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Default constructors

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A default constructor is a constructor which can be called with no arguments.

Contents

[edit] Syntax

class-name (parameter-list (optional)); (1)
class-name (parameter-list (optional)) function-body (2)
class-name () = default; (3) (since C++11)
class-name (parameter-list (optional)) = delete; (4) (since C++11)
class-name ::class-name (parameter-list (optional)) function-body (5)
class-name ::class-name () = default; (6) (since C++11)
class-name - the class whose default constructor is being declared
parameter-list - a parameter list where all paramters (except parameter packs)(since C++11) have default arguments
function-body - the function body of the default constructor

[edit] Explanation

1) Declaration of a default constructor inside of class definition.
2-4) Definition of a default constructor inside of class definition.
3) The default constructor is explicitly-defaulted.
4) The default constructor is deleted.
5,6) Definition of a default constructor outside of class definition (the class must contain a declaration (1)).
6) The default constructor is explicitly-defaulted.

Default constructors are called during default initializations and value initializations.

[edit] Implicitly-declared default constructor

If no user-declared constructors of any kind are provided for a class type, the compiler will always declare a default constructor as an inline public member of its class.

If some user-declared constructors are present, the user may still force the automatic generation of a default constructor by the compiler that would be implicitly-declared otherwise with the keyword default.

(since C++11)

The implicitly-declared (or defaulted on its first declaration) default constructor has an exception specification as described in dynamic exception specification(until C++17) noexcept specification(since C++17).

[edit] Implicitly-defined default constructor

If the constructor is implicitly-declared(until C++11)the implicitly-declared or explicitly-defaulted default constructor is not defined as deleted(since C++11), it is defined (that is, a function body is generated and compiled) by the compiler if odr-used or needed for constant evaluation(since C++11), and it has the same effect as a user-defined constructor with empty body and empty initializer list. That is, it calls the default constructors of the bases and of the non-static members of this class. Class types with an empty user-provided constructor may get treated differently than those with an implicitly-defined default constructor during value initialization.

If this satisfies the requirements of a constexpr constructor(until C++23)constexpr function(since C++23), the generated constructor is constexpr.

If some user-defined constructors are present, the user may still force the automatic generation of a default constructor by the compiler that would be implicitly-declared otherwise with the keyword default.

(since C++11)

[edit] Deleted default constructor

The implicitly-declared or explicitly-defaulted(since C++11) default constructor for class T is undefined(until C++11)defined as deleted(since C++11) if any of the following conditions is satisfied:

  • T is a union and all of its variant members are of const-qualified type (or possibly multi-dimensional array thereof).
  • T is a non-union class and all members of any anonymous union member are of const-qualified type (or possibly multi-dimensional array thereof).
  • T has a non-static data member of reference type without a default initializer(since C++11).
  • T has a non-variant non-static non-const-default-constructible data member of const-qualified type (or possibly multi-dimensional array thereof) without a default member initializer(since C++11).
  • T has a potentially constructed subobject of class type M (or possibly multi-dimensional array thereof) such that
  • M has a destructor that is deleted or(since C++11) inaccessible from the default constructor, or
  • all of the following conditions are satisfied:
  • The subobject is not a non-static data member with a default initializer.
  • The subobject is not a variant member of a union where another non-static data member has a default initializer.
(since C++11)
  • The overload resolution as applied to find M's default constructor
  • does not result in a usable candidate, or
  • in the case of the subobject being a variant member, selects a non-trivial function.

If no user-defined constructors are present and the implicitly-declared default constructor is not trivial, the user may still inhibit the automatic generation of an implicitly-defined default constructor by the compiler with the keyword delete.

(since C++11)

[edit] Trivial default constructor

The default constructor for class T is trivial (i.e. performs no action) if all of the following is true:

  • The constructor is not user-provided (i.e., is implicitly-defined or defaulted on its first declaration).
  • T has no virtual member functions.
  • T has no virtual base classes.
(since C++11)
  • Every direct base of T has a trivial default constructor.
  • Every non-static member of class type (or array thereof) has a trivial default constructor.

A trivial default constructor is a constructor that performs no action. All data types compatible with the C language (POD types) are trivially default-constructible.

[edit] Eligible default constructor

A default constructor is eligible if it is either user-declared or both implicitly-declared and definable.

(until C++11)

A default constructor is eligible if it is not deleted.

(since C++11)
(until C++20)

A default constructor is eligible if all following conditions are satisfied:

  • It is not deleted.
  • Its associated constraints (if any) are satisfied.
  • Among all default constructors whose associated constraints are satisfied, it is more constrained than any other default constructor.
(since C++20)

Triviality of eligible default constructors determines whether the class is an implicit-lifetime type, and whether the class is a trivial type.

[edit] Example

struct A
{
    int x;
    A(int x = 1): x(x) {} // user-defined default constructor
};
 
struct B : A
{
    // B::B() is implicitly-defined, calls A::A()
};
 
struct C
{
    A a;
    // C::C() is implicitly-defined, calls A::A()
};
 
struct D : A
{
    D(int y) : A(y) {}
    // D::D() is not declared because another constructor exists
};
 
struct E : A
{
    E(int y) : A(y) {}
    E() = default; // explicitly defaulted, calls A::A()
};
 
struct F
{
    int& ref; // reference member
    const int c; // const member
    // F::F() is implicitly defined as deleted
};
 
// user declared copy constructor (either user-provided, deleted or defaulted)
// prevents the implicit generation of a default constructor
 
struct G
{
    G(const G&) {}
    // G::G() is implicitly defined as deleted
};
 
struct H
{
    H(const H&) = delete;
    // H::H() is implicitly defined as deleted
};
 
struct I
{
    I(const I&) = default;
    // I::I() is implicitly defined as deleted
};
 
int main()
{
    A a;
    B b;
    C c;
//  D d; // compile error
    E e;
//  F f; // compile error
//  G g; // compile error
//  H h; // compile error
//  I i; // compile error
}

[edit] Defect reports

The following behavior-changing defect reports were applied retroactively to previously published C++ standards.

DR Applied to Behavior as published Correct behavior
CWG 1353 C++98 the conditions where implicitly-declared default constructors
are undefined did not consider multi-dimensional array types
consider these types
CWG 2084 C++11 default member initializers had no effect on whether
a defaulted default constructor of a union is deleted
they prevent the defaulted default
constructor from being deleted
CWG 2595 C++20 a default constructor was not eligible if there is
another default constructor which is more constrained
but does not satisfy its associated constraints
it can be eligible in this case

[edit] See also