Re: [boost] Library for configuration file parsing

Subject: Re: [boost] Library for configuration file parsing
From: Marsh Ray (marsh_at_[hidden])
Date: 2010-11-30 11:54:09

On 11/30/2010 01:10 AM, Joel de Guzman wrote:
> On 11/30/2010 10:09 AM, Marsh Ray wrote:
>>
>> All I was trying to say was that I could really use a no-fuss,
>> bulletproof JSON facility
>> and Spirit seemed like overkill for this simple format.
>
> I'd like to convince you otherwise. Spirit is meant to be for such
> simple to moderate parsing tasks such as parsing complex numbers
> CSV, arithmetic expressions and definitely JSON.

OK, I'm up for that. I have a "hard real time deadline" today but am 
willing to give it another go afterwards.

Perhaps I should email you off-list once I get the project open again in 
the next day or two? Or if others say they're interested we could take 
it to the -users list.

> The stigma of Spirit (and any TMP heavy libraries for that matter)
> stems from 1) Outrageous error messages and 2) Long compile times.
> Possibly third would be the steep learning curve, but that may very
> well be connected to 1 -It's a pain to get past the error messages,
> I know; one misstep and you'll get tons of undecipherable errors.

I know. FWIW, I felt like I could get through the template errors 
reasonably well.

> That, and the perception of complexity (the black art, if you will),
> makes it hard for Spirit to be accepted into the mainstream. In
> reality, beneath the TMP (some say gimmickry), Spirit is actually
> quite simple.

Hmmmm... I'm keeping an open mind.  :-)

> What I wish to do is to dispel that image of
> complexity and make it simple (again as it was in the beginning).
> That is our new mission.

I made a generative template system for a lightweight key-record data 
persistence system here at work. The record types are usually updated by 
someone else...who doesn't even know much C++!  So I know it can be done.

- Marsh