Return the address of the unsigned char[] array from aligned_storage::address

[pdimov]

The standard says in https://eel.is/c++draft/basic.memobj#intro.object-3 that an array of unsigned char can provide storage for objects created in it with placement new. But it doesn't say anything about arrays of char or about object types such as aligned_storage_imp.

To be on the right side of it, this changes aligned_storage_imp to contain an array of unsigned char instead of char, and to return its address from the address member function, instead of this.

This is a relatively high risk change, because aligned_storage is used, at least, in the following libraries:

Inclusion report for <boost/aligned_storage.hpp> (in module type_traits):

    from accumulators:
        <boost/accumulators/framework/accumulators/droppable_accumulator.hpp>

    from any:
        <boost/any/basic_any.hpp>

    from container:
        <boost/container/devector.hpp>

    from foreach:
        <boost/foreach.hpp>

    from lockfree:
        <boost/lockfree/spsc_queue.hpp>

    from log:
        <libs/log/src/thread_id.cpp>

    from serialization:
        <boost/serialization/detail/stack_constructor.hpp>

    from signals2:
        <boost/signals2/detail/slot_call_iterator.hpp>

    from spirit:
        <boost/spirit/home/classic/core/non_terminal/impl/static.hpp>

Inclusion report for <boost/type_traits/aligned_storage.hpp> (in module type_traits):

    from asio:
        <boost/asio/detail/type_traits.hpp>

    from container:
        <boost/container/node_handle.hpp>

    from flyweight:
        <boost/flyweight/detail/archive_constructed.hpp>
        <boost/flyweight/key_value.hpp>

    from geometry:
        <boost/geometry/index/detail/serialization.hpp>
        <boost/geometry/index/detail/varray.hpp>

    from iostreams:
        <boost/iostreams/detail/optional.hpp>

    from log:
        <boost/log/detail/threadsafe_queue.hpp>

    from multi_index:
        <boost/multi_index/detail/archive_constructed.hpp>
        <boost/multi_index/detail/index_node_base.hpp>
        <boost/multi_index/detail/node_handle.hpp>
        <boost/multi_index/detail/scoped_bilock.hpp>
        <boost/multi_index/detail/seq_index_ops.hpp>

    from parameter:
        <boost/parameter/aux_/maybe.hpp>

    from pool:
        <boost/pool/singleton_pool.hpp>

    from python:
        <boost/python/detail/referent_storage.hpp>

    from serialization:
        <boost/serialization/void_cast.hpp>

    from signals2:
        <boost/signals2/detail/auto_buffer.hpp>

    from unordered:
        <boost/unordered/detail/implementation.hpp>

    from variant:
        <boost/variant/variant.hpp>

I've verified that the following tests:

b2 -j32 libs/any/test libs/container/test libs/multi_index/test libs/pool/test libs/unordered/test libs/variant/test toolset=clang address-model=64 variant=debug,release

are not affected by the change, that is, no new failures are introduced by it.

[jzmaddock]

Thanks for taking this on: I've been lurking in that conversation, but certainly don't know enough to comment!

[pdimov]

Frankly, neither do I. The only one who I know to be qualified to comment on it is Richard Smith (@zygoloid).

[jzmaddock]

OMG, 3 years old, sorry! Should this be merged?

[pdimov]

Probably. :-)