[boost] Universal user interface based only on C++ standard libraries

Subject: [boost] Universal user interface based only on C++ standard libraries
From: Jonathan Enders (jenders_at_[hidden])
Date: 2009-06-25 15:53:48

One feature I am always missing when programming in a non-interpreted 
language like C is the ability to interactively execute the program 
without writing an entire mechanism for that. This "interpreted when 
typed"-feature proves itself very useful in python for instance.

Although it might be too hard if not impossible to make a "compiled and 
executed when typed"-feature for C it is possible to just give the user 
the ability to access a huge amount of the functionality of let's say an 
object. It's just a lot of work to make all the properties accessible 
and you might blemish the looks of your actually ui-independent class.

A workaround can be applied to lessen the damage. It would consist of 
just a single function that the class has to implement. That function 
exports all the functionality (options) to a ui-system which takes care 
of the command handling and user interaction. This works to the point 
that it can actually completely replace the ui-design-process (well the 
ui-system still has to be initialized, 3 lines of code). The work to 
make the C++ standard library ui-accessible could be taken from the user 
in advance.

As I don't know if any of that is of any relevance to the boost 
community I will leave it at that. It just seems like a big lack to me 
that the boost-libraries still have no means of user interaction. If 
there is any interest in the above I have a working sample which 
demonstrates what words can only poorly describe.

Thanks