Re: Thoughts on Format

From: bill_kempf (williamkempf_at_[hidden])
Date: 2002-01-30 18:08:13

--- In boost_at_y..., James Kanze <kanze_at_g...> wrote:
> Karl Nelson <kenelson_at_e...> writes:
> |>  People keep putting to high of emphasis on the reordering which
> |>  really is only rarely used.
> 
> What does "rarely used" mean?  I've rarely written a program which
> didn't use it.
> 
> Your statement was "not used except in translation."  But strings 
that
> won't be translated are pretty much the exception today, aren't 
they?

Getting to be, any way.

My own opinion is that generalized formatting is already handled 
quite nicely by iostream manipulators any way (the only two arguments 
I've ever heard against this was that "printf" was more intuitive, 
which is true only for old C coders, and that the manipulator 
approach was very verbose, but I could care less about that).  The 
only reason why I find the "format" concept exciting is because it 
will allow for positional parameters.  It's really the only facility 
missing today.  So, yes, I do "put a high emphasis on the 
reordering", and whether or not that's a frequent need is, to me, 
irrelevant.

Bill Kempf