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Solve error: lvalue required as left operand of assignment

In this tutorial you will know about one of the most occurred error in C and C++ programming, i.e.  lvalue required as left operand of assignment.

lvalue means left side value. Particularly it is left side value of an assignment operator.

rvalue means right side value. Particularly it is right side value or expression of an assignment operator.

In above example  a  is lvalue and b + 5  is rvalue.

In C language lvalue appears mainly at four cases as mentioned below:

  • Left of assignment operator.
  • Left of member access (dot) operator (for structure and unions).
  • Right of address-of operator (except for register and bit field lvalue).
  • As operand to pre/post increment or decrement for integer lvalues including Boolean and enums.

Now let see some cases where this error occur with code.

When you will try to run above code, you will get following error.

Solution: In if condition change assignment operator to comparison operator, as shown below.

Above code will show the error: lvalue required as left operand of assignment operator.

Here problem occurred due to wrong handling of short hand operator (*=) in findFact() function.

Solution : Just by changing the line ans*i=ans to ans*=i we can avoid that error. Here short hand operator expands like this,  ans=ans*i. Here left side some variable is there to store result. But in our program ans*i is at left hand side. It’s an expression which produces some result. While using assignment operator we can’t use an expression as lvalue.

The correct code is shown below.

Above code will show the same lvalue required error.

Reason and Solution: Ternary operator produces some result, it never assign values inside operation. It is same as a function which has return type. So there should be something to be assigned but unlike inside operator.

The correct code is given below.

Some Precautions To Avoid This Error

There are no particular precautions for this. Just look into your code where problem occurred, like some above cases and modify the code according to that.

Mostly 90% of this error occurs when we do mistake in comparison and assignment operations. When using pointers also we should careful about this error. And there are some rare reasons like short hand operators and ternary operators like above mentioned. We can easily rectify this error by finding the line number in compiler, where it shows error: lvalue required as left operand of assignment.

Programming Assignment Help on Assigncode.com, that provides homework ecxellence in every technical assignment.

Comment below if you have any queries related to above tutorial.

Related Posts

Basic structure of c program, introduction to c programming language, variables, constants and keywords in c, first c program – print hello world message, 6 thoughts on “solve error: lvalue required as left operand of assignment”.

' src=

hi sir , i am andalib can you plz send compiler of c++.

' src=

i want the solution by char data type for this error

' src=

#include #include #include using namespace std; #define pi 3.14 int main() { float a; float r=4.5,h=1.5; {

a=2*pi*r*h=1.5 + 2*pi*pow(r,2); } cout<<" area="<<a<<endl; return 0; } what's the problem over here

' src=

#include using namespace std; #define pi 3.14 int main() { float a,p; float r=4.5,h=1.5; p=2*pi*r*h; a=1.5 + 2*pi*pow(r,2);

cout<<" area="<<a<<endl; cout<<" perimeter="<<p<<endl; return 0; }

You can't assign two values at a single place. Instead solve them differetly

' src=

Hi. I am trying to get a double as a string as efficiently as possible. I get that error for the final line on this code. double x = 145.6; int size = sizeof(x); char str[size]; &str = &x; Is there a possible way of getting the string pointing at the same part of the RAM as the double?

' src=

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【C】报错[Error] lvalue required as left operand of assignment

type lvalue required as left operand of assignment

[Error] lvalue required as left operand of assignment

计算值为== !=

 赋值语句的左边应该是变量,不能是表达式。而实际上,这里是一个比较表达式,所以要把赋值号(=)改用关系运算符(==)

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Lvalue Required as Left Operand of Assignment: What It Means and How to Fix It

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Lvalue Required as Left Operand of Assignment

Have you ever tried to assign a value to a variable and received an error message like “lvalue required as left operand of assignment”? If so, you’re not alone. This error is a common one, and it can be frustrating to figure out what it means.

In this article, we’ll take a look at what an lvalue is, why it’s required as the left operand of an assignment, and how to fix this error. We’ll also provide some examples to help you understand the concept of lvalues.

So if you’re ever stuck with this error, don’t worry – we’re here to help!

Column 1 Column 2 Column 3
Lvalue A variable or expression that can be assigned a value Required as the left operand of an assignment operator
Example x = 5 The variable `x` is the lvalue and the value `5` is the rvalue
Error >>> x = y
TypeError: lvalue required as left operand of assignment
The error occurs because the variable `y` is not a lvalue

In this tutorial, we will discuss what an lvalue is and why it is required as the left operand of an assignment operator. We will also provide some examples of lvalues and how they can be used.

What is an lvalue?

An lvalue is an expression that refers to a memory location. In other words, an lvalue is an expression that can be assigned a value. For example, the following expressions are all lvalues:

int x = 10; char c = ‘a’; float f = 3.14;

The first expression, `int x = 10;`, defines a variable named `x` and assigns it the value of 10. The second expression, `char c = ‘a’;`, defines a variable named `c` and assigns it the value of the character `a`. The third expression, `float f = 3.14;`, defines a variable named `f` and assigns it the value of 3.14.

Why is an lvalue required as the left operand of an assignment?

The left operand of an assignment operator must be a modifiable lvalue. This is because the assignment operator assigns the value of the right operand to the lvalue on the left. If the lvalue is not modifiable, then the assignment operator will not be able to change its value.

For example, the following code will not compile:

int x = 10; const int y = x; y = 20; // Error: assignment of read-only variable

The error message is telling us that the variable `y` is const, which means that it is not modifiable. Therefore, we cannot assign a new value to it.

Examples of lvalues

Here are some examples of lvalues:

  • Variable names: `x`, `y`, `z`
  • Arrays: `a[0]`, `b[10]`, `c[20]`
  • Pointers: `&x`, `&y`, `&z`
  • Function calls: `printf()`, `scanf()`, `strlen()`
  • Constants: `10`, `20`, `3.14`

In this tutorial, we have discussed what an lvalue is and why it is required as the left operand of an assignment operator. We have also provided some examples of lvalues.

I hope this tutorial has been helpful. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments below.

3. How to identify an lvalue?

An lvalue can be identified by its syntax. Lvalues are always preceded by an ampersand (&). For example, the following expressions are all lvalues:

4. Common mistakes with lvalues

One common mistake is to try to assign a value to an rvalue. For example, the following code will not compile:

int x = 5; int y = x = 10;

This is because the expression `x = 10` is an rvalue, and rvalues cannot be used on the left-hand side of an assignment operator.

Another common mistake is to forget to use the ampersand (&) when referring to an lvalue. For example, the following code will not compile:

int x = 5; *y = x;

This is because the expression `y = x` is not a valid lvalue.

Finally, it is important to be aware of the difference between lvalues and rvalues. Lvalues can be used on the left-hand side of an assignment operator, while rvalues cannot.

In this article, we have discussed the lvalue required as left operand of assignment error. We have also provided some tips on how to identify and avoid this error. If you are still having trouble with this error, you can consult with a C++ expert for help.

Q: What does “lvalue required as left operand of assignment” mean?

A: An lvalue is an expression that refers to a memory location. When you assign a value to an lvalue, you are storing the value in that memory location. For example, the expression `x = 5` assigns the value `5` to the variable `x`.

The error “lvalue required as left operand of assignment” occurs when you try to assign a value to an expression that is not an lvalue. For example, the expression `5 = x` is not valid because the number `5` is not an lvalue.

Q: How can I fix the error “lvalue required as left operand of assignment”?

A: There are a few ways to fix this error.

  • Make sure the expression on the left side of the assignment operator is an lvalue. For example, you can change the expression `5 = x` to `x = 5`.
  • Use the `&` operator to create an lvalue from a rvalue. For example, you can change the expression `5 = x` to `x = &5`.
  • Use the `()` operator to call a function and return the value of the function call. For example, you can change the expression `5 = x` to `x = f()`, where `f()` is a function that returns a value.

Q: What are some common causes of the error “lvalue required as left operand of assignment”?

A: There are a few common causes of this error.

  • Using a literal value on the left side of the assignment operator. For example, the expression `5 = x` is not valid because the number `5` is not an lvalue.
  • Using a rvalue reference on the left side of the assignment operator. For example, the expression `&x = 5` is not valid because the rvalue reference `&x` cannot be assigned to.
  • Using a function call on the left side of the assignment operator. For example, the expression `f() = x` is not valid because the function call `f()` returns a value, not an lvalue.

Q: What are some tips for avoiding the error “lvalue required as left operand of assignment”?

A: Here are a few tips for avoiding this error:

  • Always make sure the expression on the left side of the assignment operator is an lvalue. This means that the expression should refer to a memory location where a value can be stored.
  • Use the `&` operator to create an lvalue from a rvalue. This is useful when you need to assign a value to a variable that is declared as a reference.
  • Use the `()` operator to call a function and return the value of the function call. This is useful when you need to assign the return value of a function to a variable.

By following these tips, you can avoid the error “lvalue required as left operand of assignment” and ensure that your code is correct.

In this article, we discussed the lvalue required as left operand of assignment error. We learned that an lvalue is an expression that refers to a specific object, while an rvalue is an expression that does not refer to a specific object. We also saw that the lvalue required as left operand of assignment error occurs when you try to assign a value to an rvalue. To avoid this error, you can use the following techniques:

  • Use the `const` keyword to make an rvalue into an lvalue.
  • Use the `&` operator to create a reference to an rvalue.
  • Use the `std::move()` function to move an rvalue into an lvalue.

We hope this article has been helpful. Please let us know if you have any questions.

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Troubleshooting 'error: lvalue required as left operand of assignment': Tips to Fix Assignment Errors in Your Code

David Henegar

Are you struggling with the "error: lvalue required as left operand of assignment" error in your code? Don't worry; this error is common among developers and can be fixed with a few simple tips. In this guide, we will walk you through the steps to troubleshoot and fix this error.

Understanding the Error

The "error: lvalue required as left operand of assignment" error occurs when you try to assign a value to a non-modifiable lvalue. An lvalue refers to an expression that can appear on the left-hand side of an assignment operator, whereas an rvalue can only appear on the right-hand side.

Tips to Fix Assignment Errors

Here are some tips to help you fix the "error: lvalue required as left operand of assignment" error:

1. Check for Typographical Errors

The error may occur due to typographical errors in your code. Make sure that you have spelled the variable name correctly and used the correct syntax for the assignment operator.

2. Check the Scope of Your Variables

The error may occur if you try to assign a value to a variable that is out of scope. Make sure that the variable is declared and initialized before you try to assign a value to it.

3. Check the Type of Your Variables

The error may occur if you try to assign a value of a different data type to a variable. Make sure that the data type of the value matches the data type of the variable.

4. Check the Memory Allocation of Your Variables

The error may occur if you try to assign a value to a variable that has not been allocated memory. Make sure that you have allocated memory for the variable before you try to assign a value to it.

5. Use Pointers

If the variable causing the error is a pointer, you may need to use a dereference operator to assign a value to it. Make sure that you use the correct syntax for the dereference operator.

Q1. What does "lvalue required as left operand of assignment" mean?

This error occurs when you try to assign a value to a non-modifiable lvalue.

Q2. How do I fix the "lvalue required as left operand of assignment" error?

You can fix this error by checking for typographical errors, checking the scope of your variables, checking the type of your variables, checking the memory allocation of your variables, and using pointers.

Q3. Why does the "lvalue required as left operand of assignment" error occur?

This error occurs when you try to assign a value to a non-modifiable lvalue, or if you try to assign a value of a different data type to a variable.

Q4. Can I use the dereference operator to fix the "lvalue required as left operand of assignment" error?

Yes, if the variable causing the error is a pointer, you may need to use a dereference operator to assign a value to it.

Q5. How can I prevent the "lvalue required as left operand of assignment" error?

You can prevent this error by declaring and initializing your variables before you try to assign a value to them, making sure that the data type of the value matches the data type of the variable, and allocating memory for the variable before you try to assign a value to it.

Related Links

  • How to Fix 'error: lvalue required as left operand of assignment'
  • Understanding Lvalues and Rvalues in C and C++
  • Pointer Basics in C
  • C Programming Tutorial: Pointers and Memory Allocation

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Understanding the meaning of lvalues and rvalues in C++

A lightweight introduction to a couple of basic C++ features that act as a foundation for bigger structures.

I have been struggling with the concepts of lvalue and rvalue in C++ since forever. I think that now is the right time to understand them for good, as they are getting more and more important with the evolution of the language.

Once the meaning of lvalues and rvalues is grasped, you can dive deeper into advanced C++ features like move semantics and rvalue references (more on that in future articles).

Lvalues and rvalues: a friendly definition

First of all, let's keep our heads away from any formal definition. In C++ an lvalue is something that points to a specific memory location. On the other hand, a rvalue is something that doesn't point anywhere. In general, rvalues are temporary and short lived, while lvalues live a longer life since they exist as variables. It's also fun to think of lvalues as containers and rvalues as things contained in the containers . Without a container, they would expire.

Let me show you some examples right away.

Here 666 is an rvalue; a number (technically a literal constant ) has no specific memory address, except for some temporary register while the program is running. That number is assigned to x , which is a variable. A variable has a specific memory location, so its an lvalue. C++ states that an assignment requires an lvalue as its left operand: this is perfectly legal.

Then with x , which is an lvalue, you can do stuff like that:

Here I'm grabbing the the memory address of x and putting it into y , through the address-of operator & . It takes an lvalue argument and produces an rvalue. This is another perfectly legal operation: on the left side of the assignment we have an lvalue (a variable), on the right side an rvalue produced by the address-of operator.

However, I can't do the following:

Yeah, that's obvious. But the technical reason is that 666 , being a literal constant — so an rvalue, doesn't have a specific memory location. I am assigning y to nowhere.

This is what GCC tells me if I run the program above:

He is damn right; the left operand of an assigment always require an lvalue, and in my program I'm using an rvalue ( 666 ).

I can't do that either:

He is right again. The & operator wants an lvalue in input, because only an lvalue has an address that & can process.

Functions returning lvalues and rvalues

We know that the left operand of an assigment must be an lvalue. Hence a function like the following one will surely throw the lvalue required as left operand of assignment error:

Crystal clear: setValue() returns an rvalue (the temporary number 6 ), which cannot be a left operand of assignment. Now, what happens if a function returns an lvalue instead? Look closely at the following snippet:

It works because here setGlobal returns a reference, unlike setValue() above. A reference is something that points to an existing memory location (the global variable) thus is an lvalue, so it can be assigned to. Watch out for & here: it's not the address-of operator, it defines the type of what's returned (a reference).

The ability to return lvalues from functions looks pretty obscure, yet it is useful when you are doing advanced stuff like implementing some overloaded operators. More on that in future chapters.

Lvalue to rvalue conversion

An lvalue may get converted to an rvalue: that's something perfectly legit and it happens quite often. Let's think of the addition + operator for example. According to the C++ specifications, it takes two rvalues as arguments and returns an rvalue.

Let's look at the following snippet:

Wait a minute: x and y are lvalues, but the addition operator wants rvalues: how come? The answer is quite simple: x and y have undergone an implicit lvalue-to-rvalue conversion . Many other operators perform such conversion — subtraction, addition and division to name a few.

Lvalue references

What about the opposite? Can an rvalue be converted to lvalue? Nope. It's not a technical limitation, though: it's the programming language that has been designed that way.

In C++, when you do stuff like

you are declarying yref as of type int& : a reference to y . It's called an lvalue reference . Now you can happily change the value of y through its reference yref .

We know that a reference must point to an existing object in a specific memory location, i.e. an lvalue. Here y indeed exists, so the code runs flawlessly.

Now, what if I shortcut the whole thing and try to assign 10 directly to my reference, without the object that holds it?

On the right side we have a temporary thing, an rvalue that needs to be stored somewhere in an lvalue.

On the left side we have the reference (an lvalue) that should point to an existing object. But being 10 a numeric constant, i.e. without a specific memory address, i.e. an rvalue, the expression clashes with the very spirit of the reference.

If you think about it, that's the forbidden conversion from rvalue to lvalue. A volatile numeric constant (rvalue) should become an lvalue in order to be referenced to. If that would be allowed, you could alter the value of the numeric constant through its reference. Pretty meaningless, isn't it? Most importantly, what would the reference point to once the numeric value is gone?

The following snippet will fail for the very same reason:

I'm passing a temporary rvalue ( 10 ) to a function that takes a reference as argument. Invalid rvalue to lvalue conversion. There's a workaround: create a temporary variable where to store the rvalue and then pass it to the function (as in the commented out code). Quite inconvenient when you just want to pass a number to a function, isn't it?

Const lvalue reference to the rescue

That's what GCC would say about the last two code snippets:

GCC complains about the reference not being const , namely a constant . According to the language specifications, you are allowed to bind a const lvalue to an rvalue . So the following snippet works like a charm:

And of course also the following one:

The idea behind is quite straightforward. The literal constant 10 is volatile and would expire in no time, so a reference to it is just meaningless. Let's make the reference itself a constant instead, so that the value it points to can't be modified. Now the problem of modifying an rvalue is solved for good. Again, that's not a technical limitation but a choice made by the C++ folks to avoid silly troubles.

This makes possible the very common C++ idiom of accepting values by constant references into functions, as I did in the previous snipped above, which avoids unnecessary copying and construction of temporary objects.

Under the hood the compiler creates an hidden variable for you (i.e. an lvalue) where to store the original literal constant, and then bounds that hidden variable to your reference. That's basically the same thing I did manually in a couple of snippets above. For example:

Now your reference points to something that exists for real (until it goes out of scope) and you can use it as usual, except for modifying the value it points to:

Understanding the meaning of lvalues and rvalues has given me the chance to figure out several of the C++'s inner workings. C++11 pushes the limits of rvalues even further, by introducing the concept of rvalue references and move semantics , where — surprise! — rvalues too are modifiable. I will restlessly dive into that minefield in one of my next articles.

Thomas Becker's Homepage - C++ Rvalue References Explained ( link ) Eli Bendersky's website - Understanding lvalues and rvalues in C and C++ ( link ) StackOverflow - Rvalue Reference is Treated as an Lvalue? ( link ) StackOverflow - Const reference and lvalue ( link ) CppReference.com - Reference declaration ( link )

cppreference.com

Value categories.

(C++20)
(C++20)
(C++11)
(C++20)
(C++17)
(C++11)
(C++11)
General topics
(C++11)
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-expression
block


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(C++11)
(C++20)
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expression
pointer
specifier

specifier (C++11)
specifier (C++11)
(C++11)

(C++11)
(C++11)
(C++11)
General
(C++11)
(C++26)

(C++11)
(C++11)
-expression
-expression
-expression
(C++11)
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Each C++ expression (an operator with its operands, a literal, a variable name, etc.) is characterized by two independent properties: a type and a value category . Each expression has some non-reference type, and each expression belongs to exactly one of the three primary value categories: prvalue , xvalue , and lvalue .

  • a glvalue (“generalized” lvalue) is an expression whose evaluation determines the identity of an object or function;
  • a prvalue (“pure” rvalue) is an expression whose evaluation
  • computes the value of an operand of a built-in operator (such prvalue has no result object ), or
  • initializes an object (such prvalue is said to have a result object ).
  • an xvalue (an “eXpiring” value) is a glvalue that denotes an object whose resources can be reused;
  • an lvalue is a glvalue that is not an xvalue;
Extended content

So-called, historically, because lvalues could appear on the left-hand side of an assignment expression. In general, it's not always the case:

foo();   void baz() { int a; // Expression `a` is lvalue a = 4; // OK, could appear on the left-hand side of an assignment expression   int &b{a}; // Expression `b` is lvalue b = 5; // OK, could appear on the left-hand side of an assignment expression   const int &c{a}; // Expression `c` is lvalue c = 6; // ill-formed, assignment of read-only reference   // Expression `foo` is lvalue // address may be taken by built-in address-of operator void (*p)() = &foo;   foo = baz; // ill-formed, assignment of function }
  • an rvalue is a prvalue or an xvalue;
Extended content

So-called, historically, because rvalues could appear on the right-hand side of an assignment expression. In general, it's not always the case:

  struct S { S() : m{42} {} S(int a) : m{a} {} int m; };   int main() { S s;   // Expression `S{}` is prvalue // May appear on the right-hand side of an assignment expression s = S{};   << s.m << '\n';   // Expression `S{}` is prvalue // Can be used on the left-hand side too << (S{} = S{7}).m << '\n'; }

Output:

Note: this taxonomy went through significant changes with past C++ standard revisions, see History below for details.

Extended content

Despite their names, these terms classify expressions, not values.

#include <utility>   template <class T> struct is_prvalue : {}; template <class T> struct is_prvalue<T&> : {}; template <class T> struct is_prvalue<T&&> : {};   template <class T> struct is_lvalue : {}; template <class T> struct is_lvalue<T&> : {}; template <class T> struct is_lvalue<T&&> : {};   template <class T> struct is_xvalue : {}; template <class T> struct is_xvalue<T&> : {}; template <class T> struct is_xvalue<T&&> : {};   int main() { int a{42}; int& b{a}; int&& r{std::move(a)};   // Expression `42` is prvalue static_assert(is_prvalue<decltype((42))>::value);   // Expression `a` is lvalue static_assert(is_lvalue<decltype((a))>::value);   // Expression `b` is lvalue static_assert(is_lvalue<decltype((b))>::value);   // Expression `std::move(a)` is xvalue static_assert(is_xvalue<decltype((std::move(a)))>::value);   // Type of variable `r` is rvalue reference static_assert( <decltype(r)>::value);   // Type of variable `b` is lvalue reference static_assert( <decltype(b)>::value);   // Expression `r` is lvalue static_assert(is_lvalue<decltype((r))>::value); }
Primary categories lvalue prvalue xvalue Mixed categories glvalue rvalue Special categories Pending member function call Void expressions Bit-fields Move-eligible expressions History CPL C C++98 C++11 C++17 Footnotes References Defect reports See also External links

[ edit ] Primary categories

[ edit ] lvalue.

The following expressions are lvalue expressions :

  • the name of a variable, a function , a template parameter object (since C++20) , or a data member, regardless of type, such as std:: cin or std:: endl . Even if the variable's type is rvalue reference, the expression consisting of its name is an lvalue expression (but see Move-eligible expressions );
Extended content
foo() {}   void baz() { // `foo` is lvalue // address may be taken by built-in address-of operator void (*p)() = &foo; } foo {};   template <foo a> void baz() { const foo* obj = &a; // `a` is an lvalue, template parameter object }
  • a function call or an overloaded operator expression, whose return type is lvalue reference, such as std:: getline ( std:: cin , str ) , std:: cout << 1 , str1 = str2 , or ++ it ;
Extended content
& a_ref() { static int a{3}; return a; }   void foo() { a_ref() = 5; // `a_ref()` is lvalue, function call whose return type is lvalue reference }
  • a = b , a + = b , a % = b , and all other built-in assignment and compound assignment expressions;
  • ++ a and -- a , the built-in pre-increment and pre-decrement expressions;
  • * p , the built-in indirection expression;
  • a [ n ] and p [ n ] , the built-in subscript expressions , where one operand in a [ n ] is an array lvalue (since C++11) ;
  • a. m , the member of object expression, except where m is a member enumerator or a non-static member function, or where a is an rvalue and m is a non-static data member of object type;
Extended content
foo { enum bar { m // member enumerator }; };   void baz() { foo a; a.m = 42; // ill-formed, lvalue required as left operand of assignment } foo { void m() {} // non-static member function };   void baz() { foo a;   // `a.m` is a prvalue, hence the address cannot be taken by built-in // address-of operator void (foo::*p1)() = &a.m; // ill-formed   void (foo::*p2)() = &foo::m; // OK: pointer to member function } foo { static void m() {} // static member function };   void baz() { foo a; void (*p1)() = &a.m; // `a.m` is an lvalue void (*p2)() = &foo::m; // the same }
  • p - > m , the built-in member of pointer expression, except where m is a member enumerator or a non-static member function;
  • a. * mp , the pointer to member of object expression, where a is an lvalue and mp is a pointer to data member;
  • p - > * mp , the built-in pointer to member of pointer expression, where mp is a pointer to data member;
  • a, b , the built-in comma expression, where b is an lvalue;
  • a ? b : c , the ternary conditional expression for certain b and c (e.g., when both are lvalues of the same type, but see definition for detail);
  • a string literal , such as "Hello, world!" ;
  • a cast expression to lvalue reference type, such as static_cast < int & > ( x ) or static_cast < void ( & ) ( int ) > ( x ) ;
  • a non-type template parameter of an lvalue reference type;
<void(&&)(int)>(x). (since C++11)

Properties:

  • Same as glvalue (below).
  • Address of an lvalue may be taken by built-in address-of operator: & ++ i [1] and & std:: endl are valid expressions.
  • A modifiable lvalue may be used as the left-hand operand of the built-in assignment and compound assignment operators.
  • An lvalue may be used to initialize an lvalue reference ; this associates a new name with the object identified by the expression.

[ edit ] prvalue

The following expressions are prvalue expressions :

  • a literal (except for string literal ), such as 42 , true or nullptr ;
  • a function call or an overloaded operator expression, whose return type is non-reference, such as str. substr ( 1 , 2 ) , str1 + str2 , or it ++ ;
  • a ++ and a -- , the built-in post-increment and post-decrement expressions;
  • a + b , a % b , a & b , a << b , and all other built-in arithmetic expressions;
  • a && b , a || b , ! a , the built-in logical expressions;
  • a < b , a == b , a >= b , and all other built-in comparison expressions;
  • & a , the built-in address-of expression;
  • a. m , the member of object expression, where m is a member enumerator or a non-static member function [2] ;
  • p - > m , the built-in member of pointer expression, where m is a member enumerator or a non-static member function [2] ;
  • a. * mp , the pointer to member of object expression, where mp is a pointer to member function [2] ;
  • p - > * mp , the built-in pointer to member of pointer expression, where mp is a pointer to member function [2] ;
  • a, b , the built-in comma expression, where b is an prvalue;
  • a ? b : c , the ternary conditional expression for certain b and c (see definition for detail);
  • a cast expression to non-reference type, such as static_cast < double > ( x ) , std:: string { } , or ( int ) 42 ;
  • the this pointer;
  • an enumerator ;
  • a non-type template parameter of a scalar type;
, such as [](int x){ return x * x; }; (since C++11)
, such as requires (T i) { typename T::type; }; , such as <int>. (since C++20)
  • Same as rvalue (below).
  • A prvalue cannot be polymorphic : the dynamic type of the object it denotes is always the type of the expression.
  • A non-class non-array prvalue cannot be cv-qualified , unless it is materialized in order to be bound to a reference to a cv-qualified type (since C++17) . (Note: a function call or cast expression may result in a prvalue of non-class cv-qualified type, but the cv-qualifier is generally immediately stripped out.)
  • A prvalue cannot have incomplete type (except for type void , see below, or when used in decltype specifier).
  • A prvalue cannot have abstract class type or an array thereof.

[ edit ] xvalue

The following expressions are xvalue expressions :

  • a. m , the member of object expression, where a is an rvalue and m is a non-static data member of an object type;
  • a. * mp , the pointer to member of object expression, where a is an rvalue and mp is a pointer to data member;
  • a, b , the built-in comma expression, where b is an xvalue;
move(x); n], the built-in expression, where one operand is an array rvalue; <char&&>(x); (since C++11)
; (since C++17)
. (since C++23)

In particular, like all rvalues, xvalues bind to rvalue references, and like all glvalues, xvalues may be polymorphic , and non-class xvalues may be cv-qualified .

Extended content
  template <class T> struct is_prvalue : {}; template <class T> struct is_prvalue<T&> : {}; template <class T> struct is_prvalue<T&&> : {};   template <class T> struct is_lvalue : {}; template <class T> struct is_lvalue<T&> : {}; template <class T> struct is_lvalue<T&&> : {};   template <class T> struct is_xvalue : {}; template <class T> struct is_xvalue<T&> : {}; template <class T> struct is_xvalue<T&&> : {};   // Example from C++23 standard: 7.2.1 Value category [basic.lval] struct A { int m; };   A&& operator+(A, A); A&& f();   int main() { A a; A&& ar = static_cast<A&&>(a);   // Function call with return type rvalue reference is xvalue static_assert(is_xvalue<decltype( (f()) )>::value);   // Member of object expression, object is xvalue, `m` is a non-static data member static_assert(is_xvalue<decltype( (f().m) )>::value);   // A cast expression to rvalue reference static_assert(is_xvalue<decltype( (static_cast<A&&>(a)) )>::value);   // Operator expression, whose return type is rvalue reference to object static_assert(is_xvalue<decltype( (a + a) )>::value);   // Expression `ar` is lvalue, `&ar` is valid static_assert(is_lvalue<decltype( (ar) )>::value); [[maybe_unused]] A* ap = &ar; }

[ edit ] Mixed categories

[ edit ] glvalue.

A glvalue expression is either lvalue or xvalue.

  • A glvalue may be implicitly converted to a prvalue with lvalue-to-rvalue, array-to-pointer, or function-to-pointer implicit conversion .
  • A glvalue may be polymorphic : the dynamic type of the object it identifies is not necessarily the static type of the expression.
  • A glvalue can have incomplete type , where permitted by the expression.

[ edit ] rvalue

An rvalue expression is either prvalue or xvalue.

  • Address of an rvalue cannot be taken by built-in address-of operator: & int ( ) , & i ++ [3] , & 42 , and & std :: move ( x ) are invalid.
  • An rvalue can't be used as the left-hand operand of the built-in assignment or compound assignment operators.
  • An rvalue may be used to initialize a const lvalue reference , in which case the lifetime of the temporary object identified by the rvalue is extended until the scope of the reference ends.
, in which case the lifetime of the temporary object identified by the rvalue is until the scope of the reference ends. of the function are available, one taking rvalue reference parameter and the other taking lvalue reference to const parameter, an rvalue binds to the rvalue reference overload (thus, if both copy and move constructors are available, an rvalue argument invokes the , and likewise with copy and move assignment operators). (since C++11)

[ edit ] Special categories

[ edit ] pending member function call.

The expressions a. mf and p - > mf , where mf is a non-static member function , and the expressions a. * pmf and p - > * pmf , where pmf is a pointer to member function , are classified as prvalue expressions, but they cannot be used to initialize references, as function arguments, or for any purpose at all, except as the left-hand argument of the function call operator, e.g. ( p - > * pmf ) ( args ) .

[ edit ] Void expressions

Function call expressions returning void , cast expressions to void , and throw-expressions are classified as prvalue expressions, but they cannot be used to initialize references or as function arguments. They can be used in discarded-value contexts (e.g. on a line of its own, as the left-hand operand of the comma operator, etc.) and in the return statement in a function returning void . In addition, throw-expressions may be used as the second and the third operands of the conditional operator ?: .

Void expressions have no .

(since C++17)

[ edit ] Bit-fields

An expression that designates a bit-field (e.g. a. m , where a is an lvalue of type struct A { int m : 3 ; } ) is a glvalue expression: it may be used as the left-hand operand of the assignment operator, but its address cannot be taken and a non-const lvalue reference cannot be bound to it. A const lvalue reference or rvalue reference can be initialized from a bit-field glvalue, but a temporary copy of the bit-field will be made: it won't bind to the bit-field directly.

Although an expression consisting of the name of any variable is an lvalue expression, such expression may be move-eligible if it appears as the operand of

statement statement (since C++20) expression (since C++17)

If an expression is move-eligible, it is treated either as an rvalue or as an lvalue(until C++23)as an rvalue(since C++23) for the purpose of (thus it may select the ). See for details.

(since C++11)

[ edit ] History

[ edit ] cpl.

The programming language CPL was first to introduce value categories for expressions: all CPL expressions can be evaluated in "right-hand mode", but only certain kinds of expression are meaningful in "left-hand mode". When evaluated in right-hand mode, an expression is regarded as being a rule for the computation of a value (the right-hand value, or rvalue ). When evaluated in left-hand mode an expression effectively gives an address (the left-hand value, or lvalue ). "Left" and "Right" here stood for "left of assignment" and "right of assignment".

The C programming language followed a similar taxonomy, except that the role of assignment was no longer significant: C expressions are categorized between "lvalue expressions" and others (functions and non-object values), where "lvalue" means an expression that identifies an object, a "locator value" [4] .

[ edit ] C++98

Pre-2011 C++ followed the C model, but restored the name "rvalue" to non-lvalue expressions, made functions into lvalues, and added the rule that references can bind to lvalues, but only references to const can bind to rvalues. Several non-lvalue C expressions became lvalue expressions in C++.

[ edit ] C++11

With the introduction of move semantics in C++11, value categories were redefined to characterize two independent properties of expressions [5] :

  • has identity : it's possible to determine whether the expression refers to the same entity as another expression, such as by comparing addresses of the objects or the functions they identify (obtained directly or indirectly);
  • can be moved from : move constructor , move assignment operator , or another function overload that implements move semantics can bind to the expression.

In C++11, expressions that:

  • have identity and cannot be moved from are called lvalue expressions;
  • have identity and can be moved from are called xvalue expressions;
  • do not have identity and can be moved from are called prvalue ("pure rvalue") expressions;
  • do not have identity and cannot be moved from are not used [6] .

The expressions that have identity are called "glvalue expressions" (glvalue stands for "generalized lvalue"). Both lvalues and xvalues are glvalue expressions.

The expressions that can be moved from are called "rvalue expressions". Both prvalues and xvalues are rvalue expressions.

[ edit ] C++17

In C++17, copy elision was made mandatory in some situations, and that required separation of prvalue expressions from the temporary objects initialized by them, resulting in the system we have today. Note that, in contrast with the C++11 scheme, prvalues are no longer moved from.

[ edit ] Footnotes

  • ↑ Assuming i has built-in type or the pre-increment operator is overloaded to return by lvalue reference.
  • ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Special rvalue category, see pending member function call .
  • ↑ Assuming i has built-in type or the post-increment operator is not overloaded to return by lvalue reference.
  • ↑ "A difference of opinion within the C community centered around the meaning of lvalue, one group considering an lvalue to be any kind of object locator, another group holding that an lvalue is meaningful on the left side of an assigning operator. The C89 Committee adopted the definition of lvalue as an object locator." -- ANSI C Rationale, 6.3.2.1/10.
  • ↑ "New" Value Terminology by Bjarne Stroustrup, 2010.
  • ↑ const prvalues (only allowed for class types) and const xvalues do not bind to T&& overloads, but they bind to the const T && overloads, which are also classified as "move constructor" and "move assignment operator" by the standard, satisfying the definition of "can be moved from" for the purpose of this classification. However, such overloads cannot modify their arguments and are not used in practice; in their absence const prvalues and const xvalues bind to const T & overloads.

[ edit ] References

  • C++23 standard (ISO/IEC 14882:2024):
  • 7.2.1 Value category [basic.lval]
  • C++20 standard (ISO/IEC 14882:2020):
  • C++17 standard (ISO/IEC 14882:2017):
  • 6.10 Lvalues and rvalues [basic.lval]
  • C++14 standard (ISO/IEC 14882:2014):
  • 3.10 Lvalues and rvalues [basic.lval]
  • C++11 standard (ISO/IEC 14882:2011):
  • C++98 standard (ISO/IEC 14882:1998):

[ edit ] Defect reports

The following behavior-changing defect reports were applied retroactively to previously published C++ standards.

DR Applied to Behavior as published Correct behavior
C++11 member access and member access through
pointer to member of an rvalue resulted in prvalue
reclassified as xvalue
C++11 array prvalues could not be cv-qualified allowed
C++11 subscripting an array rvalue resulted in lvalue reclassified as xvalue

[ edit ] See also

for value categories

[ edit ] External links

1.  — David Mazières, 2021
2.  — StackOverflow
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Next: Execution Control Expressions , Previous: Arithmetic , Up: Top   [ Contents ][ Index ]

7 Assignment Expressions

As a general concept in programming, an assignment is a construct that stores a new value into a place where values can be stored—for instance, in a variable. Such places are called lvalues (see Lvalues ) because they are locations that hold a value.

An assignment in C is an expression because it has a value; we call it an assignment expression . A simple assignment looks like

We say it assigns the value of the expression value-to-store to the location lvalue , or that it stores value-to-store there. You can think of the “l” in “lvalue” as standing for “left,” since that’s what you put on the left side of the assignment operator.

However, that’s not the only way to use an lvalue, and not all lvalues can be assigned to. To use the lvalue in the left side of an assignment, it has to be modifiable . In C, that means it was not declared with the type qualifier const (see const ).

The value of the assignment expression is that of lvalue after the new value is stored in it. This means you can use an assignment inside other expressions. Assignment operators are right-associative so that

is equivalent to

This is the only useful way for them to associate; the other way,

would be invalid since an assignment expression such as x = y is not valid as an lvalue.

Warning: Write parentheses around an assignment if you nest it inside another expression, unless that is a conditional expression, or comma-separated series, or another assignment.

  The basics of storing a value.
  Expressions into which a value can be stored.
  Shorthand for changing an lvalue’s contents.
  Shorthand for incrementing and decrementing an lvalue’s contents.
  Accessing then incrementing or decrementing.
  How to avoid ambiguity.
  Write assignments as separate statements.
  • Windows Programming
  • UNIX/Linux Programming
  • General C++ Programming
  • lvalue required as left operand of assig

    lvalue required as left operand of assignment in C++ class

type lvalue required as left operand of assignment

sample { *value = ; X = 0; : sample() = ; ~sample() { (value) [] value; } sample( x) : value{ [x]}, X{x} {} size() { X; } []( n) { value[n]; } }; Samplefunction(sample &x) { ( n = 0; n < x.size(); ++n) { x[n] = n*6; } }
sample { std::shared_ptr< []> value; size_t X = 0; : sample() = ; ~sample() = ; sample(size_t x) : value{std::make_shared< []>(x)}, X{x} {} size_t size() { X; } & [](size_t n) { value[n]; } }; Samplefunction(sample &x) { (size_t n = 0; n < x.size(); ++n) { x[n] = n*6; } }
Since you allow random access to your elements you should check if the user of your class will give an index outside the range of elements pointed by your pointer
@seeplus: thanks for your input. Can you please elaborate how?
[]( n) { value[n]; } & []( n) { value[n]; }
sample { * value {}; size_t X {}; : sample() = ; ~sample() { [] value; } sample(size_t x) : value { [x] {}}, X {x} {} sample( sample& s) : X(s.X), value { [s.X]} {std::copy_n(s.value, X, value); } sample(sample&& s) : X(s.X), value(s.value) { s.value = ; } size_t size() { X; } [](size_t n) { value[n]; } & [](size_t n) { value[n]; } sample& =(sample s) { X = s.X; std::swap(value, s.value); } };

type lvalue required as left operand of assignment

Understanding lvalues and rvalues in C and C++

The terms lvalue and rvalue are not something one runs into often in C/C++ programming, but when one does, it's usually not immediately clear what they mean. The most common place to run into these terms are in compiler error & warning messages. For example, compiling the following with gcc :

True, this code is somewhat perverse and not something you'd write, but the error message mentions lvalue , which is not a term one usually finds in C/C++ tutorials. Another example is compiling this code with g++ :

Now the error is:

Here again, the error mentions some mysterious rvalue . So what do lvalue and rvalue mean in C and C++? This is what I intend to explore in this article.

A simple definition

This section presents an intentionally simplified definition of lvalues and rvalues . The rest of the article will elaborate on this definition.

An lvalue ( locator value ) represents an object that occupies some identifiable location in memory (i.e. has an address).

rvalues are defined by exclusion, by saying that every expression is either an lvalue or an rvalue . Therefore, from the above definition of lvalue , an rvalue is an expression that does not represent an object occupying some identifiable location in memory.

Basic examples

The terms as defined above may appear vague, which is why it's important to see some simple examples right away.

Let's assume we have an integer variable defined and assigned to:

An assignment expects an lvalue as its left operand, and var is an lvalue, because it is an object with an identifiable memory location. On the other hand, the following are invalid:

Neither the constant 4 , nor the expression var + 1 are lvalues (which makes them rvalues). They're not lvalues because both are temporary results of expressions, which don't have an identifiable memory location (i.e. they can just reside in some temporary register for the duration of the computation). Therefore, assigning to them makes no semantic sense - there's nowhere to assign to.

So it should now be clear what the error message in the first code snippet means. foo returns a temporary value which is an rvalue. Attempting to assign to it is an error, so when seeing foo() = 2; the compiler complains that it expected to see an lvalue on the left-hand-side of the assignment statement.

Not all assignments to results of function calls are invalid, however. For example, C++ references make this possible:

Here foo returns a reference, which is an lvalue , so it can be assigned to. Actually, the ability of C++ to return lvalues from functions is important for implementing some overloaded operators. One common example is overloading the brackets operator [] in classes that implement some kind of lookup access. std::map does this:

The assignment mymap[10] works because the non-const overload of std::map::operator[] returns a reference that can be assigned to.

Modifiable lvalues

Initially when lvalues were defined for C, it literally meant "values suitable for left-hand-side of assignment". Later, however, when ISO C added the const keyword, this definition had to be refined. After all:

So a further refinement had to be added. Not all lvalues can be assigned to. Those that can are called modifiable lvalues . Formally, the C99 standard defines modifiable lvalues as:

[...] an lvalue that does not have array type, does not have an incomplete type, does not have a const-qualified type, and if it is a structure or union, does not have any member (including, recursively, any member or element of all contained aggregates or unions) with a const-qualified type.

Conversions between lvalues and rvalues

Generally speaking, language constructs operating on object values require rvalues as arguments. For example, the binary addition operator '+' takes two rvalues as arguments and returns an rvalue:

As we've seen earlier, a and b are both lvalues. Therefore, in the third line, they undergo an implicit lvalue-to-rvalue conversion . All lvalues that aren't arrays, functions or of incomplete types can be converted thus to rvalues.

What about the other direction? Can rvalues be converted to lvalues? Of course not! This would violate the very nature of an lvalue according to its definition [1] .

This doesn't mean that lvalues can't be produced from rvalues by more explicit means. For example, the unary '*' (dereference) operator takes an rvalue argument but produces an lvalue as a result. Consider this valid code:

Conversely, the unary address-of operator '&' takes an lvalue argument and produces an rvalue:

The ampersand plays another role in C++ - it allows to define reference types. These are called "lvalue references". Non-const lvalue references cannot be assigned rvalues, since that would require an invalid rvalue-to-lvalue conversion:

Constant lvalue references can be assigned rvalues. Since they're constant, the value can't be modified through the reference and hence there's no problem of modifying an rvalue. This makes possible the very common C++ idiom of accepting values by constant references into functions, which avoids unnecessary copying and construction of temporary objects.

CV-qualified rvalues

If we read carefully the portion of the C++ standard discussing lvalue-to-rvalue conversions [2] , we notice it says:

An lvalue (3.10) of a non-function, non-array type T can be converted to an rvalue. [...] If T is a non-class type, the type of the rvalue is the cv-unqualified version of T. Otherwise, the type of the rvalue is T.

What is this "cv-unqualified" thing? CV-qualifier is a term used to describe const and volatile type qualifiers.

From section 3.9.3:

Each type which is a cv-unqualified complete or incomplete object type or is void (3.9) has three corresponding cv-qualified versions of its type: a const-qualified version, a volatile-qualified version, and a const-volatile-qualified version. [...] The cv-qualified or cv-unqualified versions of a type are distinct types; however, they shall have the same representation and alignment requirements (3.9)

But what has this got to do with rvalues? Well, in C, rvalues never have cv-qualified types. Only lvalues do. In C++, on the other hand, class rvalues can have cv-qualified types, but built-in types (like int ) can't. Consider this example:

The second call in main actually calls the foo () const method of A , because the type returned by cbar is const A , which is distinct from A . This is exactly what's meant by the last sentence in the quote mentioned earlier. Note also that the return value from cbar is an rvalue. So this is an example of a cv-qualified rvalue in action.

Rvalue references (C++11)

Rvalue references and the related concept of move semantics is one of the most powerful new features the C++11 standard introduces to the language. A full discussion of the feature is way beyond the scope of this humble article [3] , but I still want to provide a simple example, because I think it's a good place to demonstrate how an understanding of what lvalues and rvalues are aids our ability to reason about non-trivial language concepts.

I've just spent a good part of this article explaining that one of the main differences between lvalues and rvalues is that lvalues can be modified, and rvalues can't. Well, C++11 adds a crucial twist to this distinction, by allowing us to have references to rvalues and thus modify them, in some special circumstances.

As an example, consider a simplistic implementation of a dynamic "integer vector". I'm showing just the relevant methods here:

So, we have the usual constructor, destructor, copy constructor and copy assignment operator [4] defined, all using a logging function to let us know when they're actually called.

Let's run some simple code, which copies the contents of v1 into v2 :

What this prints is:

Makes sense - this faithfully represents what's going on inside operator= . But suppose that we want to assign some rvalue to v2 :

Although here I just assign a freshly constructed vector, it's just a demonstration of a more general case where some temporary rvalue is being built and then assigned to v2 (this can happen for some function returning a vector, for example). What gets printed now is this:

Ouch, this looks like a lot of work. In particular, it has one extra pair of constructor/destructor calls to create and then destroy the temporary object. And this is a shame, because inside the copy assignment operator, another temporary copy is being created and destroyed. That's extra work, for nothing.

Well, no more. C++11 gives us rvalue references with which we can implement "move semantics", and in particular a "move assignment operator" [5] . Let's add another operator= to Intvec :

The && syntax is the new rvalue reference . It does exactly what it sounds it does - gives us a reference to an rvalue, which is going to be destroyed after the call. We can use this fact to just "steal" the internals of the rvalue - it won't need them anyway! This prints:

What happens here is that our new move assignment operator is invoked since an rvalue gets assigned to v2 . The constructor and destructor calls are still needed for the temporary object that's created by Intvec(33) , but another temporary inside the assignment operator is no longer needed. The operator simply switches the rvalue's internal buffer with its own, arranging it so the rvalue's destructor will release our object's own buffer, which is no longer used. Neat.

I'll just mention once again that this example is only the tip of the iceberg on move semantics and rvalue references. As you can probably guess, it's a complex subject with a lot of special cases and gotchas to consider. My point here was to demonstrate a very interesting application of the difference between lvalues and rvalues in C++. The compiler obviously knows when some entity is an rvalue, and can arrange to invoke the correct constructor at compile time.

One can write a lot of C++ code without being concerned with the issue of rvalues vs. lvalues, dismissing them as weird compiler jargon in certain error messages. However, as this article aimed to show, getting a better grasp of this topic can aid in a deeper understanding of certain C++ code constructs, and make parts of the C++ spec and discussions between language experts more intelligible.

Also, in the new C++ spec this topic becomes even more important, because C++11's introduction of rvalue references and move semantics. To really grok this new feature of the language, a solid understanding of what rvalues and lvalues are becomes crucial.

type lvalue required as left operand of assignment

rvalues can be assigned to lvalues explicitly. The lack of implicit conversion means that rvalues cannot be used in places where lvalues are expected.
That's section 4.1 in the new C++11 standard draft.
You can find a lot of material on this topic by simply googling "rvalue references". Some resources I personally found useful: , , and .
This a canonical implementation of a copy assignment operator, from the point of view of exception safety. By using the copy constructor and then the non-throwing , it makes sure that no intermediate state with uninitialized memory can arise if exceptions are thrown.
So now you know why I was keeping referring to my as "copy assignment operator". In C++11, the distinction becomes important.

For comments, please send me an email .

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PEP-0620 Disallows using Py_TYPE() as l-value #325

@jcpunk

jcpunk commented Oct 16, 2020

This will probably impact along with other elements of this library.

@jwakely

jwakely commented Nov 10, 2020

Boost 1.73.0 cannot build with Python 3.10.0a2, see

Sorry, something went wrong.

jwakely commented Nov 14, 2020 • edited

Here's a patch against Boost 1.73.0 that allows it to build with Python 3.10

jcpunk commented Nov 14, 2020

Can you post a PR to make merging easier?

@stefanseefeld

stefanseefeld commented Nov 14, 2020 • edited

I already started to morph 's patch into a branch yesterday, and just turned it into a PR:

jwakely commented Nov 14, 2020

Thanks, Stefan. I didn't send a PR because my priority was just getting the fedora package building, and that's all I had time for. I'm glad that was still useful.

jwakely commented Nov 18, 2020

Th Python 3.10 change has been reverted, so Boost.Python doesn't need to change now (although the changes shouldn't hurt either).

jcpunk commented Nov 18, 2020

All told, I'd rather have this change in place should the plan reappear in a later python.

  • 👍 1 reaction

@vstinner

vstinner commented Dec 9, 2020

's patch into a branch yesterday, and just turned it into a PR:

I proposed an alternative fix: PR which uses pythoncapi_compat.h to avoid having to reimplement new (Python 3.9) Py_SET_SIZE() function for old Python versions.

takes care of it for you.

@stefanseefeld

No branches or pull requests

@vstinner

lvalue required as left operand of assignment error with ESP32 and constrain cmd

I am changing code from an application using an arduino pro mini 3.3v with HC12 wireless module to an ESP32 with integrated wifi and bluetooth (ESP32 devkit 1)

I didn't get this error before with similar code for the arduino pro mini module and HC12 module. However now that I compile it I am getting this error

lvalue required as left operand of assignment error

I found this link to get some clarity on the issue.

However, I don't think I'm making the error mentioned in the link above. Can someone please explain what I may be doing wrong? Thanks.

I get the error around this line of code: "BR = constrain(BR, 0, 510)" This portion of code is being used to calibrate photoresistor sensors to report similar values despite their inherent variances due to manufacturing tolerances, etc...

When I try to compile your code I get quite a few more errors than the one you quoted. One of them tells me that BR is a special symbol defined in the ESP32 core.

When you try to use it as a variable name the compiler gets very confused.

Avoid this in future by giving variables longer more descriptive names.

Ah I see. thanks. I will try using a different variable.

FYI...the board I have is Espressif ESP32 dev kit 1. I select this board in arduino: DOIT ESP32 DEV KIT 1 https://dl.espressif.com/dl/package_esp32_index.json The url above is what I put in Arduino preferences area to download it in the board manager library.

Here is my code for the Arduino pro mini 3.3V and HC-12 combined. I get no compile errors.

I purposely abbreviated those letters because if I understood things properly regarding transmittal of data via the HC-12 module and the code I have for both the transmitter end and receiver end it can potentially error out during transmission? (Post becoming too long adding receiver code in next post)

Transmitter:

Wow... thanks changed the variable it's compiling now!

fyi... TL (top left sensor) TR (top right sensor) BRT (bottom right sensor) BL (bottom left sensor)

It's good that you used Pin in the names of variables containing pin numbers. It was pointless to use sensor in those names, though, since there isn't much else you'd connect to the pins.

Now, if you had used Value in the names of variables that held values, you would not have inadvertently reused an already used name.

By convention, all capital letter names are reserved for constants. Constants never appear on the left of equal signs:

Thanks I'll reformat the code to match the convention regarding capital letters for constants.

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lvalue required as left operand of assignment c++ arrays

ERROR: Lvalue requiered as left operand of assignment (line 4)

Please help me to understand, what i make wrong and why this error happens?

Ivan's user avatar

  • What is the one variable? –  Tom Commented Feb 26, 2019 at 9:43
  • Sorry, misprint. One supposed to be x –  Ivan Commented Feb 26, 2019 at 9:44
  • 2 x has type int* , so x+i also has type int* . Type-wise, your code checks out. However, it does not make sense semantically: x+i is the address of some int , and you are trying to assign a new address ( int* ) to it. The correct syntax is *(x + i) = i+3 or x[i] = i+3 –  Botje Commented Feb 26, 2019 at 9:46
  • 1 @YesThatIsMyName That depends on what x actually is. –  πάντα ῥεῖ Commented Feb 26, 2019 at 9:47
  • 2 This is the same situation as int x = 0; int i = 1; (x + i) = 3; , which you would not expect to work. (The most important thing to learn about pointers is that there is nothing special about pointers.) –  molbdnilo Commented Feb 26, 2019 at 10:06

2 Answers 2

(x + i) will result in a pointer rvalue ( const int* ) which cannot be assigned to, but validly dereferenced *(x + i) .

In general you should avoid manual memory memory management in c++ code (especially not using realloc() ).

You would rewrite your code snippet c++ compliant as follows:

πάντα ῥεῖ's user avatar

  • Thank you very much! Now i've got it! –  Ivan Commented Feb 26, 2019 at 10:34

Pointer arithmetic here does not yield an lvalue. So you cannot do this:

What you probably meant was this:

P.W's user avatar

  • Ok, and why pointer arithmetic doesn't yield lvalue? Just HERE with new()? Or do always pointer arithmetic yield rvalues? –  Ivan Commented Feb 26, 2019 at 10:03
  • 1 @Ivan Pointer arithmetic doesn't yield in lvalue pointers, the pointers can dereferenced though to get lvalue references, as I explained in my answer. –  πάντα ῥεῖ Commented Feb 26, 2019 at 10:05
  • 1 @Ivan: The result of the pointer arithmetic here is an address. It cannot be assigned to another address. It is like writing: 123 = 456; –  P.W Commented Feb 26, 2019 at 10:07

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type lvalue required as left operand of assignment

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  1. lvalue required as left operand of assignment

    About the error: lvalue required as left operand of assignment. lvalue means an assignable value (variable), and in assignment the left value to the = has to be lvalue (pretty clear). Both function results and constants are not assignable ( rvalue s), so they are rvalue s. so the order doesn't matter and if you forget to use == you will get ...

  2. pointers

    Put simply, an lvalue is something that can appear on the left-hand side of an assignment, typically a variable or array element. So if you define int *p, then p is an lvalue. p+1, which is a valid expression, is not an lvalue. If you're trying to add 1 to p, the correct syntax is: p = p + 1; answered Oct 27, 2015 at 18:02.

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  5. Lvalue Required as Left Operand of Assignment: What It Means and How to

    Why is an lvalue required as the left operand of an assignment? The left operand of an assignment operator must be a modifiable lvalue. This is because the assignment operator assigns the value of the right operand to the lvalue on the left. If the lvalue is not modifiable, then the assignment operator will not be able to change its value.

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    An assignment in C is an expression because it has a value; we call it an assignment expression. A simple assignment looks like. lvalue = value-to-store. We say it assigns the value of the expression value-to-store to the location lvalue, or that it stores value-to-store there. You can think of the "l" in "lvalue" as standing for ...

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    A simple definition. This section presents an intentionally simplified definition of lvalues and rvalues.The rest of the article will elaborate on this definition. An lvalue (locator value) represents an object that occupies some identifiable location in memory (i.e. has an address).. rvalues are defined by exclusion, by saying that every expression is either an lvalue or an rvalue.

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  18. PEP-0620 Disallows using Py_TYPE() as l-value #325

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    x has type int*, so x+i also has type int*. Type-wise, your code checks out. However, it does not make sense semantically: x+i is the address of some int, and you are trying to assign a new address ( int*) to it. The correct syntax is *(x + i) = i+3 or x[i] = i+3. @YesThatIsMyName That depends on what x actually is.