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### 3097. `basic_stringbuf seekoff` effects trigger undefined behavior and have contradictory returns

Section: 29.8.2.5 [stringbuf.virtuals] Status: New Submitter: Billy O'Neal III Opened: 2018-04-07 Last modified: 2020-09-06

Priority: 3

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Discussion:

Paragraph citations relative to N4727.

[stringbuf.virtuals]/10 says that `newoff` might be calculated from `xnext - xbegin`, or from `high_mark - xbegin`. After `newoff` is calculated, it does the null pointer check against and zero offset check. However, that means the effects may have already done `nullptr -` non-`nullptr`, or non-`nullptr - nullptr`, which [expr.add]/5 says is undefined behavior.

Moreover, the attempt at avoiding this problem only tests `newoff`, not the value actually used which is `newoff + off`. For example, `buf.seekoff(100, ios_base::beg, ios_base::out)` on a read-only `streambuf` would try to assign `pptr() + newoff + off to pptr()`, but `pptr()` may have been `nullptr`, giving `nullptr + 0 + 100` which triggers UB. (Perhaps the "refers to an uninitialized character" bit protects that though).

Last, the Returns: element says that it returns `newoff`, but then also says it returns the resulting stream position, which should be something like `newoff + off`. (I checked libc++ and MSVC++ and we both return `newoff + off`)

We probably want to resolve that by renaming the value that comes out of Table 108 to something like "`basis`" and make "`newoff`" actually be the new offset instead of the starting offset.

[2018-04-16 Priority set to 3 after discussion on the reflector.]

Proposed resolution: