Problems with c++ lifetime extension

Question

I've tried to understand the semantics of c++ temporary objects lifetime extension. I've tried to simulate simple situation and was a bit surprised.

Below I'm providing my code.

#include <iostream>

struct C
{
    C(const int new_a) { a = new_a; };

    int a = 0;
};

C return_num()
{
    C num(20);

    std::cout << "From func(): num = " << num.a << ", by adress: " << &num.a << std::endl;

    return num;
}

void pass_num(const C& num)
{
    std::cout << "From func(): num = " << num.a << ", by adress: " << &num.a << std::endl;
}

int main()
{
    std::cout << "\nLifetime extention:" << std::endl;
    {
        const C& ext_num = return_num();

        std::cout << "From main(): num = " << ext_num.a << ", by adress: " << &ext_num.a << std::endl;
    }

    std::cout << "\nPassing by reference:" << std::endl;
    {
        C num(20);

        std::cout << "From main(): num = " << num.a << ", by adress: " << &num.a << std::endl;

        pass_num(num);
    }
}

Here is the main question: return_num() works curiously from my point of view, cause I expected that address of the variable, which I'm trying to output in main, would be the same as internally in return_num(). Could you please explain me why it is not?

For example in pass_num() output address matches the external address which I got in main.

Here is example output:

Lifetime extention:
From func(): num = 20, by adress: 0x7fff44fc8b4c
From main(): num = 20, by adress: 0x7fff44fc8b70

Passing by reference:
From main(): num = 20, by adress: 0x7fff44fc8b6c
From func(): num = 20, by adress: 0x7fff44fc8b6c

Answer 1

Move constructors typically "steal" the resources held by the argument (e.g. pointers to dynamically-allocated objects, file descriptors, TCP sockets, I/O streams, running threads, etc.) rather than make copies of them, and leave the argument in some valid but otherwise indeterminate state.

Please see Move Constructor

I changed the below in your code and I hope it is working as expected. I changed int a to int* a

#include <iostream>

class C
{
   public:
   int *a;
   C( int new_a) 
   { 
      a = new int();
      *a = new_a;
   };
   C(const C& rhs) { std::cout << "Copy " << std::endl; this->a = rhs.a; }
   C(C&& rhs):a(std::move(rhs.a)) 
   {
      std::cout << "Move!!" <<"Address resource a " << &(*a) << ", Address of 
      resource rhs.a" << &(*rhs.a) << std::endl; rhs.a = nullptr;
      std::cout << "Value of a:: " << *a << std::endl;
   }  

  };

  C return_num()
  {
     C num(20);

     std::cout << "From return_num(): num = " << *num.a << ", Address of resource a : 
     "<< &(*num.a)<< std::endl;
    return (std::move(num));
  }

  void pass_num(const C& num)
  {
     std::cout << "From pass_num(): num = " << *num.a << ", by adress: " << &num.a << 
     std::endl;
  }

  int main()
  {
      std::cout << "\nLifetime extention:" << std::endl;
      {
         const C& ext_num = return_num();

         std::cout << "From main() 1 : num = " << *(ext_num.a) << ", by resource 
         adress: " << &(*ext_num.a) << std::endl;
      }

      std::cout << "\nPassing by reference:" << std::endl;
      {
         C num(20);

         std::cout << "From main() 2 : num = " << *num.a << ", by adress: " << &num.a 
         << std::endl;

         pass_num(num);
       }
       return 0;
    }

The above code produces below output:

Lifetime extention:
From return_num(): num = 20, Address of resource a : 0x7fffeca99280
Move!!Address resource a 0x7fffeca99280, Address of resource rhs.a0x7fffeca99280
Value of a:: 20
From main() 1 : num = 20, by resource adress: 0x7fffeca99280

Passing by reference:
From main() 2 : num = 20, by adress: 0x7ffff466f388
From pass_num(): num = 20, by adress: 0x7ffff466f388

I hope it helps!

Answer 2

I suspect that taking the address of a member is inhibiting the optimization because the compiler doesn't know how to deal with all the possible edge cases. Eliminating taking the address of the member makes the optimization work.

#include <iostream>

struct C
{
    C(const int new_a) { a = new_a; };

    int a = 0;
    struct C* t = this;
};

C return_num()
{
    C num(20);

    std::cout << "From func(): num = " << num.a << ", by adress: " << num.t << std::endl;

    return num;
}

void pass_num(const C& num)
{
    std::cout << "From func(): num = " << num.a << ", by adress: " << num.t << std::endl;
}

int main()
{
    std::cout << "\nLifetime extention:" << std::endl;
    {
        const C& ext_num = return_num();

        std::cout << "From main(): num = " << ext_num.a << ", by adress: " << ext_num.t << std::endl;
    }

    std::cout << "\nPassing by reference:" << std::endl;
    {
        C num(20);

        std::cout << "From main(): num = " << num.a << ", by adress: " << num.t << std::endl;

        pass_num(num);
    }
}

Lifetime extention:
From func(): num = 20, by adress: 0x7ffd61f48a50
From main(): num = 20, by adress: 0x7ffd61f48a50

Passing by reference:
From main(): num = 20, by adress: 0x7ffd61f48a90
From func(): num = 20, by adress: 0x7ffd61f48a90

Answer 3

Imagine this function:

int getNumber(){
    int num = 10;

    return num;
}

This function does not return num as an object, it returns a no-named copy of it (r-value, if you will) with the same value. Therefore, it has a different address.

The same thing happens with your return_num function.