL, type_list<TLs...>>
{
    using type = typename concat<typename multiply_one<TL, TLs>::type...>::type;
};

static_assert(std::is_same_v<
    type_list<
        type_list<int, double, short, float>,
        type_list<somestructA, double, short, float>,
        type_list<char, double, short, float>
        >,
    typename multiply_all<type_list_1, type_list<type_list_3>>::type>);

static_assert(std::is_same_v<
    type_list<
        type_list<int, somestructB>,
        type_list<somestructA, somestructB>,
        type_list<char, somestructB>,
        type_list<int, double, short, float>,
        type_list<somestructA, double, short, float>,
        type_list<char, double, short, float>
        >,
    typename multiply_all<type_list_1, type_list<type_list_2, type_list_3>>::type>);

template<class TL, class ... TLs>
struct cartesian_product
{
    using type = typename multiply_all<TL, typename cartesian_product<TLs...>::type>::type;
};

template<class ... Ts>
struct cartesian_product<type_list<Ts...>>
{
    using type = type_list<type_list<Ts>...>;
};


using expected_result = type_list<
    type_list<int, somestructB, double>,
    type_list<somestructA, somestructB, double>,
    type_list<char, somestructB, double>,
    type_list<int, somestructB, short>,
    type_list<somestructA, somestructB, short>,
    type_list<char, somestructB, short>,
    type_list<int, somestructB, float>,
    type_list<somestructA, somestructB, float>,
    type_list<char, somestructB, float>
>;

static_assert(std::is_same_v<expected_result,
    cartesian_product<type_list_1, type_list_2, type_list_3>::type>);

https://godbolt.org/z/L5eamT

I left my own static_assert tests in there for... Well, I hope they help.

Also, I'm sure there has to be a nicer solution. But this was the obvious "I know this will eventually lead to the goal" path. I eventually had to resort to adding a concat or sorts, I'm sure that it could be used much earlier to skip most of the cruft.