Re: [boost] enum / string translation

Subject: Re: [boost] enum / string translation
From: Stewart, Robert (Robert.Stewart_at_[hidden])
Date: 2009-07-27 11:57:50

Celtic Minstrel wrote:
>
> My own solution for scoping enums has been to enclose it in a
> namespace rather than a class, and import the name of the actual enum.
> The only disadvantage is that the namespace must have a different name
> than the enum; perhaps your solution is better.

Putting them in a class allows defining operators on the class type that aren't possible on an enumerated type (|=, ^=, etc.).  The member functions can be expressed as namespace scope functions, and the static member that holds the maps, can be expressed as a namespace scope variable.  However, a class offers privacy not available with a namespace.  Thus, a class permits private member functions and data members to better control manipulations.

BTW, my reverse lookup (string-to-enumerator) map is populated on first access.  The forward direction is done via the registration calls, but the reverse lookup can be built from the forward mappings.  That saves memory for the many cases in which the reverse lookup isn't needed.  It could, though I never did it, be triggered specifically at initialization time to avoid the first access overhead.  There could be a specific call or some flag to indicate whether to do the reverse lookup initialization on first access or early.

> Of course, C++0x enum classes beat either option.

Certainly.

_____
Rob Stewart                           robert.stewart_at_[hidden]
Software Engineer, Core Software      using std::disclaimer;
Susquehanna International Group, LLP  http://www.sig.com

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