Re: [boost] Preprocessor: Nested loops

From: Martin Bonner (martin.bonner_at_[hidden])
Date: 2006-02-21 06:28:33

From: Paul Mensonides

> All of this is the status quo of the library.  There are two other
> models that are superior in terms of ease of use and avoidance of
> these types of issues. 
> 
> The first of these, I use in a different (far more powerful)
> preprocessor library.  The problem with this model is that it
> isn't portable to broken  preprocessors (which are heavily used
> by users of Boost--e.g. VC++).
> 
> The second alternative model revolves around automatically deducing
> all algorithm states whenever they are needed. 
[snip].

There is a third model - don't use the C++ preprocessor, but use a more
general purpose text transformation tool like M4, or awk/perl/python, or
a custom tool written with bison or boost::Spirit.

I'm not knocking the preprocessor library with that suggestion.  An
external tool would be no use for a library like boost where it is very
difficult to control the compilation system.  Furthermore, the heroics
involved in implementing the boost preprocessor library mean that using
it is remarkably simple.  

I just wanted to point out that there is always another option.

-- 
Martin Bonner
Martin.Bonner_at_[hidden]
Pi Technology, Milton Hall, Ely Road, Milton, Cambridge, CB4 6WZ,
ENGLAND Tel: [phone]