Re: [boost] [Property Tree]Problem domain

From: Rene Rivera (grafik.list_at_[hidden])
Date: 2006-04-23 17:21:24

Gennadiy Rozental wrote:
> "Rene Rivera" wrote in message
>> Even though I don't have the time to review this library. I have one
>> comment about this...
>>
>> Gennadiy Rozental wrote:
>>
>>> Option 4:
>>> Facility to manipulate hieratical application configuration that have to 
>>> be
>>> human editable and application writable at the same time.
>>> =======================
>> My understanding from previous discussions is that this is the problem
>> domain for this library.
>>
>>> First of all I need to remark that this domain is kind of limited (and
>>> internally conflicting IMO - I don't see why you need configuration 
>>> editable
>>> both ways).
>> You are kidding right? How many times have you opened up a Windows INI
>> file in a text editor?
>> How many times have you opened up an Apache like
>> *.conf file in a text editor? How many times have you opened up a file
>> inside "/etc" and changed it? For all those same cases there's usually
>> also the option of a GUI program to do the editing for you.
> 
> Why would I want to do manual editing if there is a program that does that? 

Because some times there aren't such programs (I said usually above). 
And more often you can't use those programs, for many reasons, like not 
having access to the UI system the run on.

> Why would I choose to subject myself to the possibility of making error, to 
> the routine work of satisfying particular file format?

It has nothing to do with choice, it's the current situation in many 
cases. And if you are just starting on a *new* program would you write 
the configuration GUI before you write your program?

> Not saying that it 
> complicate my application development since now it's need to handle both 
> proper format and anything I will manage to type in file.

But not if such a library as the Property Tree library which would do 
that for you.

> If I edit config 
> file - that mean I don't have a tool to handle this for me. I am not saying 
> this is completely impossible. But shouldn't be that wide spread need.

OK, I can only surmise that you don't visit the Unix world often.

>> So I must ask; How can you think this domain is limited?
> 
> In a big picture of program runtime parameter handling - it's just a small 
> friction IMO.

Perhaps, but vector is a *very* small fraction of the data structure 
doamin. Yet we still have such a utility.

> Note though that even in this domain library is not acceptable.

I wasn't arguing that. I was just curious about the dismissal of the 
importance of the domain. And after all your subject on this thread is 
about domains ;-)

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