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From: Fernando Cacciola (fcacciola_at_[hidden])
Date: 2002-01-25 11:07:09


RE: [boost] Proposal for lexical_cast/lexical_convertSorry about the previous post, I hit the wrong key!

  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Björn Karlsson
  To: 'boost_at_[hidden]'
  Sent: Friday, January 25, 2002 12:58 PM
  Subject: RE: [boost] Proposal for lexical_cast/lexical_convert

> From: Fernando Cacciola [mailto:fcacciola_at_[hidden]]
>
> I think this would be really useful, but I would use a
> different signature:
>
> template<typename Target, typename Source>
> Target lexical_convert(Source arg, bool* succeeded = 0 ) ;
>
> This has some advantages:
>
> 1) You don't have to remember which parameter, first or second, is the
> source/target.
> 2) It looks closer to any other convertion function in that
> it returns the
> converted value.
> 3) You can use it ignoring the boolean flag in cases you
> don't care to test
> if it succeeded at all
> (that's why the boolean parameter is a pointer and not a
> reference)
>

  Alas, there's also a downside to this approach - the type of Target cannot be deduced.

True.

Anyway, most casts require explicit targeting, so I think that the advantages outweigh this limitation.

Fernando Cacciola
Sierra s.r.l.
fcacciola_at_[hidden]
www.gosierra.com



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