Re: [boost] GTL compile time vs. run time accessors

From: Michael Fawcett (michael.fawcett_at_[hidden])
Date: 2008-05-02 14:35:38

On Fri, May 2, 2008 at 2:22 PM, Simonson, Lucanus J
<lucanus.j.simonson_at_[hidden]> wrote:
>
>  We both have the same intent of improving programming practices through
>  library development.  The way people code geometry typically looks like:
>
>  if(condition)
>         point.x() = value;
>  else
>         point.y() = value;
>
>  You are advocating a style:
>
>  if(condition)
>         point.get<0>() = value;
>  else
>         point.get<1>() = value;
>
>  and I am advocating:
>
>  point.get(condition) = value;

I don't think Joel, Steven, myself, or anyone else suggesting
compile-time indexing is advocating that.

If the user's style is to use .x() and .y(), then he can do so.  If he
wants to use run-time indexing, then he can do so.  But when the user
decides to use a library function like contains(), the contains()
implementation will rely on compile-time indexing only.

We are not advocating a particular point type, only advocating that
the algorithm implementations be generic and require the minimal
concept needed for correctness.

--Michael Fawcett