22 General utilities library [utilities]

22.5 Optional objects [optional]

22.5.3 Class template optional [optional.optional]

22.5.3.1 General [optional.optional.general]

namespace std { template<class T> class optional { public: using value_type = T; using iterator = implementation-defined; // see [optional.iterators] using const_iterator = implementation-defined; // see [optional.iterators] // [optional.ctor], constructors constexpr optional() noexcept; constexpr optional(nullopt_t) noexcept; constexpr optional(const optional&); constexpr optional(optional&&) noexcept(see below); template<class... Args> constexpr explicit optional(in_place_t, Args&&...); template<class U, class... Args> constexpr explicit optional(in_place_t, initializer_list<U>, Args&&...); template<class U = remove_cv_t<T>> constexpr explicit(see below) optional(U&&); template<class U> constexpr explicit(see below) optional(const optional<U>&); template<class U> constexpr explicit(see below) optional(optional<U>&&); // [optional.dtor], destructor constexpr ~optional(); // [optional.assign], assignment constexpr optional& operator=(nullopt_t) noexcept; constexpr optional& operator=(const optional&); constexpr optional& operator=(optional&&) noexcept(see below); template<class U = remove_cv_t<T>> constexpr optional& operator=(U&&); template<class U> constexpr optional& operator=(const optional<U>&); template<class U> constexpr optional& operator=(optional<U>&&); template<class... Args> constexpr T& emplace(Args&&...); template<class U, class... Args> constexpr T& emplace(initializer_list<U>, Args&&...); // [optional.swap], swap constexpr void swap(optional&) noexcept(see below); // [optional.iterators], iterator support constexpr iterator begin() noexcept; constexpr const_iterator begin() const noexcept; constexpr iterator end() noexcept; constexpr const_iterator end() const noexcept; // [optional.observe], observers constexpr const T* operator->() const noexcept; constexpr T* operator->() noexcept; constexpr const T& operator*() const & noexcept; constexpr T& operator*() & noexcept; constexpr T&& operator*() && noexcept; constexpr const T&& operator*() const && noexcept; constexpr explicit operator bool() const noexcept; constexpr bool has_value() const noexcept; constexpr const T& value() const &; // freestanding-deleted constexpr T& value() &; // freestanding-deleted constexpr T&& value() &&; // freestanding-deleted constexpr const T&& value() const &&; // freestanding-deleted template<class U = remove_cv_t<T>> constexpr T value_or(U&&) const &; template<class U = remove_cv_t<T>> constexpr T value_or(U&&) &&; // [optional.monadic], monadic operations template<class F> constexpr auto and_then(F&& f) &; template<class F> constexpr auto and_then(F&& f) &&; template<class F> constexpr auto and_then(F&& f) const &; template<class F> constexpr auto and_then(F&& f) const &&; template<class F> constexpr auto transform(F&& f) &; template<class F> constexpr auto transform(F&& f) &&; template<class F> constexpr auto transform(F&& f) const &; template<class F> constexpr auto transform(F&& f) const &&; template<class F> constexpr optional or_else(F&& f) &&; template<class F> constexpr optional or_else(F&& f) const &; // [optional.mod], modifiers constexpr void reset() noexcept; private: T* val; // exposition only }; template<class T> optional(T) -> optional<T>; }
Any instance of optional<T> at any given time either contains a value or does not contain a value.
When an instance of optional<T> contains a value, it means that an object of type T, referred to as the optional object's contained value, is nested within ([intro.object]) the optional object.
When an object of type optional<T> is contextually converted to bool, the conversion returns true if the object contains a value; otherwise the conversion returns false.
When an optional<T> object contains a value, member val points to the contained value.
T shall be a type other than cv in_place_t or cv nullopt_t that meets the Cpp17Destructible requirements (Table 35).