copying between instances of different variant template classes

Question

Why does one variant assignment compile while the other does not? The template instances do not share any types and char could be converted to int , say. What is boost::variant trying to do, that it cannot do in the case of the first assignment and that it can do in the case of the second assignment? Error is below.

#include <string>

#include "boost/variant.hpp"

int main()
{
  boost::variant<char> v1;
  boost::variant<std::string, int, double> v2;

  v1 = v2; // compile error
  v2 = v1; // compiles fine

  return 0;
}

---

In file included from /usr/include/boost/variant.hpp:17:0,
                 from v.cpp:3:
/usr/include/boost/variant/variant.hpp: In instantiation of 'int boost::variant<T0, TN>::convert_copy_into::internal_visit(T&, int) const [with T = const std::basic_string<char>; T0_ = char; TN = {}]':
/usr/include/boost/variant/detail/visitation_impl.hpp:113:9:   required from 'typename Visitor::result_type boost::detail::variant::visitation_impl_invoke_impl(int, Visitor&, VoidPtrCV, T*, mpl_::true_) [with Visitor = boost::variant<char>::convert_copy_into; VoidPtrCV = const void*; T = std::basic_string<char>; typename Visitor::result_type = int; mpl_::true_ = mpl_::bool_<true>]'
/usr/include/boost/variant/detail/visitation_impl.hpp:156:9:   required from 'typename Visitor::result_type boost::detail::variant::visitation_impl_invoke(int, Visitor&, VoidPtrCV, T*, NoBackupFlag, int) [with Visitor = boost::variant<char>::convert_copy_into; VoidPtrCV = const void*; T = std::basic_string<char>; NoBackupFlag = boost::variant<std::basic_string<char>, int, double>::has_fallback_type_; typename Visitor::result_type = int]'
/usr/include/boost/variant/detail/visitation_impl.hpp:237:5:   required from 'typename Visitor::result_type boost::detail::variant::visitation_impl(int, int, Visitor&, VoidPtrCV, mpl_::false_, NoBackupFlag, Which*, step0*) [with Which = mpl_::int_<0>; step0 = boost::detail::variant::visitation_impl_step<boost::mpl::l_iter<boost::mpl::l_item<mpl_::long_<3l>, std::basic_string<char>, boost::mpl::l_item<mpl_::long_<2l>, int, boost::mpl::l_item<mpl_::long_<1l>, double, boost::mpl::l_end> > > >, boost::mpl::l_iter<boost::mpl::l_end> >; Visitor = boost::variant<char>::convert_copy_into; VoidPtrCV = const void*; NoBackupFlag = boost::variant<std::basic_string<char>, int, double>::has_fallback_type_; typename Visitor::result_type = int; mpl_::false_ = mpl_::bool_<false>]'
/usr/include/boost/variant/variant.hpp:2245:13:   required from 'static typename Visitor::result_type boost::variant<T0, TN>::internal_apply_visitor_impl(int, int, Visitor&, VoidPtrCV) [with Visitor = boost::variant<char>::convert_copy_into; VoidPtrCV = const void*; T0_ = std::basic_string<char>; TN = {int, double}; typename Visitor::result_type = int]'
/usr/include/boost/variant/variant.hpp:2267:13:   [ skipping 2 instantiation contexts, use -ftemplate-backtrace-limit=0 to disable ]
/usr/include/boost/variant/variant.hpp:1581:13:   required from 'void boost::variant<T0, TN>::convert_construct_variant(Variant&) [with Variant = const boost::variant<std::basic_string<char>, int, double>; T0_ = char; TN = {}]'
/usr/include/boost/variant/variant.hpp:1628:42:   required from 'void boost::variant<T0, TN>::convert_construct(const boost::variant<U0, UN ...>&, long int) [with U0 = std::basic_string<char>; UN = {int, double}; T0_ = char; TN = {}]'
/usr/include/boost/variant/variant.hpp:1649:38:   required from 'boost::variant<T0, TN>::variant(const T&) [with T = boost::variant<std::basic_string<char>, int, double>; T0_ = char; TN = {}]'
/usr/include/boost/variant/variant.hpp:2059:29:   required from 'void boost::variant<T0, TN>::assign(const T&) [with T = boost::variant<std::basic_string<char>, int, double>; T0_ = char; TN = {}]'
/usr/include/boost/variant/variant.hpp:2099:19:   required from 'boost::variant<T0, TN>& boost::variant<T0, TN>::operator=(const T&) [with T = boost::variant<std::basic_string<char>, int, double>; T0_ = char; TN = {}]'
v.cpp:10:6:   required from here
/usr/include/boost/variant/variant.hpp:1366:61: error: no matching function for call to 'boost::variant<char>::initializer::initialize(void* const&, const std::basic_string<char>&)'
             return initializer::initialize(storage_, operand);
                                                             ^
/usr/include/boost/variant/variant.hpp:1366:61: note: candidates are:
In file included from /usr/include/boost/variant/variant.hpp:32:0,
                 from /usr/include/boost/variant.hpp:17,
                 from v.cpp:3:
/usr/include/boost/variant/detail/initializer.hpp:104:24: note: static int boost::detail::variant::make_initializer_node::apply<BaseIndexPair, Iterator>::initializer_node::initialize(void*, boost::detail::variant::make_initializer_node::apply<BaseIndexPair, Iterator>::initializer_node::param_T) [with BaseIndexPair = boost::mpl::pair<boost::detail::variant::initializer_root, mpl_::int_<0> >; Iterator = boost::mpl::l_iter<boost::mpl::list1<char> >; boost::detail::variant::make_initializer_node::apply<BaseIndexPair, Iterator>::initializer_node::param_T = const char&]
             static int initialize(void* dest, param_T operand)
                        ^
/usr/include/boost/variant/detail/initializer.hpp:104:24: note:   no known conversion for argument 2 from 'const std::basic_string<char>' to 'boost::detail::variant::make_initializer_node::apply<boost::mpl::pair<boost::detail::variant::initializer_root, mpl_::int_<0> >, boost::mpl::l_iter<boost::mpl::list1<char> > >::initializer_node::param_T {aka const char&}'
/usr/include/boost/variant/detail/initializer.hpp:115:24: note: static int boost::detail::variant::make_initializer_node::apply<BaseIndexPair, Iterator>::initializer_node::initialize(void*, boost::detail::variant::make_initializer_node::apply<BaseIndexPair, Iterator>::initializer_node::param2_T) [with BaseIndexPair = boost::mpl::pair<boost::detail::variant::initializer_root, mpl_::int_<0> >; Iterator = boost::mpl::l_iter<boost::mpl::list1<char> >; boost::detail::variant::make_initializer_node::apply<BaseIndexPair, Iterator>::initializer_node::param2_T = char&&]
             static int initialize(void* dest, param2_T operand)
                        ^
/usr/include/boost/variant/detail/initializer.hpp:115:24: note:   no known conversion for argument 2 from 'const std::basic_string<char>' to 'boost::detail::variant::make_initializer_node::apply<boost::mpl::pair<boost::detail::variant::initializer_root, mpl_::int_<0> >, boost::mpl::l_iter<boost::mpl::list1<char> > >::initializer_node::param2_T {aka char&&}'
/usr/include/boost/variant/detail/initializer.hpp:149:17: note: static void boost::detail::variant::initializer_root::initialize()
     static void initialize();
                 ^
/usr/include/boost/variant/detail/initializer.hpp:149:17: note:   candidate expects 0 arguments, 2 provided

Answer 1

A char definitely can be stored in an int but the converse is not always true. Therefore the one that fails to compile would be unsafe at runtime, so you're probably better off with it failing. Cast the int to a char if you must.