Re: [Boost-users] Is there any class that can promote a type to the complex type?

From: Joel FALCOU (joel.falcou_at_[hidden])
Date: 2008-06-01 04:25:03

> What exactly is missing?  Is there any particular reason it can't be 
> added as free functions?

Well, basically :

- a large number of classic mathematic functions.
- a real default constructor. Initialising complex<T> to (T(0),T(0)) 
seems redundant.
- automatic conversion between complex of different base types
and overload support for complex/scalar interaction
e.g :

int main()
{
   complex<float> a(1,1);
   complex<double> b(2,2);
   complex<float> c;
   complex<int> d(2,2);

   complex<float> e(d); // Error : error: no matching function for call 	
                       // to 'complex<float>::complex(complex<int>&)'

   c = a+3.f; // works
   c = a+3;   // Error : no match for 'operator+' in 'a + 3'
   c = a+b;   // Error : no match for 'operator+' in 'a + b'
}

As you said, most of them can be fixed through free function ( the 
operator overload, the additional math function) and that's what I did 
for some of my code, but the lack of proper constructors and operator= 
seems to need some intrusive code fixes.

Maybe it's just me that have strange request or write strange code, but 
it feels strange and counterintutive that the std::complex genericiy is 
not generic enough : I don't see what's different between adding a float 
and a double (returning a double) and adding a complex of float and a 
complex of double (returning a complex<double>).

On a side note, some other improvements can be added :
- a imaginary<T> class is a possible addition (as long as complex and 
imaginary interacts together correctly) for some computation. It's only 
a matter of sparing  4-10 cycles here and there on basic operations.
- meta-function that computes types related to complex<T> (as suggested 
by the original author) like T<->complex<T>, complex types promotions, 
etc ...

Anyway, not sure it warrants a library by itself but I feel those small 
additions can be interesting.

-- 
Joel FALCOU
Research Engineer @ Institut d'Electronique Fondamentale
Université PARIS SUD XI
France