[boost] Re: Formal Review: Variant Library

From: Eric Friedman (ebf_at_[hidden])
Date: 2003-02-17 21:06:42

Fernando Cacciola wrote:
> I'm trying the variant library, by currently it doesn't
> compile with bcc551.
> I'd like to be able to compile it with my compiler so I can base my
> vote (tentatively to accept it) on more than the documentation
> and interpretation of the code.

Thanks for the tentative acceptance. Is there anything so far in the
documentation or your interpretation of the implementation on which you'd
like to comment?

> The first problem is that the current type_traits/type_with_alignment.hpp
> does not expose max_align any more for the Borland compilers.
> The second problem is the extensive usage of non-type template parameters
> that don't follow the guidelines for integral constant expressions
> (full qualified access). For instance, as a rule of thumb, don't use:
> "bool_c<xyz::value>" but "bool<xyz>"; both mpl and the new type traits
> have been designed to work with the second form which works with Borland.

Where is bool<>? (And how would that even work, seeing as bool is a reserved
keyword?)

I don't see it in the Boost 1.29 release or the main CVS. Where are you
looking? Or exactly what technique are you describing?

> Since the bcc5.5.1 command line compiler is available from
> http://www.borland.com/index.html
> I ask the variant developers to download it and make the necessary
changes.
> AFACIT there are many changes but they're all trivial.
> I can assist them by indicating what to change, but I don't have the time
> right now
> to made the changes myself.

Getting variant to work under just two compilers (GCC 3.2 and MSVC7) as
required by the formal review submission guidelines has been sufficiently
time-consuming. This is why more compilers are not already supported.

However, I *am interested* in porting variant to other compilers in the
future, and I do welcome any assistance in this regard.

Thanks for your comments,
Eric