Benefits of inline functions in C++?

Question

What is the advantages/disadvantages of using inline functions in C++? I see that it only increases performance for the code that the compiler outputs, but with today\'s opt

Answer 1

Generally speaking, these days with any modern compiler worrying about inlining anything is pretty much a waste of time. The compiler should actually optimize all of these considerations for you through its own analysis of the code and your specification of the optimization flags passed to the compiler. If you care about speed, tell the compiler to optimize for speed. If you care about space, tell the compiler to optimize for space. As another answer alluded to, a decent compiler will even inline automatically if it really makes sense.

Also, as others have stated, using inline does not guarantee inline of anything. If you want to guarantee it, you will have to define a macro instead of an inline function to do it.

When to inline and/or define a macro to force inclusion? - Only when you have a demonstrated and necessary proven increase in speed for a critical section of code that is known to have an affect on the overall performance of the application.