Re: [boost] Idea: Boost.Allocator

Subject: Re: [boost] Idea: Boost.Allocator
From: joel falcou (joel.falcou_at_[hidden])
Date: 2010-04-18 03:11:20

Ion Gaztañaga wrote:
> Applying classic memory allocation strategies to C++ containers (v0.1)
> http://www.drivehq.com/web/igaztanaga/allocplus/
I knew your page already as I shamelessly designed my 
allocator_with_resize on your experiment ;)

My basic idea was first to design a allocator_facade like 
iterator_facade, using CRTP and calls to usr-defined
specific function. I wasn't happy cause it just looked we put a hat on a 
hat already, as the facade was merely
forwarding things back and forth.

My second idea was to have a policy driven allocator that use policies 
and tag dispatchign to build its inner types
and to forward its member call to free function usign policy and tag to 
work. This had the advantage to enable
the building of a lot of allcoator just by combining policies like 
having a resizable, aligned allocator with a way to
get the allocated amount of memory by doing somethign like:

 allocator_facade<T, settings(resize_, allocated_, aligned_)>

then computing the composite code needed to do that.
Appropriated traits class helps discrimianting variant of 
allcoator_facade for SFINAE purpose like:
support_resizing, support_shrink_to_fit, etc...

Special bonus, all allocator methods and meta-functions (I'm looking at 
you rebind) could be externalized
such that calling: allocate( my_allocator, n); forward the allocation to 
the proper tag dispatched function of my_allocator.

rebind can also become a real MPL compatible meta-function class: 
rebind< Allocator, Type>::type

The only remaining unclear parts is how to structurate those around 
proper concepts.

-- 
___________________________________________
Joel Falcou - Assistant Professor
PARALL Team - LRI - Universite Paris Sud XI
Tel : [phone]