"Stewart, Robert" <Robert.Stewart@sig.com <mailto:Robert.Stewart@sig.com> > wrote in message news:DF2E67F3D097004694C8428C70A3FD690470B26B7F@msgbal516.ds.susq.com <news:DF2E67F3D097004694C8428C70A3FD690470B26B7F@msgbal516.ds.susq.com> ...
this->base() calls iterator_adaptor<>::base(), which returns a reference to the underlying iterator it holds. Passing that reference to boost::prior() means that prior() pre-decrements the iterator within the iterator_adaptor. It would be odd for that
decrement operator to return anything but a reference to the decremented object, so boost::prior() returns a reference to its decremented argument, a reference to the decremented iterator within the iterator_adaptor.
I see no problem.
boost::prior(...) internally makes a copy of its iterator argument, decrements it and returns it by value, so far so good. counting_iterator::operator* then returns a reference into this (temporary) iterator. Returning from reverse_iterator::dereference() destroys the temporary iterator, but still returns the reference pointing into it. I overlooked that I already filed a defect a while ago for it: https://svn.boost.org/trac/boost/ticket/2640 <https://svn.boost.org/trac/boost/ticket/2640> It would be great to have it fixed, because the bug is quite subtle and may go undetected for a while. Arno -- Dr. Arno Schoedl · aschoedl@think-cell.com Technical Director think-cell Software GmbH · Chausseestr. 8/E · 10115 Berlin, Germany http://www.think-cell.com · phone +49 30 666473-10 · toll-free (US) +1 800 891 8091 Directors: Dr. Markus Hannebauer, Dr. Arno Schoedl · Amtsgericht Berlin-Charlottenburg, HRB 85229