PRB: Unexpected C2440 Error in C++ Typecast

   TYPE ( identifier ) ( expression );
				

CAUSE

This is expected C++ compiler behavior. The sample code below explains the problem in a more understandable way.

If the following three statements taken from the sample code are compiled

   typedef void (* funcptr) (int);
				

...

   void f(int){...};
				

...

   funcptr (f)(1); // Error C2440
				

the following error message is generated: Although the last statement appears to be typecasting the function "f" to funcptr, the compiler thinks it is declaring an object of name "f" of type funcptr and initializing it with the integer constant "1" equivalent to having

   funcptr f = 1;
				

-or-

   void (*f) (int) = 1;
				

which makes the error message much more understandable.

   ((funcptr)f)(1);
				

   void (*f1)(int) = f;
				

   f1(1);     // OK
					

typedef void (*funcptr) (int);

void f(int);

void main()
{
    ((void (*) (int)) f)(1);
    funcptr (f) (1);             // Gives error C2440
    ((funcptr)f)(1);
    void (*f1) (int) = f;
    f1(1);
}