If you feel like cheating:
typedef int(*PtrToArray)[5];
PtrToArray function();
int i = function;
Compiling that on gcc yields: invalid conversion from 'int (*(*)())[5]' to 'int'
. The first bit is the type you're looking for.
Of course, once you have your PtrToArray
typedef, the whole exercise becomes rather more trivial, but sometimes this comes in handy if you already have the function name and you just need to stick it somewhere. And, for whatever reason, you can't rely on template trickery to hide the gory details from you.
If your compiler supports it, you can also do this:
typedef int(*PtrToArray)[5];
PtrToArray function();
template<typename T> void print(T) {
cout << __PRETTY_FUNCTION__ << endl;
}
print(function);
Which, on my computer box, produces void function(T) [with T = int (* (*)())[5]]
Being able to read the types is pretty useful, since understanding compiler errors is often dependent on your ability to figure out what all those parenthesis mean. But making them yourself is less useful, IMO.