I've just made an attempt to use the named parameters library (currently in review queue, and available at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/boost/files/named_params.zip) to simply properties in BGL.
Currently, to initialize all properties one has to do:
edge_descriptor e = add_edge(....); put(e, g, vertex_color, 10); put(e, g, vertex_name, "foo");
I hope that with the named parameters library it will be possible to do:
add_edge(v1, v2, (vertex_color = 10, vertex_name = "foo"), g);
FWIW, I could try and see if it will be possible to use the assign lib to write something like assign::add_egde( v1, v2, g )(vertex_color,10)(vertex_name, "foo" ); or maybe assign::inserter<X> edge_adder( g ); edge_adder( v1,v2 )(vertex_color,10)(vertex_name, "foo" ); edge_adder( v1,v3 )(vertex_color,10)(vertex_name, "bar" ); when I add the new functionality. br Thorsten