Cannot convert objects to pointers C++ - pointers

Question

I've stayed up all night trying to figure this out (it's now 7am where I'm at...).
I'm having trouble setting the address of an instantiated object to a pointer. Here's the main function:
#include "position_vector.h"
int main(){
PositionVector res = PositionVector(10);
PositionVector * ptr;
ptr = &res; // <--- WHERE IT BREAKS
}
A stripped down version of the h file "position_vector.h":
#include<iostream>
typedef uint32_t word_t;
class PositionVector {
public:
word_t * vec;
/*some other member variables */
PositionVector();
PositionVector(size_t len);
PositionVector & operator & ();
PositionVector & operator !();
~PositionVector();
/*some other member functions*/
void resize(size_t len);
};
I have another cpp file that defines all the methods in the class.
This is part of some larger set of code but here's the compile that fails:
g++-4.9 -std=c++11 -Werror -Wall -Wextra -g -Isrc -ggdb -c -o bin/main.o src/main.cpp
It fails with the error:
g++-4.9 -std=c++11 -Werror -Wall -Wextra -g -Isrc -ggdb -c -o bin/main.o src/main.cpp
src/main.cpp: In function ‘int main()’:
src/main.cpp:27:9: error: cannot convert ‘PositionVector’ to ‘PositionVector*’ in assignment
ptr = &res;
^
I must be missing something super basic but I've just pulled an all nighter and I have to run to work... so I cant really think full well any more.

Answer 1

You've overloaded operator& in your class:
class PositionVector {
// ...
PositionVector & operator & ();
};
When you than try to take the address, the compiler calls your overloaded member function which returns a PositionVector&. This cannot be assigned to a PositionVector* and thus you get the error.