Re: [boost] [Serliazation] Autoregistration/physicalcoupling(was:Thread-safety again)

From: Emil Dotchevski (emildotchevski_at_[hidden])
Date: 2007-01-04 20:15:50

> Why don't you look at export.hpp and compile and link test_inclusion and 
> tell me what I'm missing?

export.hpp includes many boost headers, then defines the templates that 
BOOST_CLASS_EXPORT instantiates, and finally defines BOOST_CLASS_EXPORT 
itself. Any header that calls BOOST_CLASS_EXPORT is physically coupled with 
boost serialization, as well as with other boost components.

My guess is that you're telling me that one can simply not define the 
templates that specify how a particular class is serialized (only provide 
declarations) and later use explicit template instantiation to make the 
compiler generate the instances that are needed. However if you use 
BOOST_CLASS_EXPORT, your classes are physically coupled with boots 
serialization and with boost in general. Beyond that, any project that 
includes a header that uses BOOST_CLASS_EXPORT will link the template 
instances generated by BOOST_CLASS_EXPORT, even if no call to boost 
serialization is ever made.

Compare this to the example I provided a few levels up: foo.h does not 
include any header files and yet defines how objects of class foo are to be 
serialized. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think that that example is 
essentially compatible with boost serialization; it is the intended use of 
BOOST_CLASS_EXPORT in header files that introduces the physical coupling I'm 
complaining about.

Or am I missing something still? :)