Implicit conversion - the enemy

I wrote:

    result += string_utils::pad_left(string, '0');

I forget that pad_left signature is string, int, char and the char parameter has a default value. My mistake, without doubts.

This is another example of dark sides of the implicit conversions. C++ converts between characters and integers seamlessly. These two beast are distinct in the nature. Of course characters are represented by the numbers, however it's an implementation detail.

One can say: you made a mistake and now blame the language. No, I blame language's design. I'm afraid that we end up with something like Integer and int to overcome such problems.

Lesson learned: never use default parameters in public API (surprise!)