[boost] [pool] detail/mutex.hpp may include windows.h and pollute namespace with windows definitions.

Subject: [boost] [pool] detail/mutex.hpp may include windows.h and pollute namespace with windows definitions.
From: Paul Blampspied (elpidiovaldez5_at_[hidden])
Date: 2010-10-05 11:04:36

I have been making an effort to write Windows independent code.  In
particular I avoid including windows.h in any of my headers (some
implementation files include it).  I have had a problem using Boost/pool as
the mutex header includes windows.h (causing nameclashes with some of my
existing code, which has always relied on the absence of windows.h).

Possible inclusion of windows.h is documented in the section on mutex.  My
question is 'Is it really necessary or desirable ?'.  Is there a Boost
policy on the inclusion of OS specific headers which create a large number
of declarations in the global namespace ?

The section which uses windows.h is:

#ifdef BOOST_WINDOWS

class win32_mutex

{

private:

::CRITICAL_SECTION mtx;

win32_mutex(const win32_mutex &);

void operator=(const win32_mutex &);

public:

win32_mutex()

{ ::InitializeCriticalSection(&mtx); }

~win32_mutex()

{ ::DeleteCriticalSection(&mtx); }

void lock()

{ ::EnterCriticalSection(&mtx); }

void unlock()

{ ::LeaveCriticalSection(&mtx); }

};

#endif // defined(BOOST_WINDOWS)

I believe that the appropriate declarations of InitializeCriticalSection,
DeleteCriticalSection, EnterCriticalSection, LeaveCriticalSection could be
provided explicitly in this file and hence avoid
including windows.h and the subsequent namespace 'pollution'.  An
alternative of using a Boost multithreading library is suggested in the
documentation.  This would be ideal, but my proposal would solve problem
now, relatively effortlessly.
 PS.  I did a quick edit and got it to work (at least on Vista).  The change
to the if-endif block is shown below.  It could be done much better.

# ifdef BOOST_WINDOWS

//#include <windows.h>

typedef char CRITICAL_SECTION[24]; //24 is sizeof(CRITICAL_SECTION) !

typedef CRITICAL_SECTION *LPCRITICAL_SECTION;

#define WINAPI __stdcall

extern void WINAPI InitializeCriticalSection(

__out LPCRITICAL_SECTION lpCriticalSection

);

extern void WINAPI DeleteCriticalSection(

__inout LPCRITICAL_SECTION lpCriticalSection

);

extern void WINAPI EnterCriticalSection(

__inout LPCRITICAL_SECTION lpCriticalSection

);

extern void WINAPI EnterCriticalSection(

__inout LPCRITICAL_SECTION lpCriticalSection

);

void WINAPI LeaveCriticalSection(

__inout LPCRITICAL_SECTION lpCriticalSection

);

# endif

many regards,

Paul