How do I avoid implicit conversions on non-constructing functions?

How do I avoid implicit casting on non-constructing functions?
I have a function that takes an integer as a parameter,
but that function will also take characters, bools, and longs.
I believe it does this by implicitly casting them.
How can I avoid this so that the function only accepts parameters of a matching type, and will refuse to compile otherwise?
There is a keyword "explicit" but it does not work on non-constructing functions. :\
what do I do?

The following program compiles, although I'd like it not to:

#include <cstdlib>

//the function signature requires an int
void function(int i);

int main(){

    int i{5};
    function(i); //<- this is acceptable

    char c{'a'};
    function(c); //<- I would NOT like this to compile

    return EXIT_SUCCESS;
}

void function(int i){return;}

*please be sure to point out any misuse of terminology and assumptions

Define function template which matches all other types:

void function(int); // this will be selected for int only

template <class T>
void function(T) = delete; // C++11 

This is because non-template functions with direct matching are always considered first. Then the function template with direct match are considered - so never function<int> will be used. But for anything else, like char, function<char> will be used - and this gives your compilation errrors:

void function(int) {}

template <class T>
void function(T) = delete; // C++11 


int main() {
   function(1);
   function(char(1)); // line 12
} 

ERRORS:

prog.cpp: In function 'int main()':
prog.cpp:4:6: error: deleted function 'void function(T) [with T = char]'
prog.cpp:12:20: error: used here

This is C++03 way:

// because this ugly code will give you compilation error for all other types
class DeleteOverload
{
private:
    DeleteOverload(void*);
};


template <class T>
void function(T a, DeleteOverload = 0);

void function(int a)
{}

You can't directly, because a char automatically gets promoted to int.

You can resort to a trick though: create a function that takes a char as parameter and don't implement it. It will compile, but you'll get a linker error:

void function(int i) 
{
}
void function(char i);
//or, in C++11
void function(char i) = delete;

Calling the function with a char parameter will break the build.

See http://ideone.com/2SRdM

Terminology: non-construcing functions? Do you mean a function that is not a constructor?

8 years later (PRE-C++20, see edit):

The most modern solution, if you don't mind template functions -which you may mind-, is to use a templated function with std::enable_if and std::is_same.

Namely:

// Where we want to only take int
template <class T, std::enable_if_t<std::is_same_v<T,int>,bool> = false>
void func(T x) {
    
}

EDIT (c++20)

I've recently switched to c++20 and I believe that there is a better way. If your team or you don't use c++20, or are not familiar with the new concepts library, do not use this. This is much nicer and the intended method as outlines in the new c++20 standard, and by the writers of the new feature (read a papers written by Bjarne Stroustrup here.

template <class T>
    requires std::same_as(T,int)
void func(T x) {
    //...
}

Small Edit (different pattern for concepts)

The following is a much better way, because it explains your reason, to have an explicit int. If you are doing this frequently, and would like a good pattern, I would do the following:

template <class T>
concept explicit_int = std::same_as<T,int>;

template <explicit_int T>
void func(T x) {

}

Small edit 2 (the last I promise)

Also a way to accomplish this possibility:

template <class T>
concept explicit_int = std::same_as<T,int>;

void func(explicit_int auto x) {

}

Here's a general solution that causes an error at compile time if function is called with anything but an int

template <typename T>
struct is_int { static const bool value = false; };

template <>
struct is_int<int> { static const bool value = true; };


template <typename T>
void function(T i) {
  static_assert(is_int<T>::value, "argument is not int");
  return;
}

int main() {
  int i = 5;
  char c = 'a';

  function(i);
  //function(c);

  return 0;
}

It works by allowing any type for the argument to function but using is_int as a type-level predicate. The generic implementation of is_int has a false value but the explicit specialization for the int type has value true so that the static assert guarantees that the argument has exactly type int otherwise there is a compile error.

For C++14 (and I believe C++11), you can disable copy constructors by overloading rvalue-references as well:

Example: Say you have a base Binding<C> class, where C is either the base Constraint class, or an inherited class. Say you are storing Binding<C> by value in a vector, and you pass a reference to the binding and you wish to ensure that you do not cause an implicit copy.

You may do so by deleting func(Binding<C>&& x) (per PiotrNycz's example) for rvalue-reference specific cases.

Snippet:

template<typename T>
void overload_info(const T& x) {
  cout << "overload: " << "const " << name_trait<T>::name() << "&" << endl;
}

template<typename T>
void overload_info(T&& x) {
  cout << "overload: " << name_trait<T>::name() << "&&" << endl;
}

template<typename T>
void disable_implicit_copy(T&& x) = delete;

template<typename T>
void disable_implicit_copy(const T& x) {
  cout << "[valid] ";
  overload_info<T>(x);
}

...

int main() {
  Constraint c;
  LinearConstraint lc(1);

  Binding<Constraint> bc(&c, {});
  Binding<LinearConstraint> blc(&lc, {});

  CALL(overload_info<Binding<Constraint>>(bc));
  CALL(overload_info<Binding<LinearConstraint>>(blc));

  CALL(overload_info<Binding<Constraint>>(blc));

  CALL(disable_implicit_copy<Binding<Constraint>>(bc));
  // // Causes desired error
  // CALL(disable_implicit_copy<Binding<Constraint>>(blc));
}

Output:

>>> overload_info(bc)
overload: T&&

>>> overload_info<Binding<Constraint>>(bc)
overload: const Binding<Constraint>&

>>> overload_info<Binding<LinearConstraint>>(blc)
overload: const Binding<LinearConstraint>&

>>> overload_info<Binding<Constraint>>(blc)
implicit copy: Binding<LinearConstraint>  ->  Binding<Constraint>
overload: Binding<Constraint>&&

>>> disable_implicit_copy<Binding<Constraint>>(bc)
[valid] overload: const Binding<Constraint>&

Error (with clang-3.9 in bazel, when offending line is uncommented):

cpp_quick/prevent_implicit_conversion.cc:116:8: error: call to deleted function 'disable_implicit_copy'
  CALL(disable_implicit_copy<Binding<Constraint>>(blc));
       ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Full Source Code: prevent_implicit_conversion.cc