On Dec 1, 2009, at 12:43 PM, Robert Ramey wrote:
Vladimir Prus wrote:
Robert Ramey wrote:
Robert Ramey
It didn't require learning to use Boost.Serialization.
Here is what you're example looks like with boost serialization
#include <iostream> #include <boost/serialization/vector.hpp> #include <boost/serialization/map.hpp> #include <boost/serialization/list.hpp> #include <boost/serialization/string.hpp> //#include <boost/date_time.hpp> #include <boost/archive/text_oarchive.hpp> int main(int argc, char * argv[]){ boost::archive::text_oarchive output_log(std::cout); // simple vector example std::vector<int> vi; vi.push_back(1); vi.push_back(2); vi.push_back(3); output_log << vi;
While this is possible, with a custom archive class, I hope you'll agree that it will be rather heavyweight solution,
Hmmm - I realize that the serialization library has a lot of template code. But to me the issue is conceptual "heaviness".
The only line that might look heavy to anyone is boost::archive::text_oarchive output_log(std::cout); So, perhaps Vladimir should create an alias typedef boost::archive::text_oarchive arch; and then: arch(std::cout) << v; // v is a standard vector for a simple one-shot archive... I cannot see anything heavy at all, but that might be a disease related to having spent 23 years with C++ and having implemented CFront alternatives in the old days :-( Perhaps even using a simple wrapper function would make Vladimir less stressed? template<typename Cont> std::ostream& output(Cont const& cont, std::ostream & stream = std::cout) { boost::archive::text_oarchive(stream) << cont; return stream; } and then use output(v); or output(v, std::cerr);
In both libraries, the idea is to wrap extra information about types so that they can easily be displayed on a stream. In either library you just write
#include ... ...
output_stream << data
I just don't see the value in re-inventing of a whole new wheel.
Vladimir's claim is that his solution is lighter in two aspects (I think): 1. Easier to use 2. Not dependent on Boost I hope we all realize that, no, #1 is not the case, and if so, one can create a simple wrapper as the one above to make it easier. So, what about #2? Well, as a proposed Boost library, it is no longer that important.
By the time such a library would pass the boost review process, I'm sure it would be just as heavy weight (or more) than boost serialization. One would have a whole new interface to to something that is less capable.
Already the serialization library has an xml_archive as well as text archive.
while a simple output of output of std::vector can be implement in a 3-line template function.
I didn't have to write even one line to template code to implement the example.
This is a point of confusion for Vladimir, and I will comment on it in a more recent post. /David