Is the Safe-Bool Idiom Obsolete in Modern C ?

The Obsoleteness of the Safe-Bool Idiom in Modern C

The question arises whether the idiom known as "safe-bool" has become obsolete in the face of modern C standards. To evaluate this claim, let's delve into the concept.

The safe-bool idiom, as demonstrated in R. Martinho Fernandes's response, involves the implementation of an explicit operator bool() const function. However, with the advent of C 11, an "implicit explicit cast" (contextual conversion) has emerged.

This contextual conversion allows an expression e to be implicitly converted to a bool value if the declaration bool t(e); is well-formed. As outlined by Fernandes, this feature impacts various language constructs:

• Control flow: if, while, for
• Logical operators: &&, ||
• Logical negation: !
• Conditional operator: ? :
• Assertions: static_assert
• Exceptions: noexcept

Given this implicit conversion capability, the title's premise holds true. The safe-bool idiom, with its explicit user-defined conversions, has indeed become obsolete. This cleaner and more logical approach simplifies the conversion process and aligns with the evolution of C .

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