Use `dynamic_cast` where class hierarchy navigation is unavoidable

Reason

dynamic_cast is checked at run time.

Example

struct B {   // an interface
    virtual void f();
    virtual void g();
    virtual ~B();
};

struct D : B {   // a wider interface
    void f() override;
    virtual void h();
};

void user(B* pb)
{
    if (D* pd = dynamic_cast<D*>(pb)) {
        // ... use D's interface ...
    }
    else {
        // ... make do with B's interface ...
    }
}

Use of the other casts can violate type safety and cause the program to access a variable that is actually of type X to be accessed as if it were of an unrelated type Z:

void user2(B* pb)   // bad
{
    D* pd = static_cast<D*>(pb);    // I know that pb really points to a D; trust me
    // ... use D's interface ...
}

void user3(B* pb)    // unsafe
{
    if (some_condition) {
        D* pd = static_cast<D*>(pb);   // I know that pb really points to a D; trust me
        // ... use D's interface ...
    }
    else {
        // ... make do with B's interface ...
    }
}

void f()
{
    B b;
    user(&b);   // OK
    user2(&b);  // bad error
    user3(&b);  // OK *if* the programmer got the some_condition check right
}

Note

Like other casts, dynamic_cast is overused. Prefer virtual functions to casting. Prefer static polymorphism to hierarchy navigation where it is possible (no run-time resolution necessary) and reasonably convenient.

Note

Some people use dynamic_cast where a typeid would have been more appropriate; dynamic_cast is a general "is kind of" operation for discovering the best interface to an object, whereas typeid is a "give me the exact type of this object" operation to discover the actual type of an object. The latter is an inherently simpler operation that ought to be faster. The latter (typeid) is easily hand-crafted if necessary (e.g., if working on a system where RTTI is -- for some reason -- prohibited), the former (dynamic_cast) is far harder to implement correctly in general.

Consider:

struct B {
    const char* name {"B"};
    // if pb1->id() == pb2->id() *pb1 is the same type as *pb2
    virtual const char* id() const { return name; }
    // ...
};

struct D : B {
    const char* name {"D"};
    const char* id() const override { return name; }
    // ...
};

void use()
{
    B* pb1 = new B;
    B* pb2 = new D;

    cout << pb1->id(); // "B"
    cout << pb2->id(); // "D"

    if (pb2->id() == "D") {         // looks innocent
        D* pd = static_cast<D*>(pb2);
        // ...
    }
    // ...
}

The result of pb2->id() == "D" is actually implementation defined. We added it to warn of the dangers of home-brew RTTI. This code might work as expected for years, just to fail on a new machine, new compiler, or a new linker that does not unify character literals.

If you implement your own RTTI, be careful.

Exception

If your implementation provided a really slow dynamic_cast, you might have to use a workaround. However, all workarounds that cannot be statically resolved involve explicit casting (typically static_cast) and are error-prone. You will basically be crafting your own special-purpose dynamic_cast. So, first make sure that your dynamic_cast really is as slow as you think it is (there are a fair number of unsupported rumors about) and that your use of dynamic_cast is really performance critical.

We are of the opinion that current implementations of dynamic_cast are unnecessarily slow. For example, under suitable conditions, it is possible to perform a dynamic_cast in fast constant time. However, compatibility makes changes difficult even if all agree that an effort to optimize is worthwhile.

In very rare cases, if you have measured that the dynamic_cast overhead is material, you have other means to statically guarantee that a downcast will succeed (e.g., you are using CRTP carefully), and there is no virtual inheritance involved, consider tactically resorting static_cast with a prominent comment and disclaimer summarizing this paragraph and that human attention is needed under maintenance because the type system can't verify correctness. Even so, in our experience such "I know what I'm doing" situations are still a known bug source.

Exception

Consider:

template<typename B>
class Dx : B {
    // ...
};

Enforcement

• Flag all uses of static_cast for downcasts, including C-style casts that perform a static_cast.
• This rule is part of the type-safety profile.