Re: [boost] [functional] adding overload

Subject: Re: [boost] [functional] adding overload
From: Lorenzo Caminiti (lorcaminiti_at_[hidden])
Date: 2012-01-31 19:23:22

On Mon, Jan 30, 2012 at 1:34 PM, Dave Abrahams <dave_at_[hidden]> wrote:
>
> on Tue Jan 17 2012, Lorenzo Caminiti <lorcaminiti-AT-gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> as a user. I picked overloaded_function.
>>
>> Here's a first draft for the docs:
>>
>> https://svn.boost.org/svn/boost/sandbox/closure/libs/functional/overloaded_function/doc/html/index.html
>>
>> Comments welcome.
>
> What are the use-cases for such a beast?

Just the case that you have a bunch of functions (function pointers,
function references, and monomorphic functors) with different names
and you want to combine them into an API with a single overloaded
function name.

History: The idea was originally raised as a side discussion on the
limitation that local functions cannot be polymorphic
http://lists.boost.org/Archives/boost/2011/05/181501.php . No
Boost.Local reviewer raised concerns on adding overloaded_function and
the consensus was to potentially add it under Boost.Functional.
However, my impression was that all reviewers saw this as a "nice to
have" (so no object but not strong preference for addition either). I
since then asked Boost.Functional authors (and Boosters in general) if
there is any concern with adding this functionality but I didn't get
much of a reply :(

Do you have any concern?

Thanks.
--Lorenzo