.net compiler bug?

[Aram Hambardzumyan]

This seems like another bug in compiler but I would like to hear your opinions as well. In the code below the class defines two members: an array and a reference to that array (with scalar type of first member, everything works well). when the function S::f(const S& s) is invoked, the value for s.ri changes. I'd like to mention that function f isn't necessarily to be the member of the same S as it's argument, I did this way just in order not to introduce another struct/class.

As comments describe, value of s.ri coincides with s.i just before entering function body, and differs right after it:

PHP Code:

struct S
{
 int i[10];
 int*const& ri;
 S(): ri(i) { }
 
 void f(const S& s);
};
 
void S::f(const S& s)
{    // still ok
}    // here the change appears
 
int
main(int argc, char* argv[])
{
 S s;
 s.f(s);
 
 return 0;
} 


P. S. This happened both with first .net compiler as well as with .net 2003, but not with msvc6

[Aram Hambardzumyan]

Yesterday I was given following explanation by one of my colleagues:

PHP Code:

struct S
{
 int i[10];
 int*const& ri;

 S(): ri(i) { } 
  // in this piece of code ri is initialized with
  // a temporary pointer (allocated on the stack) pointing to &i[0]
  // Thus ri refers to a location on the stack which is unrelated to the object
  // of class s and the value aliased by ri changes when bits of that location on the
  // stack are overwritten
 
  void f(const S& s);
}; 


Now I have fixed the problem by removing '&' from 'ri' definition.