Unfortunately this didn't solved a problem... When I include <boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp> the output I get looks like this: /usr/include/boost/iostreams/detail/call_traits.hpp:20: error: redefinition of 'struct boost::iostreams::detail::param_type<T>' /usr/include/boost/iostreams/detail/param_type.hpp:20: error: previous definition of 'struct boost::iostreams::detail::param_type<T>' /usr/include/boost/iostreams/streambuf_facade.hpp:36: error: wrong number of template arguments (1, should be 2) /usr/include/boost/type_traits/is_convertible.hpp:409: error: provided for 'template<class From, class To> struct boost::is_convertible' /usr/include/boost/iostreams/streambuf_facade.hpp:38: error: template argument 1 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/streambuf_facade.hpp:38: error: expected unqualified-id before ',' token /usr/include/boost/iostreams/streambuf_facade.hpp:54: error: template argument 1 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/streambuf_facade.hpp:54: error: expected `>' before '::' token /usr/include/boost/iostreams/streambuf_facade.hpp:54: error: expected unqualified-id before ',' token /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:28: error: expected nested-name-specifier before 'io_char' /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:28: error: expected ';' before '<' token /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:30: error: expected nested-name-specifier before 'io_category' /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:30: error: expected ';' before '<' token /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:34: error: 'mode' was not declared in this scope /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:34: error: template argument 1 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:35: error: 'mode' was not declared in this scope /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:35: error: template argument 1 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:36: error: template argument 1 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:36: error: template argument 2 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:37: error: 'char_type' was not declared in this scope /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:37: error: template argument 1 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:38: error: 'mode' was not declared in this scope /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:38: error: template argument 1 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:39: error: 'char_type' was not declared in this scope /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:39: error: template argument 1 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:41: error: 'char_type' was not declared in this scope /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:41: error: template argument 1 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:42: error: template argument 1 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:42: error: template argument 2 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:42: error: template argument 3 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:42: error: template argument 4 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:42: error: template argument 6 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:50: error: template argument 1 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:50: error: expected `>' before '::' token /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:50: error: expected unqualified-id before ',' token /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:91: error: template argument 1 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:91: error: expected `>' before '::' token /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:91: error: expected unqualified-id before ',' token /usr/include/boost/iostreams/detail/call_traits.hpp:20: error: redefinition of 'struct boost::iostreams::detail::param_type<T>' /usr/include/boost/iostreams/detail/param_type.hpp:20: error: previous definition of 'struct boost::iostreams::detail::param_type<T>' /usr/include/boost/iostreams/streambuf_facade.hpp:36: error: wrong number of template arguments (1, should be 2) /usr/include/boost/type_traits/is_convertible.hpp:409: error: provided for 'template<class From, class To> struct boost::is_convertible' /usr/include/boost/iostreams/streambuf_facade.hpp:38: error: template argument 1 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/streambuf_facade.hpp:38: error: expected unqualified-id before ',' token /usr/include/boost/iostreams/streambuf_facade.hpp:54: error: template argument 1 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/streambuf_facade.hpp:54: error: expected `>' before '::' token /usr/include/boost/iostreams/streambuf_facade.hpp:54: error: expected unqualified-id before ',' token /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:28: error: expected nested-name-specifier before 'io_char' /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:28: error: expected ';' before '<' token /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:30: error: expected nested-name-specifier before 'io_category' /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:30: error: expected ';' before '<' token /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:34: error: 'mode' was not declared in this scope /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:34: error: template argument 1 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:35: error: 'mode' was not declared in this scope /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:35: error: template argument 1 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:36: error: template argument 1 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:36: error: template argument 2 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:37: error: 'char_type' was not declared in this scope /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:37: error: template argument 1 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:38: error: 'mode' was not declared in this scope /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:38: error: template argument 1 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:39: error: 'char_type' was not declared in this scope /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:39: error: template argument 1 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:41: error: 'char_type' was not declared in this scope /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:41: error: template argument 1 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:42: error: template argument 1 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:42: error: template argument 2 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:42: error: template argument 3 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:42: error: template argument 4 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:42: error: template argument 6 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:50: error: template argument 1 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:50: error: expected `>' before '::' token /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:50: error: expected unqualified-id before ',' token /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:91: error: template argument 1 is invalid /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:91: error: expected `>' before '::' token /usr/include/boost/iostreams/stream_facade.hpp:91: error: expected unqualified-id before ',' token And when I try something different and type: #include <boost/iostreams/filtering_stream.hpp> //... std::string result; boost::iostreams::filtering_ostream out(back_inserter(result)); //... gvRender(gvc,g,"png",out); then i get: ain_window.cpp:73: error: invalid conversion from 'void*' to 'FILE*' main_window.cpp:73: error: initializing argument 4 of 'int gvRender(GVC_t*, graph_t*, char*, FILE*)' Also trying this: #include <boost/iostreams/filtering_stream.hpp> //... std::string result; boost::iostreams::filtering_ostream out(back_inserter(result)); //... gvRender(gvc,g,"png",(FILE*) (out)); fails: main_window.cpp:73: error: invalid cast from type 'boost::iostreams::filtering_ostream' to type 'FILE*'