C++ FAQ / Section 33 / FAQ 33.8

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Revised Jul 4, 2012

[33.8] How do I declare a pointer-to-member-function that points to a const member function?

Short answer: add a const to the right of the ) when you use a typedef to declare the member-function-pointer type.

For example, suppose you want a pointer-to-member-function that points at Fred::f, Fred::g or Fred::h:

class Fred {
public:
  int f(int i) const;
  int g(int i) const;
  int h(int j) const;
  ...
};

Then when you use a typedef to declare the member-function-pointer type, it should look like this:

// FredMemFn points to a const member-function of Fred that takes (int)
typedef  int (Fred::*FredMemFn)(int) const;
                                     ^^^^^—this is the const

That's it!

Then you can declare/pass/return member-function pointers just like normal:

void foo(FredMemFn p)  ← pass a member-function pointer
{ ... }

FredMemFn bar()        ← return a member-function pointer
{ ... }

void baz()
{
  FredMemFn p = &Fred::f;  ← declare a member-function pointer
  FredMemFn a[10];         ← declare an array of member-function pointers
  ...
}