This article explores techniques to access specific elements within a C++ parameter pack by index. It delves into the use of std::tie for creating a tuple of lvalue references and explains how std::forward_as_tuple can preserve the original reference categories of the parameters. Additionally, it highlights a proposed feature in C++26, Pack Indexing, which aims to simplify this process significantly.

Pulling a Single Item From a C++ Parameter Pack by its Index

by Raymond Chen

From the article:

Suppose you have a C++ parameter pack and you want to pluck out an item from it by index.

template<int index, typename...Args>
void example(Args&&... args)
{
    // how do I access the index'th args parameter?
}

One solution is to use std::tie:

template<int index, typename...Args>
void example(Args&&... args)
{
    auto& arg = std::get<index>(
        std::tie(args...));
}