MISRA.ADDR.REF.PARAM

Function returns address of parameter passed by reference.

MISRA-C++ Rule 7—5—3 (required): A function shall not return a reference or a pointer to a parameter that is passed by reference or const reference

This rule is also covered by MISRA.ADDR.REF.PARAM.PTR.

Rationale

It is implementation-defined behaviour whether the reference parameter is a temporary object or a reference to the parameter. If the implementation uses a local copy (temporary object), this will be destroyed when the function returns. Any attempt to use such an object after its destruction will lead to undefined behaviour.

Example

int32_t * fn1 ( int32_t & x )
{
     return ( &x );      // Non-compliant
}
int32_t * fn2 ( )
{
     int32_t i = 0;
     return fn1 ( i );
}
const int32_t * fn3 ( const int32_t & x )
{
     return ( &x );      // Non-compliant
}
int32_t & fn4 ( int32_t & x )
{
     return ( x );      // Non-compliant
}
const int32_t & fn5 ( const int32_t & x )
{
     return ( x );      // Non-compliant
}