RE: [boost] Similarity between display and serialization?

From: Hurd, Matthew (hurdm_at_[hidden])
Date: 2003-12-16 08:16:39

> On Behalf Of Beman Dawes
> Sent: Tuesday, 16 December 2003 11:48 PM
> Subject: [boost] Similarity between display and serialization?
> 
> There is a discussion going on now on the C++ committee's library
> reflector, summed up by Pete Becker:
> 
>  > Yes, there is a general need for displaying an ordered set (in the
>  > broadest sense) of things, whether we call that set a pair, a
tuple, a
>  > container, a complex number, or whatever.
> 
> Discussion included ways of providing user customizable formatting for
> such
> display.
> 
> This strikes me as the same problem as the much discussed (on Boost)
issue
> of user-customizable serialization formats.
> 
> I wonder what those who have been following Robert Ramey's
serialization
> proposal closely think? Could one mechanism solve both serialization
and
> display needs?
> 
> --Beman

Could, yes.  Should, definitely.  Serialization and display are the same
"concept to representation" mapping problem.  Also, streaming input and
output for display and / or file should have the appropriate symmetry to
make them compatible.  

Robert's approach would seem appropriate, but perhaps a simpler approach
would also be possible for human readable output which would be a subset
of full serialization, but why shuffle when you can dance ;-)

$0.02,

Matt Hurd
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