Re: [boost] [serialization] Support for multiple class name strings

From: Robert Ramey (ramey_at_[hidden])
Date: 2007-03-15 22:56:25

Zach Laine wrote:
> I did something stupid with my serialization code.  I blithely changed
> the names of several polymorphic classes everywhere they appeared in
> the code, since they had moved out of a class into that class's
> namespace (e.g. SomeNS::View::Primitive became SomeNS::Primitive).
> Several months later, I discovered that I could no longer read old
> binary archives, because I was using Boost.Serialization's
> BOOST_CLASS_EXPORT() macro, and this macro was now registering the
> Primtive type with the name-string "Primitive", instead of
> "View::Primitive", which is how it was saved in the oldest archives.

Ouch.

> would it be technically possible to add a
> BOOST_CLASS_EXPORT_ALIAS() macro, or some such?  If it is possible,
> I'm willing to supply the implementation.

I might be possible by hacking your own copy of extended_type_info.hpp.  I 
don't think
we'd want to include such thing in the library.  So I would suggest:

a) make the hack
b) make small program which loads your old archives and creates new ones.
This should be very easy.
c) Forget this ever happened.

Robert Ramey