non-const reference and const reference

Hello everyone,


This is my understanding of non-const reference, const reference and their relationships with lvalue/rvalue. Please help to review whether it is correct and feel free to correct me. Thanks.

1. A const reference can be binded to a rvalue, for example, a temporary object. And the "life" of the temporary object is guaranteed to be extended and we can safely operate through the const-reference.

2. A non-const reference can not binded to a rvalue, I think the reason is rvalue is not addressable? And we can not change the rvalue through its reference? Are there any other reasons? I am not quite sure whether my understanding is fully correct. Since there are some non-modifiable lvalues (so we do not always need to modify values through its reference). I am still studying what is the reason in essence in compiler why a non-const reference can not be binded to a rvalue.

3. Both const and non-const reference can be binded to a lvalue.


thanks in advance,
George

Are you repeating yourself?
http://cboard.cprogramming.com/showthread.php?t=96942

A const reference can be bound to a temporary object.
A non-const reference cannot be bound to a temporary object (according to the standard, but Visual Studio allows this).

1) The life of a temporary object has no relationship to the lifetime of any reference to that object. Hence the notion of a dangling reference (akin to a dangling pointer) which is essentially a reference to an object that no longer exists.

2) The address of an rvalue can be computed (which, I guess, means it is "addressable" to use your language). An rvalue (roughly) is something that appears on the right hand side of an assignment expression and, typically, is not something that needs to be changed. Assignment involves an "rvalue to lvalue conversion" which, with the expression "a = b" means converting a copy of the value of b (the rvalue) so it can be stored into a (the lvalue). That conversion does not (generally) change b but it changes a, so b is treated as const, the value obtained from b (from the lvalue to rvalue conversion) is treated as const, but a can be (so can receive either a const or a non-const).