Re: [boost] File System - unicode support

From: Matus Chochlik (chochlik_at_[hidden])
Date: 2008-05-16 05:48:30

On Fri, May 16, 2008 at 11:22 AM, Jens Seidel <jensseidel_at_[hidden]> wrote:
> On Fri, May 16, 2008 at 09:37:42AM +0100, Enda Mannion wrote:
>> I am trying to use boost filesystem.
>>
>> Does boost filesystem support wide character.
>>
>> I am compiling this on linux and on Windows.
>
> Stupid question: Do you really use the UTF-16 Unicode encoding
> on Linux? I now about some classical Asian 16bit encodings but
> these days UTF-8 (which is compatible with char*) is used
> everywhere on Linux ...

I've already made a couple of posts concerning this issue, but
I didn't get too many answers, so sorry if I'm missing something
really obvious and for repeating myself  :-P ..

... but, couldn't be this issue solved by defining a portable
equivalent of TCHAR type which is consistently used by
WINAPI and the real char type is switched there
at compile time by the means or the "UNICODE"
PP symbol ?

TCHAR is wchar_t or char depending on whether UNICODE is or
isn't defined. Boost library functions would use this
*boost-char-type* (whatever it's name would be)
instead of char or wchar_t, where applicable.

On Windows this allows to use the same WIN32 "functions"
with both character types and allows an application
(when coded properly) to be compiled with both character types
without the need of messing with the code.

I'm sorely missing something like this in the C++ standard or
at least in Boost and I think I'm not the only one.

My Mirror library uses this kind of char-type switching,
but the implementation is still rather sloppy.

If there is a general interest in this being added to Boost
I volunteer :-) to do it and I will gladly accept any comments
or help in making it compliant with the Boost quality standards.

>
> Jens
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::matus_chochlik