Re: to_string(v)

From: brianjparker (brianjparker_at_[hidden])
Date: 2002-01-27 22:10:33

--- In boost_at_y..., "Peter Dimov" <pdimov_at_m...> wrote:
> I just wrote this:
> 
> template<class V> std::string to_string(V const & v)
> {
>     std::ostringstream os;
>     os << v;
>     return os.str();
> }
> 
> template<> std::string to_string(std::string const & v)
> {
>     return v;
> }
> 
> for Nth time. Why don't we have this in Boost? And where should it 
go?

I agree wholeheartedly with this- I use this function regularly and 
would like to see it in the Boost utility header.
(An example that I use a lot is in debug messages, e.g. one can 
use "Var 1:" + to_string(var) + "etc...").

A minor improvement may be to add an overload-

inline
std::string to_string(const char* in)
{
        std::string str(in);
        return str;
}

which, although redundant, is more efficient for a C string argument 
(of course, one could just use std::string(in) directly, but using 
to_string is more consistent).

In fact, this would be an excellent function to add to the standard 
<string> header in the next library revision- perhaps someone on the 
committee could put in a formal proposal to add it.

,Brian Parker