[boost] Re: Problems with program_options using GCC 3.4 on FreeBSD

From: Vladimir Prus (ghost_at_[hidden])
Date: 2004-07-21 08:24:37

Hi Jonathan,

> I've just tried building the program_options library, using GCC 3.4.1
> on FreeBSD 4.8 and hit a couple of compilation errors.
> One error is caused by the platform, one by the compiler's stdlib.
> 
> The first problem is line 116 in
> libs/program_options/src/utf8_codecvt_facet.cpp

> /data/development/jw/src/extcvs/boost/libs/program_options/build/../src/utf8_codecvt_facet.cpp:116:
> error: `WCHAR_MAX' undeclared (first use this function)
> /data/development/jw/src/extcvs/boost/libs/program_options/build/../src/utf8_codecvt_facet.cpp:116:
> error: (Each undeclared identifier is reported only once for each function
> it appears in.)
> 
> WCHAR_MAX is not defined by FreeBSD's wchar.h.
> Can boost::numeric_limits<wchar_t> be used instead?

Does FreeBSD's wchar.h defines anything similiar? If not, could you indeed
try using boost::numeric_limits. If it works, I'll make the change in CVS
and see if this breaks anything else.

> The second problem is visible because I built GCC with concept-checks
> enabled, which means the STL containers use a version of Boost's concept
> checks. This reveals that boost/program_options/options_description.hpp
> uses an incomplete type on line 232:

Hmmm.... the boiled down example is:

   class options_description {
        std::vector<options_description> groups;
   };

I'm really not sure what's going on there, because the standard does not say
if instantinating a vector with incomplete type is allowed (or disallowed).
Further, somehow the main regression tests have no problems.  

> This error can be reproduced by compiling with -D_GLIBCXX_CONCEPT_CHECKS,
> or -D_GLIBCXX_DEBUG. Both the concept-checks and debug mode will reject
> std::vector< incomplete type >.

For me only _GLIBCXX_CONCEPT_CHECKS triggers the error (on Debian). So the
primary question: is it allowed to instantiate vector with incomplete type?
If yes, it's a bug in g++, otherwise, it's a bug in program options.

- Volodya

> 
> jon
>