Re: [Boost-users] Why is there so much co-dependency in Boost?Is there anything to be done about it?

Subject: Re: [Boost-users] Why is there so much co-dependency in Boost?Is there anything to be done about it?
From: Robert Ramey (ramey_at_[hidden])
Date: 2012-09-04 22:04:26

Lars Viklund wrote:
> On Tue, Sep 04, 2012 at 07:38:41PM +0200, Oliver Kowalke wrote:
>> Am 04.09.2012 20:29, schrieb Robert Ramey:
>>> a) don't use "convenience headers" which suck in all the headers in
>>> a library rather than just the one's used.
>>
>> I've read an advice on the mailing list that boost libraries should
>> provide a 'all.hpp' (containing all headers of the library). Is it
>> not recommended any more?
>
> I'd say they serve two different types of crowds. There's the people
> that care about dependencies and build times, and there's the people
> that want to pull in everything for proof-of-concept or exploratory
> coding without looking up everything constantly in documentation.
>
> It would be a major disservice to the latter kind if there was no
> boost/foo/kitchen_sink.hpp for library foo.

OK - we can compromise on this point.  Authors can provide
convenience headers for this type of user ...
>
> There's an additional reason as to why some people include
> all-headers, and that's documentation that doesn't clearly mention in
> which headers different functionality exists.

while at the same time (re)organizing the documentation and code to
support the inclusion of only necessary code.

> There's some Boost libraries that are completely implicit about which
> headers contains what parts, which makes it some major guesswork to
> get the bits and pieces you want included, especially if you do not
> have #include-completion in your editor.

Which is a source of the problems that the original poster is noting.

Let's update code/dcoument/review guidlines to include these
considerations.

Robert Ramey