Protect CRTP pattern from stack overflowing in "pure virtual" calls - c++

Question

Consider the following standard CRTP example:
#include <iostream>
template<class Derived>
struct Base {
void f() { static_cast<Derived *>(this)->f(); }
void g() { static_cast<Derived *>(this)->g(); }
};
struct Foo : public Base<Foo> {
void f() { std::cout << 42 << std::endl; }
};
int main() {
Foo foo;
foo.f(); // just OK
foo.g(); // this will stack overflow and segfault
}
If this was regular virtual inheritance I could have mark virtual f and g methods as pure like
struct Base {
virtual void f() = 0;
virtual void g() = 0;
};
and get a compile time error about Foo being abstract. But CRTP offers no such protection. Can I implement it somehow? Runtime check is acceptable too. I thought about comparing this->f pointer with static_cast<Derived *>(this)->f, but didn't manage to make it work.

Answer 1

You can assert at compile time that the two pointers to member functions are different, e.g.:
template<class Derived>
struct Base {
void g() {
static_assert(&Derived::g != &Base<Derived>::g,
"Derived classes must implement g().");
static_cast<Derived *>(this)->g();
}
};

Answer 2

Here is another possibility:
#include <iostream>
template<class Derived>
struct Base {
auto f() { return static_cast<Derived *>(this)->f(); }
auto g() { return static_cast<Derived *>(this)->g(); }
};
struct Foo : public Base<Foo> {
void f() { std::cout << 42 << std::endl; }
};
int main() {
Foo foo;
foo.f(); // just OK
foo.g(); // this will not compile
}
For GCC, it gives a pretty clear error message ("error: use of 'auto Base::g() [with Derived = Foo]' before deduction of 'auto'"), while for Clang, it gives a slightly less readable infinitely recursing template instantiation of Base<Foo>::g, with g instantiating itself but eventually ending in an error.

Answer 3

You could use this solution, you can have pure "non-virtual abstract" function, and it maps as much as possible to CRTP this recommendation of H. Sutter:
template<class Derived>
struct Base
{
void f(){static_cast<Derived*>(this)->do_f();}
void g(){static_cast<Derived*>(this)->do_g();}
private:
//Derived must implement do_f
void do_f()=delete;
//do_g as a default implementation
void do_g(){}
};
struct derived
:Base<derived>
{
friend struct Base<derived>;
private:
void do_f(){}
};

Answer 4

You could consider doing something like this instead. You can make Derived a member and either supply it as a template parameter directly each time you instantiate a Base or else use a type alias as I have done in this example:
template<class Derived>
struct Base {
void f() { d.f(); }
void g() { d.g(); }
private:
Derived d;
};
struct FooImpl {
void f() { std::cout << 42 << std::endl; }
};
using Foo = Base<FooImpl>;
int main() {
Foo foo;
foo.f(); // OK
foo.g(); // compile time error
}
Of course Derived is no longer derived so you might pick a better name for it.