RE: [boost] Re: algorithms namespace

From: Paul A Bristow (boost_at_[hidden])
Date: 2004-02-19 10:55:08

| -----Original Message-----
| From: boost-bounces_at_[hidden]
| [mailto:boost-bounces_at_[hidden]] On Behalf Of Reece Dunn
| Sent: 18 February 2004 17:23
| To: boost_at_[hidden]
| Subject: RE: [boost] Re: algorithms namespace
| 
| 
| Stefan Slapeta wrote:
| >Pavol Droba wrote:
| >
| >>It is not really reasonable to await from
| >>     a user to always type boost::algorithm::string::trim.
| >>
| >
| >Maybe it could help a little bit to replace 'algorithm' by 'algo' and

| >'string' by 'str'.
| >
| >IMHO, also shorter namespaces like 'boost::filesystem' have
| the problem
| >of
| >beeing too long to be used on every access. Long typenames like
| >boost::filesystem::directory_iterator have a very high 
| capability to make
| >the code unreadable very quickly.
| 
| why not use:
|    namespace sa = boost::algorithm::string;
|    sa::trim( ... );
| or
|    namespace fs = boost::filesystem;
|    fs::directory_iterator di = ...;
| 
| Surely this gives you what you are after (shorter namespace
| names) without 
| modifying the namespace currently used by the library (which 
| will break 
| existing code that uses the libraries).
| 
| This is what namespace aliases are for and is used for the filesystem
| library in the regression test implementation.
| 
| Regards,
| Reece

Definitely, and also one can (and often should) write

using boost::algorithm::string::trim; // etc 
using boost::filesystem::iterator; // Perhaps locally, if a more
'global' declaration might cause ambiguity problems.

So I strongly oppose the use of abbreviated names.

One of Boost's strengths is the refusal to use incomprehensible
abbreviations. (Spare a thought too for what may be the majority of
users - those whose first language is not english. Abbreviations won't
appear in the dictionary.)

Paul

Paul A Bristow
Prizet Farmhouse, Kendal, Cumbria UK LA8 8AB
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mailto: pbristow_at_[hidden]