CppCon 2019

Static reflection is a forthcoming feature in the C++ programming that promises powerful new features for compile-time introspection of user source code. This feature, supported by increasingly capable constexpr facilities, will potentially be the Next Big Thing for C++23. This talk will cover the core concepts of reflection and reification and discuss several methods of providing language support for those features, including the approach taken by current Reflection TS and alternative approaches that are currently being considered. The remainder of the talk will focus on language and engineering concerns associated with static reflection. In particular, the pervasive use of constexpr functions to Reflect All the Things may cause compile times to balloon. However, I generally believe the benefits of reflection outweigh the potential costs, and if used judiciously, I think there will be only benefits.