The function boost::property_tree::xml_parser::validate_flags(int) is defined in a header but not a template or declared inline, causing multiple definition errors.
True. Additionally, some internal functions in registry_parser.hpp suffer from the same. I'll fix it. Current regressions do not detect it, because it only happens if you include xml parser or registry parser in more than one translation unit. Need to add regression for it.
Defaulting to case-insensitve matching is surprising to me. It is true that some formats for which parsers are supplied are case insensitive, but xml and (typically) command lines are not. The parsers are independent of the tree in any case. Is there a rationale for this default?
Case-insensitive matching only applies to key comparisions. The keys maintain their case during all read or write operations. So, it is going to cause problems only if you have subkeys of the same key, which only differ by case. On the other hand, case-insensitive matching is easy on non-programmers, who often write and edit scripts. When working for my previous employer I found it impossible to persuade some of the script-writers to use correct indentation, let alone use consistent case. If that is a problem, one solution would be to add iptree and wiptree typedefs that work case insensitive, while ptree and wptree work case-sensitive.
I would prefer if the third (bool pointer) parameter to ptree::get_d was optional and defaulted to 0. I would use this function in order to not have to care about the presence of the value and don't imagine I would use the flag much, if ever. I never saw a need to provide it in my own library.
The reason why it does not default to zero is that previous versions of get didn't have the distinguishing letters "_b", "_d", and defaulting of parameter caused ambiguities. Now this probably no longer applies, and it can be made default - as soon as I make sure that expressions like that are not ambiguous: bool b1 = get_d("key", false, 0); bool b2 = get_d('/', "key", false); int i1 = get_d("key", 0, 0); int i2 = get_d('/', "key", 0); cheers, Marcin Kalicinski