Re: [boost] shared_ptr implementation without template friends

From: Neil Stewart (nwstewart_at_[hidden])
Date: 2000-07-31 16:46:53

----- Original Message -----
From: David Abrahams

> This sounds to me like the way the MSVC feature works. Doesn't the
> auto-completion find private members, too? I can't seem to get that
feature
> to work for me in VC right now, so I can't test it, but I wouldn't want to
> be compelled to mangle all of my private names so that people wouldn't use
> them.

It does complete private members, as do many editors (quite useful when
you're writing the class's members). The point is, though, that the compiler
will generate an error if they do access the member illegally. What I have
been trying to suggest is a way to make this happen for public members that
should really be private (but cannot be on broken compilers). I wouldn't
dream of suggesting doing this with any private members.

> Give those people a slap on the wrist. Even if they randomly find a member
> name, how will they know what it means without reading the source? If they
> look at the source it will be revealed as a member that "should be
private".

Hehe, some people can take quite a slapping before the message sinks in.

I agree fully with the sentiments people have expressed here. A warning
comment *should* be sufficient, but people do take shortcuts (especially
with deadlines looming), and in many cases with the best of intentions.

The problem I have with what people are saying here is that they are not
criticising the method I was suggesting (on the whole), but the notion that
it needs to be done at all. I'm not that fond of the method either, but I
was hoping to see what people thought could be done in that direction to get
a similar result, if possible.

- Neil.