A Member Lookup Algorithm for C++

Abstract

The member lookup problem in C++ is the problem of resolving a specified member name in the context of a specified class. Member lookup in C++ is complicated by the presence of virtual inheritance and multiple inheritance. In this paper, we present an efficient algorithm for member lookup in C++. We also present a formalism for the multiple inheritance mechanism of C++, which we use as the basis for deriving our algorithm. The formalism may also be of use as a formal basis for deriving other C++ compiler algorithms.