Re: [boost] std::map::find() wrapper

Subject: Re: [boost] std::map::find() wrapper
From: Robert Jones (robertgbjones_at_[hidden])
Date: 2011-05-04 06:50:41

On Wed, May 4, 2011 at 11:33 AM, Olaf van der Spek <ml_at_[hidden]> wrote:

> On Wed, May 4, 2011 at 9:37 AM, Robert Jones <robertgbjones_at_[hidden]>
> wrote:
> > On Tue, May 3, 2011 at 8:52 PM, Olaf van der Spek <ml_at_[hidden]> wrote:
> >
> >> On Tue, May 3, 2011 at 6:57 PM, Robert Jones <robertgbjones_at_[hidden]>
> >> wrote:
> >> >  I'd prefer to see it return a boost::optional<T&>
> >>
> >> What's the benefit?
> >>
> >
> > Simply that the difficulty you're addressing is the possibility that
> there's
> > no
> > value to return. Boost.optional expresses that directly.
>
> Returning NULL works just as well.
> Using a raw pointer also allows you to write string* ptr = find_ptr().
> Using Boost Optional would make that longer.
>
>
You'd have to write optional<string> s = find_ptr(); //Now misnamed of
course!

Either way, at some point you'd have to check the value was usable before
using it.

- Rob.