Index: src/SymTab/Validate.cc
===================================================================
--- src/SymTab/Validate.cc	(revision de91427b324e52a4106e0ad80e07b006f2292087)
+++ src/SymTab/Validate.cc	(revision 083cf3181fe3a210bc837e36dd40f9dc8d3ae198)
@@ -10,6 +10,6 @@
 // Created On       : Sun May 17 21:50:04 2015
 // Last Modified By : Rob Schluntz
-// Last Modified On : Fri Dec 18 15:34:05 2015
-// Update Count     : 218
+// Last Modified On : Thu Jan 07 11:27:49 2016
+// Update Count     : 269
 //
 
@@ -202,4 +202,17 @@
 	};
 
+	class VerifyCtorDtor : public Visitor {
+	public:
+		/// ensure that constructors and destructors have at least one
+		/// parameter, the first of which must be a pointer, and no
+		/// return values.
+		static void verify( std::list< Declaration * > &translationUnit );
+
+		// VerifyCtorDtor() {}
+
+		virtual void visit( FunctionDecl *funcDecl );
+	private:
+	};
+
 	void validate( std::list< Declaration * > &translationUnit, bool doDebug ) {
 		Pass1 pass1;
@@ -213,4 +226,5 @@
 		AutogenerateRoutines::autogenerateRoutines( translationUnit );
 		acceptAll( translationUnit, pass3 );
+		VerifyCtorDtor::verify( translationUnit );
 	}
 
@@ -1029,4 +1043,36 @@
 	}
 
+	void VerifyCtorDtor::verify( std::list< Declaration * > & translationUnit ) {
+		VerifyCtorDtor verifier;
+		acceptAll( translationUnit, verifier );
+	}
+
+	void VerifyCtorDtor::visit( FunctionDecl * funcDecl ) {
+		FunctionType * funcType = funcDecl->get_functionType();
+		std::list< DeclarationWithType * > &returnVals = funcType->get_returnVals();
+		std::list< DeclarationWithType * > &params = funcType->get_parameters();
+
+		if ( funcDecl->get_name() == "?{}" || funcDecl->get_name() == "^?{}" ) {
+			if ( params.size() == 0 ) {
+				throw SemanticError( "Constructors and destructors require at least one parameter ", funcDecl );
+			}
+			if ( ! dynamic_cast< PointerType * >( params.front()->get_type() ) ) {
+				throw SemanticError( "First parameter of a constructor or destructor must be a pointer ", funcDecl );
+			}
+			if ( returnVals.size() != 0 ) {
+				throw SemanticError( "Constructors and destructors cannot have explicit return values ", funcDecl );
+			}
+		}
+
+		Visitor::visit( funcDecl );
+		// original idea: modify signature of ctor/dtors and insert appropriate return statements
+		// to cause desired behaviour
+		// new idea: add comma exprs to every ctor call to produce first parameter.
+		// this requires some memoization of the first parameter, because it can be a
+		// complicated expression with side effects (see: malloc). idea: add temporary variable
+		// that is assigned address of constructed object in ctor argument position and
+		// return the temporary. It should also be done after all implicit ctors are
+		// added, so not in this pass!
+	}
 } // namespace SymTab