Reflection for C++26
This is a proposal for a reduced initial set of features to support static reflection in C++. Specifically, we are mostly proposing a subset of features suggested in [P1240R2] :
(Note that this aims at something a little broader than pure “reflection”. We not only want to observe the structure of the program: We also want to ease generating code that depends on those observations. That combination is sometimes referred to as “reflective metaprogramming”, but within WG21 discussion the term “reflection” has often been used informally to refer to the same general idea.)
This proposal is not intended to be the end-game as far as reflection and compile-time metaprogramming are concerned. Instead, we expect it will be a useful core around which more powerful features will be added incrementally over time. In particular, we believe that most or all the remaining features explored in P1240R2 and that code injection (along the lines described in [P2237R0] ) are desirable directions to pursue.
Our choice to start with something smaller is primarily motivated by the belief that that improves the chances of these facilities making it into the language sooner rather than later.
