On Tue, Feb 17, 2009 at 5:18 PM, <Vladimir.Batov@wrsa.com.au> wrote:
string encrypted = boost::string::convert(naked_str) >> my_cypher; string decrypted = boost::string::convert(encrypted) >> my_cypher;
What's wrong with: std::string encrypted=encrypt(naked_str); std::string decrypted=decrypt(encrypted);
My problem is that I can't think of a case when I would be writing code that doesn't "know" if it is going "to" or "from" string.
Again, string-to-string (or string-from-string) comes to mind. Any directionality seems superfluous and I personally find the code above quite appropriate.
Sigh. I guess it is possible to cram any functionality that takes a string and returns a string into convert() and >> but I wouldn't call it appropriate. I still can't think of a use case when I'd want to convert a non-string to string, or string to non-string, but I don't know which way.
I've needed to convert things specifically to std::string plenty of times to justify a simple interface where to_string returns std::string. I want to be able, in a header file, to just say: struct foo; std::string to_string( foo const & ); std::string to_string( foo const &, fmt ); and be done with it.
I hope that the suggested interface and implementation allow enough flexibility and simplicity without limiting one to std::string only:
namespace bstring = boost::string;
std::string s1 = bstring::convert(foo); std::string s1 = bstring::convert(foo) >> std::hex; // add formatting std::Wstring s1 = bstring::convert(foo, std::wtring()); // convert to wide string std::Wstring s1 = bstring::convert<std::wstring>(foo); // same as above
I was specifically concerned with the foo header, that is, how would the foo to_string declarations look like, not how you'd call them. Note that both to_string overloads I specified aren't templates. If we assume that fmt is some kind of formatting string, then foo.hpp could look like: #include <string> class foo; std::string to_string( foo const & ); std::string to_string( foo const &, char const * fmt ); What would this header look like using convert()? Emil Dotchevski Reverge Studios, Inc. http://www.revergestudios.com/reblog/index.php?n=ReCode