supporting `indirect = {};`

[Cleroth]

Would providing an overload like operator=(T && value) be a good idea?

Currently writing this is not possible:

indirect<T> t;
t = {}; // compile error
t = T{}; // OK

[jbcoe]

I don't see any obvious reason why providing this overload would be confusing or surprising to anyone.

At this point in time, the interfaces for indirect and polymorphic for C++26 is pretty much fixed. Future changes would require a proposal and approval by the C++ standards committee for C++29 or later. https://isocpp.org/std/submit-a-proposal

Did you run into the current shortcoming in generic code or code as written?

[Cleroth]

I've added the overload myself and it works as I want, I just wasn't sure if it would break other unintended things.
I ran into it while replacing std::unique_ptrs with std::indirect. Given that t = {}; is the usual way I clear a variable, having to specify the type felt unpleasant (and indirect doesn't have .reset() either, not that I'd want one).

[jbcoe]

Thanks. Do let me know if you run into problems, though I can't imagine why you would.

I'll leave this issue open so that other folk can +1 if they would also like to see the interface widened to incorporate operator=(T && value). If enough people are keen, perhaps it can be part of C++29.