Difference in behavior while using dynamic_cast with reference and pointers

by

Yes, this is correct behaviour. The reason is that you can have a null pointer, but not a null reference – any reference has to be bound to an object.

So when dynamic_cast for a pointer type fails it returns a null pointer and the caller can check for that, but when it fails for a reference type it can’t return a null reference, so an exception is the only reasonable way to signal a problem.

More Related Contents:

  1. dynamic_cast and static_cast in C++
  2. Regular cast vs. static_cast vs. dynamic_cast [duplicate]
  3. Why use static_cast(x) instead of (int)x?
  4. Multi-character constant warnings
  5. Is const_cast safe?
  6. What is the difference between static_cast and C style casting?
  7. Is it safe to delete a void pointer?
  8. C++ cast syntax styles
  9. Can I assume (bool)true == (int)1 for any C++ compiler?
  10. How do I avoid implicit conversions on non-constructing functions?
  11. Modifying a const through a non-const pointer
  12. C++ convert from 1 char to string?
  13. Function pointers casting in C++
  14. Cast pointer to member function to normal pointer
  15. Performance of dynamic_cast?
  16. FAQ: Why does dynamic_cast only work if a class has at least 1 virtual method?
  17. Can I cast a derived class to a private base class, using C-style cast?
  18. Why is “operator void” not invoked with cast syntax?
  19. C++ class member function pointer to function pointer
  20. Is reinterpret_cast type punning actually undefined behavior?
  21. Is it OK to use C-style cast for built-in types?
  22. std::lexical_cast – is there such a thing?
  23. Handling overflow when casting doubles to integers in C
  24. Is casting std::pair const& to std::pair const& safe?
  25. Understanding gsl::narrow implementation
  26. Should I use a C++ reinterpret_cast over a C-style cast?
  27. What is the modern, correct way to do type punning in C++?
  28. Why Doesn’t reinterpret_cast Force copy_n for Casts between Same-Sized Types?
  29. How to cast simple pointer to a multidimensional-array of fixed size?
  30. How can I extend a lexical cast to support enumerated types?

Leave a Comment