This is an unofficial snapshot of the ISO/IEC JTC1 SC22 WG21 Core Issues List revision 118f. See http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/ for the official list.

2025-11-07

2758. What is "access and ambiguity control"?

[Accepted as a DR at the November, 2023 meeting.]

Subclause 7.6.2.9 [expr.delete] paragraph 12 specifies:

Access and ambiguity control are done for both the deallocation function and the destructor (11.4.7 [class.dtor], 11.4.11 [class.free]).

It is unclear what that means. In particular, ambiguity checking is part of overload resolution, and access checking requires a point of reference.

Proposed resolution (approved by CWG 2023-08-25):

1. Change in 7.6.2.9 [expr.delete] paragraph 6 as follows:

   If the value of the operand of the delete-expression is not a null pointer value and the selected deallocation function (see below) is not a destroying operator delete, the delete-expression will invoke the destructor (if any) for the object or the elements of the array being deleted. In the case of an array, the elements will be destroyed in order of decreasing address (that is, in reverse order of the completion of their constructor; see 11.9.3 [class.base.init]).

2. Change in 7.6.2.9 [expr.delete] paragraph 10

   If more than one deallocation function is found, the function to be called is selected as follows:

   • ...

   Unless the deallocation function is selected at the point of definition of the dynamic type's virtual destructor, the selected deallocation function shall be accessible from the point where the delete-expression appears.

3. Remove 7.6.2.9 [expr.delete] paragraph 12:

   Access and ambiguity control are done for both the deallocation function and the destructor (11.4.7 [class.dtor], 11.4.11 [class.free]).