List-initialization is initialization of an object or reference from a braced-init-list. Such an initializer is called an initializer list, and the comma-separated initializer-clauses of the list are called the elements of the initializer list. An initializer list may be empty. List-initialization can occur in direct-initialization or copy-initialization contexts; list-initialization in a direct-initialization context is called direct-list-initialization and list-initialization in a copy-initialization context is called copy-list-initialization. [ Note: List-initialization can be used
as the initializer in a variable definition ([dcl.init])
as the initializer in a new-expression
in a return statement
as a function argument ([expr.call])
as a subscript
as an argument to a constructor invocation ([dcl.init], [expr.type.conv])
as an initializer for a non-static data member
in a mem-initializer
on the right-hand side of an assignment
[ Example:
int a = {1};
std::complex<double> z{1,2};
new std::vector<std::string>{"once", "upon", "a", "time"}; // 4 string elements
f( {"Nicholas","Annemarie"} ); // pass list of two elements
return { "Norah" }; // return list of one element
int* e {}; // initialization to zero / null pointer
x = double{1}; // explicitly construct a double
std::map<std::string,int> anim = { {"bear",4}, {"cassowary",2}, {"tiger",7} };— end example ] — end note ]
A constructor is an initializer-list constructor if its first parameter is of type std::initializer_list<E> or reference to possibly cv-qualified std::initializer_list<E> for some type E, and either there are no other parameters or else all other parameters have default arguments. [ Note: Initializer-list constructors are favored over other constructors in list-initialization ([over.match.list]). Passing an initializer list as the argument to the constructor template template<class T> C(T) of a class C does not create an initializer-list constructor, because an initializer list argument causes the corresponding parameter to be a non-deduced context ([temp.deduct.call]). — end note ] The template std::initializer_list is not predefined; if the header <initializer_list> is not included prior to a use of std::initializer_list — even an implicit use in which the type is not named — the program is ill-formed.
List-initialization of an object or reference of type T is defined as follows:
If T is an aggregate class and the initializer list has a single element of type cv U, where U is T or a class derived from T, the object is initialized from that element (by copy-initialization for copy-list-initialization, or by direct-initialization for direct-list-initialization).
Otherwise, if T is a character array and the initializer list has a single element that is an appropriately-typed string literal ([dcl.init.string]), initialization is performed as described in that section.
Otherwise, if T is an aggregate, aggregate initialization is performed.
[ Example:
double ad[] = { 1, 2.0 }; // OK
int ai[] = { 1, 2.0 }; // error: narrowing
struct S2 {
int m1;
double m2, m3;
};
S2 s21 = { 1, 2, 3.0 }; // OK
S2 s22 { 1.0, 2, 3 }; // error: narrowing
S2 s23 { }; // OK: default to 0,0,0
— end example ]
Otherwise, if the initializer list has no elements and T is a class type with a default constructor, the object is value-initialized.
Otherwise, if T is a specialization of std::initializer_list<E>, the object is constructed as described below.
Otherwise, if T is a class type, constructors are considered. The applicable constructors are enumerated and the best one is chosen through overload resolution ([over.match], [over.match.list]). If a narrowing conversion (see below) is required to convert any of the arguments, the program is ill-formed.
[ Example:
struct S {
S(std::initializer_list<double>); // #1
S(std::initializer_list<int>); // #2
S(); // #3
// ...
};
S s1 = { 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 }; // invoke #1
S s2 = { 1, 2, 3 }; // invoke #2
S s3 = { }; // invoke #3
— end example ]
[ Example:
struct Map {
Map(std::initializer_list<std::pair<std::string,int>>);
};
Map ship = {{"Sophie",14}, {"Surprise",28}};— end example ]
[ Example:
struct S {
// no initializer-list constructors
S(int, double, double); // #1
S(); // #2
// ...
};
S s1 = { 1, 2, 3.0 }; // OK: invoke #1
S s2 { 1.0, 2, 3 }; // error: narrowing
S s3 { }; // OK: invoke #2
— end example ]
Otherwise, if T is an enumeration with a fixed underlying type ([dcl.enum]), the initializer-list has a single element v, and the initialization is direct-list-initialization, the object is initialized with the value T(v) ([expr.type.conv]); if a narrowing conversion is required to convert v to the underlying type of T, the program is ill-formed. [ Example:
enum byte : unsigned char { };
byte b { 42 }; // OK
byte c = { 42 }; // error
byte d = byte{ 42 }; // OK; same value as b
byte e { -1 }; // error
struct A { byte b; };
A a1 = { { 42 } }; // error
A a2 = { byte{ 42 } }; // OK
void f(byte);
f({ 42 }); // error
enum class Handle : uint32_t { Invalid = 0 };
Handle h { 42 }; // OK
— end example ]
Otherwise, if the initializer list has a single element of type E and either T is not a reference type or its referenced type is reference-related to E, the object or reference is initialized from that element (by copy-initialization for copy-list-initialization, or by direct-initialization for direct-list-initialization); if a narrowing conversion (see below) is required to convert the element to T, the program is ill-formed.
[ Example:
int x1 {2}; // OK
int x2 {2.0}; // error: narrowing
— end example ]
Otherwise, if T is a reference type, a prvalue of the type referenced by T is generated. The prvalue initializes its result object by copy-list-initialization or direct-list-initialization, depending on the kind of initialization for the reference. The prvalue is then used to direct-initialize the reference. [ Note: As usual, the binding will fail and the program is ill-formed if the reference type is an lvalue reference to a non-const type. — end note ]
[ Example:
struct S {
S(std::initializer_list<double>); // #1
S(const std::string&); // #2
// ...
};
const S& r1 = { 1, 2, 3.0 }; // OK: invoke #1
const S& r2 { "Spinach" }; // OK: invoke #2
S& r3 = { 1, 2, 3 }; // error: initializer is not an lvalue
const int& i1 = { 1 }; // OK
const int& i2 = { 1.1 }; // error: narrowing
const int (&iar)[2] = { 1, 2 }; // OK: iar is bound to temporary array
— end example ]
Otherwise, if the initializer list has no elements, the object is value-initialized.
[ Example:
int** pp {}; // initialized to null pointer
— end example ]
Otherwise, the program is ill-formed.
[ Example:
struct A { int i; int j; };
A a1 { 1, 2 }; // aggregate initialization
A a2 { 1.2 }; // error: narrowing
struct B {
B(std::initializer_list<int>);
};
B b1 { 1, 2 }; // creates initializer_list<int> and calls constructor
B b2 { 1, 2.0 }; // error: narrowing
struct C {
C(int i, double j);
};
C c1 = { 1, 2.2 }; // calls constructor with arguments (1, 2.2)
C c2 = { 1.1, 2 }; // error: narrowing
int j { 1 }; // initialize to 1
int k { }; // initialize to 0
— end example ]
Within the initializer-list of a braced-init-list, the initializer-clauses, including any that result from pack expansions, are evaluated in the order in which they appear. That is, every value computation and side effect associated with a given initializer-clause is sequenced before every value computation and side effect associated with any initializer-clause that follows it in the comma-separated list of the initializer-list. [ Note: This evaluation ordering holds regardless of the semantics of the initialization; for example, it applies when the elements of the initializer-list are interpreted as arguments of a constructor call, even though ordinarily there are no sequencing constraints on the arguments of a call. — end note ]
An object of type std::initializer_list<E> is constructed from an initializer list as if the implementation generated and materialized a prvalue of type “array of N const E”, where N is the number of elements in the initializer list. Each element of that array is copy-initialized with the corresponding element of the initializer list, and the std::initializer_list<E> object is constructed to refer to that array. [ Note: A constructor or conversion function selected for the copy shall be accessible in the context of the initializer list. — end note ] If a narrowing conversion is required to initialize any of the elements, the program is ill-formed. [ Example:
struct X {
X(std::initializer_list<double> v);
};
X x{ 1,2,3 };The initialization will be implemented in a way roughly equivalent to this:
const double __a[3] = {double{1}, double{2}, double{3}};
X x(std::initializer_list<double>(__a, __a+3));assuming that the implementation can construct an initializer_list object with a pair of pointers. — end example ]
The array has the same lifetime as any other temporary object, except that initializing an initializer_list object from the array extends the lifetime of the array exactly like binding a reference to a temporary. [ Example:
typedef std::complex<double> cmplx;
std::vector<cmplx> v1 = { 1, 2, 3 };
void f() {
std::vector<cmplx> v2{ 1, 2, 3 };
std::initializer_list<int> i3 = { 1, 2, 3 };
}
struct A {
std::initializer_list<int> i4;
A() : i4{ 1, 2, 3 } {} // ill-formed, would create a dangling reference
};For v1 and v2, the initializer_list object is a parameter in a function call, so the array created for { 1, 2, 3 } has full-expression lifetime. For i3, the initializer_list object is a variable, so the array persists for the lifetime of the variable. For i4, the initializer_list object is initialized in the constructor's ctor-initializer as if by binding a temporary array to a reference member, so the program is ill-formed ([class.base.init]). — end example ] [ Note: The implementation is free to allocate the array in read-only memory if an explicit array with the same initializer could be so allocated. — end note ]
A narrowing conversion is an implicit conversion
from a floating-point type to an integer type, or
from long double to double or float, or from double to float, except where the source is a constant expression and the actual value after conversion is within the range of values that can be represented (even if it cannot be represented exactly), or
from an integer type or unscoped enumeration type to a floating-point type, except where the source is a constant expression and the actual value after conversion will fit into the target type and will produce the original value when converted back to the original type, or
from an integer type or unscoped enumeration type to an integer type that cannot represent all the values of the original type, except where the source is a constant expression whose value after integral promotions will fit into the target type.
[ Note: As indicated above, such conversions are not allowed at the top level in list-initializations. — end note ] [ Example:
int x = 999; // x is not a constant expression const int y = 999; const int z = 99; char c1 = x; // OK, though it might narrow (in this case, it does narrow) char c2{x}; // error: might narrow char c3{y}; // error: narrows (assuming char is 8 bits) char c4{z}; // OK: no narrowing needed unsigned char uc1 = {5}; // OK: no narrowing needed unsigned char uc2 = {-1}; // error: narrows unsigned int ui1 = {-1}; // error: narrows signed int si1 = { (unsigned int)-1 }; // error: narrows int ii = {2.0}; // error: narrows float f1 { x }; // error: might narrow float f2 { 7 }; // OK: 7 can be exactly represented as a float int f(int); int a[] = { 2, f(2), f(2.0) }; // OK: the double-to-int conversion is not at the top level
— end example ]