Re: [boost] [GTL] - geometric template library - determininginterest

From: Joel de Guzman (joel_at_[hidden])
Date: 2007-10-08 20:53:47

Simonson, Lucanus J wrote:
> Joel wrote:

> I think we aren't on the same wavelength here.  My intention was to
> allow a user to take their legacy type and pass it into my API (without
> modifying the implementation of the legacy type) by providing the
> adaptor ConceptMap that defines the points of customization that I
> require to use their type in my code and by casting their type to its
> subtype which I have defined.  I still don't see how this is "intrusive"
> nor what better alternative you have to offer.  My application
> developers were very clear when they gave me the requirements for what
> they wanted in a library.  "If something is conceptually a rectangle I
> want to be able to use it as a rectangle, regardless of what else it
> also happens to be or what API it provides to get access to its data."

Ok, another example to clarify my point. Say I have a legacy type
for a point defined like this:

     typedef int64 point; // where the high 32 bits is x and low, the y

Now how do I inherit from that?

> If you have a legacy prism type CPrism and it is conceptually a
> rectangle with the additional z axis data you can pass it into an API I
> have defined that expected a rectangle:
> apiExpectingRectangle(RectangleConcept<CPrism>::mimic(myCPrism));
> Or you can pass it into an API expecting a prism:
> apiExpectingPrism (RectangularPrismConcept<CPrism>::mimic(myCPrism));
> Or you can pass it into an API that is overloaded to expect either a
> rectangle or a prism:
> apiExpectingRectangleOrPrism(RectangleConcept<CPrism>::mimic(myCPrism));
> apiExpectingRectangleOrPrism(RectangularPrismConcept<CPrism>::mimic(myCP
> rism));
> and get different behaviors out of that api depending on which type you
> told it to model the data as.
> 
> The way I'm doing it, you have to be explicit about what type you
> conceptually want to treat the user type as.  Is that overly onerous?  I
> just don't understand the nature of your objection.  The fact that there
> are other ways of achieving a similar effect in C++ doesn't explain to
> me why I should use them instead of what I chose.  So far my experience
> (and users experience) with the library is that it does exactly what it
> was designed to do with minimum of fuss, mostly related to compiler
> errors that confuse users who aren't used to working with templates.

All I am saying is that there is a better, more generic way.

Regards,
-- 
Joel de Guzman
http://www.boost-consulting.com
http://spirit.sf.net