返回值优化（Return Value Optimization，简称RVO）是一种编译器优化机制：当函数需要返回一个对象的时候，如果自己创建一个临时对象用于返回，那么这个临时对象会消耗一个构造函数（Constructor）的调用、一个复制构造函数的调用（Copy Constructor）以及一个析构函数（Destructor）的调用的代价。
经过返回值优化，就可以将成本降低到一个构造函数的代价。这样就省去了一次拷贝构造函数的调用和依次析构函数的调用。
例子如下：
class MyString {
public:
MyString() {
_data = NULL;
_len = 0;
printf("Constructor is called!
");
}
MyString(const char* p) {
_len = strlen (p);
_init_data(p);
cout << "Constructor is called! this->_data: " << (long)_data << endl;
}
MyString(const MyString& str) {
_len = str._len;
_init_data(str._data);
cout << "Copy Constructor is called! src: " << (long)str._data << " dst: " << (long)_data << endl;
}
~MyString() {
if (_data)
{
cout << "DeConstructor is called! this->_data: " << (long)_data << endl;
free(_data);
}
else
{
std::cout << "DeConstructor is called!" << std::endl;
}
}
MyString& operator=(const MyString& str) {
if (this != &str) {
_len = str._len;
_init_data(str._data);
}
cout << "Copy Assignment is called! src: " << (long)str._data << " dst" << (long)_data << endl;
return *this;
}
operator const char *() const {
return _data;
}
void display() const
{
if (_data)
{
cout << "str is " << _data << "(" << (long)_data << ")" << endl;
}
else
{
cout << "nothing" << endl;
}
}
private:
char *_data;
size_t _len;
void _init_data(const char *s) {
_data = new char[_len+1];
memcpy(_data, s, _len);
_data[_len] = ' ';
}
};
MyString foo1()
{
return MyString("123");
}
MyString foo2()
{
MyString str1("456");
return str1;
}
int main()
{
foo1();
cout << "--------------------
";
foo2();
cout << "--------------------
";
MyString str1 = foo1();
cout << "--------------------
";
MyString str2 = foo2();
cout << "--------------------
";
return 0;
}
函数foo1直接返回一个临时对象，而foo2返回一个局部变量。在没有RVO的情况下，不管是调用foo1还是foo2，实际上都是先调用构造函数，然后调用复制构造函数构造作为返回值的临时对象。而对于str1和str2的构造，还会再次调用一次复制构造函数。上述代码，使用的编译命令为：g++ -fno-elide-constructors -o rvo rvo.cpp
-fno-elide-constructors选项可以取消编译器的 copy-elision 优化策略。得到的结果如下：
Constructor is called! this->_data: 8949776
Copy Constructor is called! src: 8949776 dst: 8949808
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 8949776
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 8949808
--------------------
Constructor is called! this->_data: 8949808
Copy Constructor is called! src: 8949808 dst: 8949776
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 8949808
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 8949776
--------------------
Constructor is called! this->_data: 8949776
Copy Constructor is called! src: 8949776 dst: 8949808
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 8949776
Copy Constructor is called! src: 8949808 dst: 8949776
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 8949808
--------------------
Constructor is called! this->_data: 8949808
Copy Constructor is called! src: 8949808 dst: 8949840
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 8949808
Copy Constructor is called! src: 8949840 dst: 8949808
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 8949840
--------------------
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 8949808
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 8949776
如果编译时去掉了-fno-elide-constructors选项，则编译器开启RVO，结果如下：
Constructor is called! this->_data: 34054160
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 34054160
--------------------
Constructor is called! this->_data: 34054160
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 34054160
--------------------
Constructor is called! this->_data: 34054160
--------------------
Constructor is called! this->_data: 34054192
--------------------
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 34054192
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 34054160
可见开启了RVO之后，省略了不必要的复制拷贝，开启RVO之后，函数是直接在接收返回值的地方直接构造对象。
实际上，foo1和foo2分别对应了RVO和NRVO（Named Return Value Optimization）。具名返回值优化（NRVO），是对于按值返回“具名对象”（就是有名字的变量）时的优化手段，其实道理是一样的，但由于返回的值是具名变量，情况会复杂很多。所以，能执行优化的条件更苛刻。比如函数中，在不同的返回路径上返回不同名的对象，就不会执行NRVO。
比如下面的代码：
MyString bar1(int n)
{
if (n > 2)
{
return MyString("abc");
}
else
{
return MyString("ABC");
}
}
MyString bar2(int n)
{
MyString str1("abc");
MyString str2("ABC");
if (n > 2)
{
return str1;
}
else
{
return str2;
}
}
int main(int argc, char **argv)
{
bar1(1);
cout << "--------------------
";
bar2(1);
cout << "--------------------
";
MyString str1 = bar1(1);
cout << "--------------------
";
MyString str2 = bar2(1);
cout << "--------------------
";
return 0;
}
函数bar1返回临时对象，bar2返回具名对象，也就是说，如果执行优化的话，bar1执行RVO，而bar2执行NRVO。
首先是加上-fno-elide-constructors选项后的运行结果：
Constructor is called! this->_data: 11149328
Copy Constructor is called! src: 11149328 dst: 11149360
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 11149328
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 11149360
--------------------
Constructor is called! this->_data: 11149360
Constructor is called! this->_data: 11149328
Copy Constructor is called! src: 11149328 dst: 11149392
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 11149328
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 11149360
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 11149392
--------------------
Constructor is called! this->_data: 11149392
Copy Constructor is called! src: 11149392 dst: 11149360
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 11149392
Copy Constructor is called! src: 11149360 dst: 11149392
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 11149360
--------------------
Constructor is called! this->_data: 11149360
Constructor is called! this->_data: 11149328
Copy Constructor is called! src: 11149328 dst: 11149424
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 11149328
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 11149360
Copy Constructor is called! src: 11149424 dst: 11149360
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 11149424
--------------------
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 11149360
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 11149392
加上-fno-elide-constructors选项后，运行结果如下：
Constructor is called! this->_data: 9449488
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 9449488
--------------------
Constructor is called! this->_data: 9449488
Constructor is called! this->_data: 9449520
Copy Constructor is called! src: 9449520 dst: 9449552
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 9449520
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 9449488
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 9449552
--------------------
Constructor is called! this->_data: 9449552
--------------------
Constructor is called! this->_data: 9449488
Constructor is called! this->_data: 9449520
Copy Constructor is called! src: 9449520 dst: 9449584
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 9449520
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 9449488
--------------------
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 9449584
DeConstructor is called! this->_data: 9449552
对比上面的结果，可见返回临时对象的bar1函数的调用进行了优化。而bar2函数的调用，不管有没有-fno-elide-constructors选项，单独调用bar2返回结果都是一样的，说明没有执行NRVO。对比”MyString str2 = bar2(1);”语句的执行结果，发现加上-fno-elide-constructors选项选项之后，仅仅少了一次复制构造函数的调用，这是因为虽然bar2没有执行NRVO，但是使用bar2返回的临时对象初始化str2时，编译器依然有copy elision的优化策略。
有关copy elision的解释如下：
In C++ computer programming, copy elision refers to a compiler optimization technique that eliminates unnecessary copying of objects.
The standard also describes a few situations where copying can be eliminated even if this would alter the program's behavior, the most common being the return value optimization. Another widely implemented optimization, described in the C++ standard, is when a temporary object of class type is copied to an object of the same type.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copy_elision)
When a nameless temporary, not bound to any references, would be copied or moved (since C++11) into an object of the same type (ignoring top-level cv-qualification), the copy/move (since C++11) is omitted. When that temporary is constructed, it is constructed directly in the storage where it would otherwise be copied or moved (since C++11) to. When the nameless temporary is the argument of a return statement, this variant of copy elision is known as RVO, "return value optimization".
(http://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/language/copy_elision)
注：以上所有代码的编译环境是：操作系统CentOS Linux release 7.3.1611；GCC版本：gcc version 4.8.5 20150623 (Red Hat 4.8.5-11) (GCC)
参考：
http://blog.csdn.net/gatieme/article/details/22650353
http://www.cnblogs.com/liyiwen/archive/2009/12/02/1615711.html