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    CWG Issue 100</TITLE>
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<P><EM>This is an unofficial snapshot of the ISO/IEC JTC1 SC22 WG21
  Core Issues List revision 118b.
  See http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/ for the official
  list.</EM></P>
<P>2025-09-28</P>
<HR>
<A NAME="100"></A><H4>100.
  
Clarify why string literals are not allowed as template arguments
</H4>
<B>Section: </B>13.4.3&#160; [<A href="https://wg21.link/temp.arg.nontype">temp.arg.nontype</A>]
 &#160;&#160;&#160;

 <B>Status: </B>TC1
 &#160;&#160;&#160;

 <B>Submitter: </B>Mike Miller
 &#160;&#160;&#160;

 <B>Date: </B>9 Mar 1999<BR>



<P>The explanation in
13.4.3 [<A href="https://wg21.link/temp.arg.nontype">temp.arg.nontype</A>]

paragraph 2 of why a string literal cannot be
used as a template argument leaves something to be desired:</P>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
...because a string literal is an object with internal linkage.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
I can't find anything that says that a string literal has
internal linkage.  In fact, I'd be pretty surprised if I did,
since linkage is defined (in
6.7 [<A href="https://wg21.link/basic.link">basic.link</A>]
) strictly in terms of
names, and a string literal doesn't have a name.

Actually, I think that it's the namelessness of a string literal
that prevents it from being a template argument; only the
third and fourth bullets of
13.4.3 [<A href="https://wg21.link/temp.arg.nontype">temp.arg.nontype</A>]

paragraph 1 could conceivably apply,
and both of those require that the entity have a name (i.e.,
that they be given as an <I>id-expression</I>).

<P>
<B>Proposed Resolution (10/99):</B>
In 13.4.3 [<A href="https://wg21.link/temp.arg.nontype#2">temp.arg.nontype</A>] paragraph 2,
 change</P>

<BLOCKQUOTE>
[<I>Note:</I> a string literal
(5.13.5 [<A href="https://wg21.link/lex.string">lex.string</A>]
) is not an acceptable
<I>template-argument</I> because a string literal is an object
with internal linkage.
</BLOCKQUOTE>

to

<BLOCKQUOTE>
[<I>Note:</I> a string literal
(5.13.5 [<A href="https://wg21.link/lex.string">lex.string</A>]
) does not satisfy the
requirements of  any of these categories and thus is not an
acceptable <I>template-argument</I>.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
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