Re: [boost] Re: Template-based BIL IDL

From: Rene Rivera (grafik.list_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-02-01 23:00:10

Jonathan Turkanis wrote:
> Matthew Vogt wrote:
> 
>>Anyhow, my problem with the macro-based IDL is that it obscures the
>>function signatures so badly, partly by separating the components so I
>>don't recognise them as a signature, and partly by encasing them in a
>>dense text block.
>>
>>I think that this:
>>
>>BOOST_IDL_BEGIN(Interface)
>>  BOOST_IDL_CONST_FN2(print, void, ostream&, int)
>>BOOST_IDL_END(Interface)
>>
>>is readability-wise so far away from:
>>
>>struct Interface
>>{
>>  void print(ostream&, int) const;
>>};
>>
>>that it is an enormous hurdle for BIL to overcome.
> 
> I'm sympathetic to this point of view. The reason it doesn't seem so bad to me
> is that only a relatively small part of coding with BIL is actually defining
> interfaces; the code which uses the interfaces is just ordinary C++.
> 
> Do you have any suggestions for improving the macro syntax? For instance, do you
> like David Abrahams's suggested syntax better:
> 
>     DECLARE_INTERFACE(
>       Interface,
>       ((int)(print)(ostream&)(int))
>     );
> 
> ?
> 
> (I'm not sure where to stick 'const')

Or the one I use for my project...

INHERITED(INTERFACE(DataTransferEvent),Event)
        ENUM(DataTransferEventType)
                NAME(Type VALUE(0x003))
        ENUM_CLOSE
        ENUM(Request)
                NAME(DataExtent)
                NAME(Data)
                NAME(Complete)
        ENUM_CLOSE
        METHOD(DataTransferEvent::Request,getRequest,ARGS0,throw())
        VOID_METHOD(getRequestData,ARGS2(UInt64&,UInt64&),throw())
        VOID_METHOD(readDataExtent,ARGS1(UInt64&),throw())
        VOID_METHOD(readData,ARGS3(UInt64&,UInt64&,Pointer&),throw())
        METHOD(bool,isComplete,ARGS0,throw())
        VOID_METHOD(setDataExtent,ARGS1(UInt64),throw())
        VOID_METHOD(setData,ARGS3(UInt64,UInt64,Pointer),throw())
        VOID_METHOD(setComplete,ARGS0,throw())
INTERFACE_CLOSE
INTERFACE(Exception)
        METHOD(UString,getMessage,ARGS0,throw())
        METHOD(UString,getDescription,ARGS0,throw())
        DECLARE_NESTED(INTERFACE(PreconditionViolation))
        DECLARE_NESTED(INTERFACE(InvalidArgument))
        DECLARE_NESTED(INTERFACE(InvalidResult))
INTERFACE_CLOSE

(and many more.. documentation comments and whitespace elided)

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