http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=54912
Bug #: 54912 Summary: [C++11] Non-type argument to alias template is not a constant expression Classification: Unclassified Product: gcc Version: 4.8.0 Status: UNCONFIRMED Severity: normal Priority: P3 Component: c++ AssignedTo: unassig...@gcc.gnu.org ReportedBy: lucdan...@free.fr gcc version 4.8.0 20121008 (experimental) with flags -Wall -pedantic -std=c++11 complains when fed the following program: template<bool B> using Bool = int; template<typename T> void foo() { using bar = Bool<(sizeof(T) >= 0)>; // line 7 } int main() { foo<int>(); } Compiler output: main.cpp: In substitution of 'template<bool B> using Bool = int [with bool B = (sizeof (T) >= 0)]': main.cpp:7:38: required from here main.cpp:7:38: error: integral expression '(sizeof (T) >= 0)' is not constant using bar = Bool<(sizeof(T) >= 0)>; ^ main.cpp:7:38: error: trying to instantiate 'template<bool B> using Bool = int' Using the sizeof expression as the non-type parameter of a class template with the same template parameter list as the alias template is accepted. That same expression can also be used to initialize e.g. a constexpr bool variable, which will in fact in turn be accepted as a parameter to Bool. Previous snapshots of GCC used to accept this kind of code.