Re: [boost] Interest in super string class?

From: Paul A Bristow (pbristow_at_[hidden])
Date: 2006-07-05 10:12:10

|  -----Original Message-----
|  From: boost-bounces_at_[hidden] 
|  [mailto:boost-bounces_at_[hidden]] On Behalf Of Thorsten Ottosen
|  Sent: 04 July 2006 22:56
|  To: boost_at_[hidden]
|  Subject: Re: [boost] Interest in super string class?
|  
|  Jeff Garland wrote:
|  > Thorsten Ottosen wrote:
|  > 
|  
|  >>If the problem is bad documentation/tutorials, then I 
|  think we should fix that instead.
|  > 
|  > Nope, that's not really the problem.

I disagree - I think the docs ARE a problem.

|  > I don't really have a problem with the documentation.  I 
|  think each of the  various docs are good by themselves.  
|  
|  > template <class OutputIterator, class 
|  BidirectionalIterator, class traits, class charT>
|  > OutputIterator regex_replace(OutputIterator out,
|  >                             BidirectionalIterator first,
|  >                             BidirectionalIterator last,
|  >                             const basic_regex<charT, traits>& e,
|  >                             const basic_string<charT>& fmt,
|  >                             match_flag_type flags = match_default);
|  > 
|  > template <class traits, class charT>
|  > basic_string<charT> regex_replace(const basic_string<charT>& s,
|  >                              const basic_regex<charT, traits>& e,
|  >                              const basic_string<charT>& fmt,
|  >                              match_flag_type flags = match_default);
|  > 
|  > 
|  > My first reaction when I read this is, wow, interesting, 
|  but how do I use it? 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who goes gulp (and sometimes giver-up).

There is just too much class clutter to see the wood from the trees.

|  That's the job of a toturial.

I disagree - I think that somehow the USER needs the EXAMPLES right
side-by-side with the reference info.

One might crack this problem more than one way, for example by hyper-links
to AND FROM the example/tutorial and reference info.

With paper, this seems to me to lead to having both the reference book and
the tutorial/example book open at the same time.  Good for book
sales/authors ;-)

(I think that this is a problem with the whole of the STL.  It is very
powerful, but it isn't obvious HOW to use it, and often can turn out to be
rather subtle.)

Overall, I have the impression that Jeff is on the right track.

Paul

---
Paul A Bristow
Prizet Farmhouse, Kendal, Cumbria UK LA8 8AB
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