The article critiques the industry trend of using scoped enums as bitflags in C++, arguing that despite proposals like P4313 for C++26, a dedicated bitset approach remains superior. It highlights the trade-offs between ergonomic usage and implementation complexity, suggesting that current language features are a pragmatic compromise rather than an ideal solution.
Background
Scoped enums and bitflag patterns are widely used in C++ for representing combinations of options, but implementing them cleanly has historically required macros or manual operator overloading. Recent C++ standards aim to simplify this via reflection, though library design alternatives remain debated.
- Source
- Lobsters
- Published
- Jul 19, 2026 at 02:50 AM
- Score
- 6.0 / 10