12 Overloading [over]

12.4 Overloaded operators [over.oper]

12.4.3 Binary operators [over.binary]

12.4.3.2 Simple assignment [over.assign]

A simple assignment operator function is a binary operator function named operator=.

A simple assignment operator function shall be a non-static member function.

[Note 1 :

Because only standard conversion sequences are considered when converting to the left operand of an assignment operation ([over.best.ics]), an expression x = y with a subexpression x of class type is always interpreted as x.operator=(y).

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[Note 2 :

Since a copy assignment operator is implicitly declared for a class if not declared by the user ([class.copy.assign]), a base class assignment operator function is always hidden by the copy assignment operator function of the derived class.

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[Note 3 :

Any assignment operator function, even the copy and move assignment operators, can be virtual.

For a derived class D with a base class B for which a virtual copy/move assignment has been declared, the copy/move assignment operator in D does not override B's virtual copy/move assignment operator.

[Example 1 : struct B { virtual int operator= (int); virtual B& operator= (const B&); }; struct D : B { virtual int operator= (int); virtual D& operator= (const B&); }; D dobj1; D dobj2; B* bptr = &dobj1; void f() { bptr->operator=(99); // calls D::operator=(int) *bptr = 99; // ditto bptr->operator=(dobj2); // calls D::operator=(const B&) *bptr = dobj2; // ditto dobj1 = dobj2; // calls implicitly-declared D::operator=(const D&) } — end example]

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