6 Basic concepts [basic]

6.4 Name lookup [basic.lookup]

6.4.3 Qualified name lookup [basic.lookup.qual]

6.4.3.2 Namespace members [namespace.qual]

1
#
If the nested-name-specifier of a qualified-id nominates a namespace (including the case where the nested-name-specifier is ​::​, i.e., nominating the global namespace), the name specified after the nested-name-specifier is looked up in the scope of the namespace.
The names in a template-argument of a template-id are looked up in the context in which the entire postfix-expression occurs.
2
#
For a namespace X and name m, the namespace-qualified lookup set is defined as follows: Let be the set of all declarations of m in X and the inline namespace set of X ([namespace.def]).
If is not empty, is ; otherwise, is the union of for all namespaces nominated by using-directives in X and its inline namespace set.
3
#
Given X​::​m (where X is a user-declared namespace), or given ​::​m (where X is the global namespace), if is the empty set, the program is ill-formed.
Otherwise, if has exactly one member, or if the context of the reference is a using-declaration ([namespace.udecl]), is the required set of declarations of m.
Otherwise if the use of m is not one that allows a unique declaration to be chosen from , the program is ill-formed.
[ Example
: 
int x;
namespace Y {
  void f(float);
  void h(int);
}

namespace Z {
  void h(double);
}

namespace A {
  using namespace Y;
  void f(int);
  void g(int);
  int i;
}

namespace B {
  using namespace Z;
  void f(char);
  int i;
}

namespace AB {
  using namespace A;
  using namespace B;
  void g();
}

void h()
{
  AB::g();          // g is declared directly in AB, therefore S is { AB​::​g() } and AB​::​g() is chosen

  AB::f(1);         // f is not declared directly in AB so the rules are applied recursively to A and B;
                    // namespace Y is not searched and Y​::​f(float) is not considered;
                    // S is  and overload resolution chooses A​::​f(int)

  AB::f('c');       // as above but resolution chooses B​::​f(char)

  AB::x++;          // x is not declared directly in AB, and is not declared in A or B, so the rules
                    // are applied recursively to Y and Z, S is { } so the program is ill-formed

  AB::i++;          // i is not declared directly in AB so the rules are applied recursively to A and B,
                    // S is  so the use is ambiguous and the program is ill-formed

  AB::h(16.8);      // h is not declared directly in AB and not declared directly in A or B so the rules
                    // are applied recursively to Y and Z, S is  and
                    // overload resolution chooses Z​::​h(double)
}
— end example
 ]
4
#
[ Note
:
The same declaration found more than once is not an ambiguity (because it is still a unique declaration).
[ Example
: 
namespace A {
  int a;
}

namespace B {
  using namespace A;
}

namespace C {
  using namespace A;
}

namespace BC {
  using namespace B;
  using namespace C;
}

void f()
{
  BC::a++;          // OK: S is 
}

namespace D {
  using A::a;
}

namespace BD {
  using namespace B;
  using namespace D;
}

void g()
{
  BD::a++;          // OK: S is 
}
— end example
 ]
— end note
 ]
5
#
[ Example
:
Because each referenced namespace is searched at most once, the following is well-defined:
namespace B {
  int b;
}

namespace A {
  using namespace B;
  int a;
}

namespace B {
  using namespace A;
}

void f()
{
  A::a++;           // OK: a declared directly in A, S is { A​::​a }
  B::a++;           // OK: both A and B searched (once), S is { A​::​a }
  A::b++;           // OK: both A and B searched (once), S is { B​::​b }
  B::b++;           // OK: b declared directly in B, S is { B​::​b }
}
— end example
 ]
6
#
During the lookup of a qualified namespace member name, if the lookup finds more than one declaration of the member, and if one declaration introduces a class name or enumeration name and the other declarations either introduce the same variable, the same enumerator or a set of functions, the non-type name hides the class or enumeration name if and only if the declarations are from the same namespace; otherwise (the declarations are from different namespaces), the program is ill-formed.
[ Example
: 
namespace A {
  struct x { };
  int x;
  int y;
}

namespace B {
  struct y { };
}

namespace C {
  using namespace A;
  using namespace B;
  int i = C::x;     // OK, A​::​x (of type int)
  int j = C::y;     // ambiguous, A​::​y or B​::​y
}
— end example
 ]
7
#
In a declaration for a namespace member in which the declarator-id is a qualified-id, given that the qualified-id for the namespace member has the form
nested-name-specifier unqualified-id
the unqualified-id shall name a member of the namespace designated by the nested-name-specifier or of an element of the inline namespace set ([namespace.def]) of that namespace.
[ Example
: 
namespace A {
  namespace B {
    void f1(int);
  }
  using namespace B;
}
void A::f1(int){ }  // ill-formed, f1 is not a member of A
— end example
 ]
However, in such namespace member declarations, the nested-name-specifier may rely on using-directives to implicitly provide the initial part of the nested-name-specifier.
[ Example
: 
namespace A {
  namespace B {
    void f1(int);
  }
}

namespace C {
  namespace D {
    void f1(int);
  }
}

using namespace A;
using namespace C::D;
void B::f1(int){ }  // OK, defines A​::​B​::​f1(int)
— end example
 ]