Re: [boost] Re: Formal Review: Template Metaprogramming Library (MPL)

From: David Abrahams (david.abrahams_at_[hidden])
Date: 2002-07-23 07:59:34

From: "Peter Dimov" <pdimov_at_[hidden]>

> I kind of like Mat Marcus' 'quote' terminology, where metafunction
classes
> are called 'quoted metafunctions', and meta_fun[N] is spelled quote[N].
Have
> you considered it?

I think I prefer "metafunction class" to "quoted metafunction" for ordinary
use, but I have to agree with Peter's suggestion in this case.
meta_fun1<foo> sounds like it's making a metafunction, not a metafunction
class. However, "quote" can be understood as follows:

    Using the type manipulation facilities of a metaprogramming library,
    there's normally only one thing you can do with a metafunction, (since
    it's not a type, but a type template): invoke it. In order to produce
    a metafunction class that can be returned from a metafunction or placed
    in a type sequence, the metafunction may be "quoted" by passing it to
    the quote[1|2] templates...

-Dave