[boost] Best method of checking for ==, <, streamability

Subject: [boost] Best method of checking for ==, <, streamability
From: Christopher Jefferson (chris_at_[hidden])
Date: 2010-11-01 13:15:54

A user recently posted on boost-users asking for operator== support in boost::any. I have added this support to my private version, which extends spirit's implementation of any. I am interested in cleaning this up and submitting it to replace boost::any, if everyone is happy with this.

The major issue is that my implementation requires type support operator==, operator< , hash and operator<< / operator>>. Are there any techniques in boost for detecting the presence of these operators which are sufficiently reliable they could be used in boost::any?

Apologises for this question, but I have lost track of how well such checks can be implemented.

Thanks,

Christopher Jefferson