11 Declarators [dcl.decl]

11.4 Function definitions [dcl.fct.def]

11.4.1 In general [dcl.fct.def.general]

1
#
Function definitions have the form
function-definition:
	attribute-specifier-seq decl-specifier-seq declarator virt-specifier-seq function-body

function-body:
	ctor-initializer compound-statement
	function-try-block
	= default ;
	= delete ;
Any informal reference to the body of a function should be interpreted as a reference to the non-terminal function-body.
The optional attribute-specifier-seq in a function-definition appertains to the function.
2
#
In a function-definition, either void declarator ; or declarator ; shall be a well-formed function declaration as described in [dcl.fct].
A function shall be defined only in namespace or class scope.
3
#
[ Example
:
A simple example of a complete function definition is
int max(int a, int b, int c) {
  int m = (a > b) ? a : b;
  return (m > c) ? m : c;
}
Here int is the decl-specifier-seq; max(int a, int b, int c) is the declarator; { /* ... */ } is the function-body.
— end example
 ]
4
#
A ctor-initializer is used only in a constructor; see [class.ctor] and [class.init].
5
#
[ Note
:
A cv-qualifier-seq affects the type of this in the body of a member function; see [dcl.ref].
— end note
 ]
6
#
[ Note
:
Unused parameters need not be named.
For example,
void print(int a, int) {
  std::printf("a = %d\n",a);
}
— end note
 ]
7
#
In the function-body, a function-local predefined variable denotes a block-scope object of static storage duration that is implicitly defined (see [basic.scope.block]).
8
#
The function-local predefined variable _­_­func_­_­ is defined as if a definition of the form 
static const char __func__[] = "function-name";
had been provided, where function-name is an implementation-defined string.
It is unspecified whether such a variable has an address distinct from that of any other object in the program.103
[ Example
: 
struct S {
  S() : s(__func__) { }             // OK
  const char* s;
};
void f(const char* s = __func__);   // error: _­_­func_­_­ is undeclared
— end example
 ]
103)
Implementations are permitted to provide additional predefined variables with names that are reserved to the implementation ([lex.name]).
If a predefined variable is not odr-used ([basic.def.odr]), its string value need not be present in the program image.

11.4.2 Explicitly-defaulted functions [dcl.fct.def.default]

1
#
A function definition of the form:
attribute-specifier-seq decl-specifier-seq declarator virt-specifier-seq  = default ;
is called an explicitly-defaulted definition.
A function that is explicitly defaulted shall
  • (1.1)
    be a special member function,
  • (1.2)
    have the same declared function type (except for possibly differing ref-qualifiers and except that in the case of a copy constructor or copy assignment operator, the parameter type may be “reference to non-const T”, where T is the name of the member function's class) as if it had been implicitly declared, and
  • (1.3)
    not have default arguments.
2
#
An explicitly-defaulted function that is not defined as deleted may be declared constexpr only if it would have been implicitly declared as constexpr.
If a function is explicitly defaulted on its first declaration, it is implicitly considered to be constexpr if the implicit declaration would be.
3
#
If a function that is explicitly defaulted is declared with a noexcept-specifier that does not produce the same exception specification as the implicit declaration ([except.spec]), then
  • (3.1)
    if the function is explicitly defaulted on its first declaration, it is defined as deleted;
  • (3.2)
    otherwise, the program is ill-formed.
4
#
[ Example
: 
struct S {
  constexpr S() = default;              // ill-formed: implicit S() is not constexpr
  S(int a = 0) = default;               // ill-formed: default argument
  void operator=(const S&) = default;   // ill-formed: non-matching return type
  ~S() noexcept(false) = default;       // deleted: exception specification does not match
private:
  int i;
  S(S&);                                // OK: private copy constructor
};
S::S(S&) = default;                     // OK: defines copy constructor
— end example
 ]
5
#
Explicitly-defaulted functions and implicitly-declared functions are collectively called defaulted functions, and the implementation shall provide implicit definitions for them ([class.ctor] [class.dtor], [class.copy]), which might mean defining them as deleted.
A function is user-provided if it is user-declared and not explicitly defaulted or deleted on its first declaration.
A user-provided explicitly-defaulted function (i.e., explicitly defaulted after its first declaration) is defined at the point where it is explicitly defaulted; if such a function is implicitly defined as deleted, the program is ill-formed.
[ Note
:
Declaring a function as defaulted after its first declaration can provide efficient execution and concise definition while enabling a stable binary interface to an evolving code base.
— end note
 ]
6
#
[ Example
: 
struct trivial {
  trivial() = default;
  trivial(const trivial&) = default;
  trivial(trivial&&) = default;
  trivial& operator=(const trivial&) = default;
  trivial& operator=(trivial&&) = default;
  ~trivial() = default;
};

struct nontrivial1 {
  nontrivial1();
};
nontrivial1::nontrivial1() = default;   // not first declaration
— end example
 ]

11.4.3 Deleted definitions [dcl.fct.def.delete]

1
#
A function definition of the form:
attribute-specifier-seq decl-specifier-seq declarator virt-specifier-seq  = delete ;
A function with a deleted definition is also called a deleted function.
2
#
A program that refers to a deleted function implicitly or explicitly, other than to declare it, is ill-formed.
[ Note
:
This includes calling the function implicitly or explicitly and forming a pointer or pointer-to-member to the function.
It applies even for references in expressions that are not potentially-evaluated.
If a function is overloaded, it is referenced only if the function is selected by overload resolution.
The implicit odr-use ([basic.def.odr]) of a virtual function does not, by itself, constitute a reference.
— end note
 ]
3
#
[ Example
:
One can enforce non-default-initialization and non-integral initialization with 
struct onlydouble {
  onlydouble() = delete;                // OK, but redundant
  onlydouble(std::intmax_t) = delete;
  onlydouble(double);
};
— end example
 ]
[ Example
:
One can prevent use of a class in certain new-expressions by using deleted definitions of a user-declared operator new for that class.
struct sometype {
  void* operator new(std::size_t) = delete;
  void* operator new[](std::size_t) = delete;
};
sometype* p = new sometype;     // error, deleted class operator new
sometype* q = new sometype[3];  // error, deleted class operator new[]
— end example
 ]
[ Example
:
One can make a class uncopyable, i.e. move-only, by using deleted definitions of the copy constructor and copy assignment operator, and then providing defaulted definitions of the move constructor and move assignment operator. 
struct moveonly {
  moveonly() = default;
  moveonly(const moveonly&) = delete;
  moveonly(moveonly&&) = default;
  moveonly& operator=(const moveonly&) = delete;
  moveonly& operator=(moveonly&&) = default;
  ~moveonly() = default;
};
moveonly* p;
moveonly q(*p);                 // error, deleted copy constructor
— end example
 ]
4
#
A deleted function is implicitly an inline function ([dcl.inline]).
[ Note
:
The one-definition rule ([basic.def.odr]) applies to deleted definitions.
— end note
 ]
A deleted definition of a function shall be the first declaration of the function or, for an explicit specialization of a function template, the first declaration of that specialization.
An implicitly declared allocation or deallocation function ([basic.stc.dynamic]) shall not be defined as deleted.
[ Example
: 
struct sometype {
  sometype();
};
sometype::sometype() = delete;  // ill-formed; not first declaration
— end example
 ]