Re: [boost] review request: addition to type_traits library of is_less_comparable<T, U> and others

Subject: Re: [boost] review request: addition to type_traits library of is_less_comparable<T, U> and others
From: Stewart, Robert (Robert.Stewart_at_[hidden])
Date: 2009-10-09 12:24:53

Frédéric Bron wrote:
>
> > Is it reasonable to additionally verify the returned type?
> > IMO, such kind of
> > traits should not make assumptions about the operators
> > meaning, they should
> > merely show whether the comparison expression is valid.
> > Thus there also
> > should not be a fails-to-compile case.
>
> OK, what do you know if you know that you can write t<u but do not
> know if it is convertible to bool?
> You know that "t<u ;" is OK but maybe "if (t<u) ..." will not work ->
> compile time error.
> I think that in most cases you want to know that it behaves like
> operator< used with built-in types.

I think the tribool example -- and other UDTs with Boolean-plus behavior -- is a great example for not assuming convertible-to-bool is the only behavior to support.

> I agree that it is not "nice" to have a compile time error when used
> with operator< returning void but I prefer that than returning true
> because this behaviour is not the one expected by operator<. If
> anybody has a solution on how to return false in such case...

It may be that being able to examine the return type -- we never did anything to make that work, did we? -- of the various operators would leave the answer to that question to the caller.  For example, if < returns void, but > returns something convertible to bool, generic code could use > instead of < for sorting.  (Far fetched, to be sure, but the idea, in general, seems reasonable.)

I also agree with the idea of providing a "normal" case of "is t < u usable in a Boolean context?"

_____
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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