Re: [boost] Deprecate BOOST_STATIC_ASSERT?

From: David Abrahams (dave_at_[hidden])
Date: 2008-06-22 20:54:11

Felipe Magno de Almeida wrote:
> On Fri, Jun 20, 2008 at 12:41 PM, David Abrahams <dave_at_[hidden]> wrote:
> 
> Hi David,
> 
> [snip - bad user experience with BOOST_STATIC_ASSERT]
> 
>> For several releases now we've had a suite of static assertion tools
>> that give far superior error messages to what BOOST_STATIC_ASSERT can
>> provide
>> (http://www.boost.org/doc/libs/1_35_0/libs/mpl/doc/refmanual/asserts.html).
>>  I think <radical-idea>it's time to deprecate
>> BOOST_STATIC_ASSERT</radical-idea> or at *least* put a prominent note in
>> its documentation directing people at the BOOST_MPL_ASSERT macros.
>>
>> Thoughts?
> 
> Couldn't BOOST_STATIC_ASSERT be implemented as:
> 
> #define BOOST_STATIC_ASSERT(x) BOOST_MPL_ASSERT(x)
> 
> ?

No, it would have to be something like:

        BOOST_MPL_ASSERT(mpl::bool_<(x)>)

> I like how easy it is to use BOOST_STATIC_ASSERT:
> 
> #include <boost/static_assert.hpp>
> 
> BOOST_STATIC_ASSERT(( /*whatever*/ ));
> 
> It is more straightforward than BOOST_MPL_ASSERT.

Yes, there is no doubt that it is more straightforward for the person
writing the assertion.

-- 
Dave Abrahams
BoostPro Computing
http://www.boostpro.com