Re: [boost] shared_ptr feature request

From: Joe Gottman (jgottman_at_[hidden])
Date: 2006-10-25 20:06:16

"Emil Dotchevski" <emildotchevski_at_[hidden]> wrote in message 
news:BAY102-DAV10CB89F05952821C9EE4CBD4060_at_phx.gbl...
>I think it would be useful to add the following features to shared_ptr:
>
> 1. Support for aliasing: if I have a shared_ptr<T> pt, to get a
> shared_ptr<Y> py (where T and Y are possibly unrelated types) such that pt
> and py share ownership. For example, if T is an array of elements of type 
> Y,
> with this feature pointing an element from the array through a 
> shared_ptr<Y>
> would keep the entire array afloat. Similar example is being able to point
> through a shared_ptr<Y> to a member of an object of class T, which would
> keep the entire T object afloat.

   We currently have static_pointer_cast, dynamic_pointer_cast, and 
const_pointer_cast, which, naturally enough, perform static_cast, 
dynamic_cast, and const_cast on the underlying pointer.  What you are asking 
for is basically a reinterpret_pointer_cast.  If you can give a use case it 
seems natural enough.

Joe Gottman