? libs/any/a.out
Index: boost/any.hpp
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvsroot/boost/boost/boost/any.hpp,v
retrieving revision 1.9
diff -u -r1.9 any.hpp
--- boost/any.hpp	16 Sep 2004 11:23:30 -0000	1.9
+++ boost/any.hpp	16 Feb 2005 08:41:00 -0000
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 #include <typeinfo>
 
 #include "boost/config.hpp"
+#include <boost/type_traits/remove_reference.hpp>
 #include <boost/throw_exception.hpp>
 
 namespace boost
@@ -170,12 +171,24 @@
     template<typename ValueType>
     ValueType any_cast(const any & operand)
     {
-        const ValueType * result = any_cast<ValueType>(&operand);
+        typedef typename remove_reference<ValueType>::type value_type;
+        const value_type * result = any_cast<value_type>(&operand);
         if(!result)
             boost::throw_exception(bad_any_cast());
         return *result;
     }
 
+    template<typename ValueType>
+    ValueType any_cast(any & operand)
+    {
+        typedef typename remove_reference<ValueType>::type value_type;
+        value_type * result = any_cast<value_type>(&operand);
+        if(!result)
+            boost::throw_exception(bad_any_cast());
+        return *result;
+    }
+
+
 }
 
 // Copyright Kevlin Henney, 2000, 2001, 2002. All rights reserved.
Index: libs/any/any_test.cpp
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvsroot/boost/boost/libs/any/any_test.cpp,v
retrieving revision 1.4
diff -u -r1.4 any_test.cpp
--- libs/any/any_test.cpp	11 Oct 2004 10:45:27 -0000	1.4
+++ libs/any/any_test.cpp	16 Feb 2005 08:41:00 -0000
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
     void test_bad_cast();
     void test_swap();
     void test_null_copying();
+    void test_cast_to_reference();
 
     const test_case test_cases[] =
     {
@@ -45,7 +46,8 @@
         { "converting assignment operator", test_converting_assign },
         { "failed custom keyword cast",     test_bad_cast          },
         { "swap member function",           test_swap              },
-        { "copying operations on a null",   test_null_copying      }
+        { "copying operations on a null",   test_null_copying      },
+        { "casting to reference",           test_cast_to_reference }
     };
 
     const test_case_iterator begin = test_cases;
@@ -185,6 +187,15 @@
         check_true(copied.empty(), "empty on copied");
         check_true(assigned.empty(), "empty on copied");
     }
+
+    void test_cast_to_reference()
+    {
+        int i = 1;
+        any a = i;
+        int& i2 = any_cast<int&>(a);
+        i2 = 2;
+        check_equal(any_cast<int>(a), 2, "value was modified");
+    }
 }
 
 // Copyright Kevlin Henney, 2000, 2001. All rights reserved.
@@ -192,4 +203,4 @@
 // Distributed under the Boost Software License, Version 1.0. (See
 // accompanying file LICENSE_1_0.txt or copy at
 // http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt)
-//
\ No newline at end of file
+//