Is copy initialization identical to copy initialization of a copy?

Question

The following two code segments presents the task of initializing variable b as a copy of a. The first code segment initializes the variable using copy initialization (initialization using =). Assume class Apple is simply defined as an empty class: class Apple {};

Apple a;
Apple b = a;

The second code segment initializes the variable using copy initialization as well. Though what is copied in the initialization is the copy of a.

Apple a;
Apple b = Apple(a);

When reading this blindly, it seems as if a copy happens at Apple(a), and another at Apple b = .... In contradiction, overriding the copy constructor of Apple to print something on copy shows that only one copy happens during Apple b = Apple(a).

Are the two statements Apple b = a; and Apple b = Apple(a); identical? Are there instances where they are not identical?

Answer 1

Yes, in concept, for Apple b = Apple(a);, a temporary Apple is constructed from a firstly, then b is copy-initialized from the temporary. Because of copy elision, as the effect b is initialized from a directly.

Under the following circumstances, the compilers are required to omit the copy and move construction of class objects, even if the copy/move constructor and the destructor have observable side-effects. The objects are constructed directly into the storage where they would otherwise be copied/moved to. The copy/move constructors need not be present or accessible:

• In the initialization of an object, when the initializer expression is a prvalue of the same class type (ignoring cv-qualification) as the variable type:

This kind of copy elision is guaranteed since C++17, before C++17 it's an optimization. Compiling with pre-C++17 mode and option prohibiting optimization, you might see the difference between the two cases.

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