Re: [boost] [general] What will string handling in C++ looklike inthe future [was Always treat ... ]

Subject: Re: [boost] [general] What will string handling in C++ looklike inthe future [was Always treat ... ]
From: Dave Abrahams (dave_at_[hidden])
Date: 2011-01-19 15:34:29

At Wed, 19 Jan 2011 22:15:10 +0200,
Peter Dimov wrote:
> 
> Dave Abrahams wrote:
> > At Wed, 19 Jan 2011 19:09:48 +0200,
> > Peter Dimov wrote:
> > > The problem with using an Unicode string, be it QString or
> > > utf8_string, to represent paths is that it forces you to pick an
> > > encoding under POSIX. When the OS gives you a file name as char*, to
> > > store it in your Unicode string, you have to interpret it. Then, to
> > > give it back to the OS, you have to de-interpret it.
> >
> > Nonono; if you don't want to choose an encoding, you store it as a
> > raw_string, (a.k.a. std::string, for example)!
> 
> OK. You're designing a portable library that talks to the OS. It has
> the following functions:
> 
>    T get_path( ... );
>    void process_path( T );
> 
> What do you use for T? string or utf8_string? 

I'm even less of an expert on encodings at the OS boundary than I am
on an expert on encodings in general, but I'll take a shot at this
one.

OK, according to all the experts (like you), we should be trafficking
in UTF-8 everywhere, so I guess I'd say T is utf8_string (well, T is
boost::filesystem::path, but that begs the same questions, ultimately).

-- 
Dave Abrahams
BoostPro Computing
http://www.boostpro.com