Why is a public const method not called when the non-const one is private?

Question

Consider this code:

struct A
{
    void foo() const
    {
        std::cout << \"const\" << std::endl;
    }

    private:

        void foo()
           


        

Answer 1

Access controls (public, protected, private) do not affect overload resolution. The compiler chooses void foo() because it's the best match. The fact that it's not accessible doesn't change that. Removing it leaves only void foo() const, which is then the best (i.e., only) match.