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## ref

### Authors

- Jaakko Järvi
- Peter Dimov
- Douglas Gregor
- Dave Abrahams
- Frank Mori Hess
- Ronald Garcia

### Introduction

The Ref library is a small library that is useful for passing references to function templates (algorithms) that would usually take copies of their arguments. It defines the class template `boost::reference_wrapper<T>`, two functions `boost::ref` and `boost::cref` that return instances of `boost::reference_wrapper<T>`, a function `boost::unwrap_ref` that unwraps a `boost::reference_wrapper<T>` or returns a reference to any other type of object, and the two traits classes `boost::is_reference_wrapper<T>` and `boost::unwrap_reference<T>`.

The purpose of `boost::reference_wrapper<T>` is to contain a reference to an object of type `T`. It is primarily used to "feed" references to function templates (algorithms) that take their parameter by value.

To support this usage, `boost::reference_wrapper<T>` provides an implicit conversion to `T&`. This usually allows the function templates to work on references unmodified.

`boost::reference_wrapper<T>` is both CopyConstructible and Assignable (ordinary references are not Assignable).

The `expression boost::ref(x)` returns a `boost::reference_wrapper<X>(x)` where `X` is the type of `x`. Similarly, `boost::cref(x)` returns a `boost::reference_wrapper<X const>(x)`.

The expression `boost::unwrap_ref(x)` returns a `boost::unwrap_reference<X>::type&` where `X` is the type of `x`.

The expression `boost::is_reference_wrapper<T>::value` is `true` if `T` is a `reference_wrapper`, and `false` otherwise.

The type-expression `boost::unwrap_reference<T>::type` is `T::type` if `T` is a `reference_wrapper`, `T` otherwise.

### Reference

#### Header <boost/core/ref.hpp>

    namespace boost {
      template<typename T> struct is_reference_wrapper;

      template<typename T> class reference_wrapper;

      template<typename T> struct unwrap_reference;
      template<typename T> reference_wrapper< T > const ref(T &);
      template<typename T> reference_wrapper< T const > const cref(T const &);
      template<typename T> void ref(T const &&);
      template<typename T> void cref(T const &&);
      template<typename T> unwrap_reference< T >::type & unwrap_ref(T &);
    }

### Acknowledgements

`ref` and `cref` were originally part of the Tuple library by Jaakko Järvi. They were "promoted to `boost::` status" by Peter Dimov because they are generally useful. Douglas Gregor and Dave Abrahams contributed `is_reference_wrapper` and `unwrap_reference`. Frank Mori Hess and Ronald Garcia contributed `boost::unwrap_ref`.