Re: [boost] Re: Re: Boost Array Initialization Technique

From: christopher diggins (cdiggins_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-05-31 16:15:19

"Jonathan Turkanis" <technews_at_[hidden]> wrote in message 
news:d7iigr$7tn$1_at_sea.gmane.org...
> boost::array is just supposed to give built-in arrays a container 
> interface.
> Built-in arrays never have size 0, so I don't see why boost::arrays 
> should.

It would indicate that the array was not yet initialized and could help 
prevent erroneous use of uninitialized arrays. This behaviour is in fact 
implied by the fact that there exists an empty() function and separate 
size() and max_size() functions. The documentation IMO contradicts the 
intuitive interepretation of the class declaration.

> compare:
>
>     boost::array<int, 2> ar = { { 1, 2, 3 } };
>
> with
>
>    boost::array<int, 2> ar;
>    initialize(ar) = 1, 2, 3;
>
> I like the first one.

If operator=(T x) was defined then we could instead have the significantly 
better:

boost::array<int, 2> ar;
ar = 1, 2, 3;

-- 
Christopher Diggins
http://www.cdiggins.com