Using a reference in a conditional statement...

[barcaroller]

I was looking at some code that uses fstream:
#include <fstream>
//
// which includes:
// istream& getline( char* buffer, streamsize num );
//

ifstream fin;
while( fin.getline(lin e, size) ) {
...
}
If fin.getline() returns a reference, how could it be used in a conditional
statement? I've looked at the member functions and I could not find a
conversion to a bool type.

[Jerry Coffin]

In article <fr**********@a ioe.org>, ba*********@mus ic.net says...

[ ... ]

If fin.getline() returns a reference, how could it be used in a conditional
statement? I've looked at the member functions and I could not find a
conversion to a bool type.

The fact that it's a reference is irrelevant here -- what's being
evaluated is the object referred to by the reference. Rather than a
conversion to bool, what's being used here is the conversion to void *.

--
Later,
Jerry.

The universe is a figment of its own imagination.