Re: [boost] [format] please add operator String()

Subject: Re: [boost] [format] please add operator String()
From: Sebastian Redl (sebastian.redl_at_[hidden])
Date: 2009-01-09 11:31:27

Thorsten Ottosen wrote:
> Hi,
>
> In code like this:
>
>   std::string columns() const
>     {
>         return (boost::format("%7s, %7s, %7s, %7s")
>                    % "testCost" % "optimalEcr" % "efficiecyEcr" %
> "testCostEcr").str();
>     }
>
> it is very annoying to have to put () around the whole expression and
> then call .str() (Just imagine that we are creating a string on the
> fly to a function).
>
> Therefore I suggest that we add
>
>   operator string_type() const { return str(); }
>
> to the interface of basic_format<>.
>
> Any comments?
You could write it as

return boost::str(boost::format("%7s, %7s, %7s, %7s")
                   % "testCost" % "optimalEcr" % "efficiecyEcr" %
"testCostEcr");

Sebastian