Re: [boost] Library for configuration file parsing

Subject: Re: [boost] Library for configuration file parsing
From: Denis Shevchenko (for.dshevchenko_at_[hidden])
Date: 2010-12-04 02:20:52

Hi all!

Those who are interested in my Confogurator, perhaps it will be interesting.

String-based interface that I used was a bad idea, because probably 
errors will be detected only at runtime. Moreover, it was a my mistake 
to use location of option in configuration file as identifier in user's 
code. It was a very stupid design mistake.

Templates and preprocessor - and here is what I got:

Example config:
-------------------------------------
<System>
<UdpServer>
         Host = 127.0.0.1
         Port = 100
</UdpServer>
</System>
-------------------------------------

// in some .hpp file user definesoptions,
// in terms of their conceptual destination,
// but not their location in config:
BOOST_CONFIGURATOR_OPTION( UdpHost )
BOOST_CONFIGURATOR_OPTION( UdpPort )

// Work with options:
boost::cf::configurator conf;
conf.add< UdpHost >().location( "System::UdpServer::Host" );
conf.add< UdpPort >().location( "System::UdpServer::Port" );
// in other place...
std::string host = conf.get_value_of< UdpHost >();
unsigned int port = 0;
conf.get_value_of< UdpPort >( port );
// or like this: unsigned int port = conf.get_value_of< UdpPort, 
unsigned int >();

So user does not use any string-identifier of option, but only its type. 
Advantages of such solutions (imho):
- possible errors of option name will be detected at compile-time,
- if location of option in config file has changed, user must rewrite 
only one string (in location() function),
- I can not imagine a more simple interface... :-)

What do you think about it?

-Denis