Re: [boost] [convert] no-throw and fallback feature

Subject: Re: [boost] [convert] no-throw and fallback feature
From: Stewart, Robert (Robert.Stewart_at_[hidden])
Date: 2011-05-09 17:39:11

Vicente BOTET wrote:
> De : "Stewart, Robert"
> > Vicente BOTET wrote:
>
> > > If we see optional as a kind of conditional tuple and we
> > > imagine something like a conditional tie (let me call it
> > > 'ctie'), we could be able to write
> > >
> > > ctie(i,b) = try_convert_to(s);
>
> ctie will left i unchanged if b is true.

ctie won't change i if the conversion succeeds?

> > I presume that no assignment would be done to i if b is
> > false.

Surely that is the right interpretation.

> > That actually means writing this:
> >
> > int i;
> > bool b;
> > ctie(i, b) = try_converting_to(s);
> > if (!b)
> > {
> >    i = fallback;
> >    std::cerr << "using fallback\n";
> > }
> >
> > Compare that to this:
> >
> > int i(fallback);
> > if (!try_converting_to(s, i))
> > {
> >    std::cerr << "using fallback\n";
> > }
>
> The fist is more on the line of functional paradigm. The second
> on the procedural one. I understand that the procedural one can
> be more efficient, but the functional one separates clearly
> what are the in a,d the out parameters. Are both alternatives
> exclusive?

They aren't exclusive, but they'd need different names and, again, I suspect we'd be getting into the too-many-choices conundrum.

> > Besides, the same thing is done with the following which is
> > simpler and less tricky:
> >
> > int i;
> > if (try_converting_to(s, i)) ...
>
> If conversion to bool is implicit the bool parameter will be
> redundant and the preceding could be expressed as
>
> int i;
> if ((opt_tie(i) = try_convert_to(*int*)(s))) ...

Ah, right.  That's a curious approach to it.  You're suggesting, if I have all the parts aligned right, that try_convert_to() return optional<T> and that opt_tie() assign to its argument iff the optional is set.  That means there's an optional-based API and the following is also possible:

int i(fallback);
opt_tie(i) = try_convert_to<int>(s);

_____
Rob Stewart                           robert.stewart_at_[hidden]
Software Engineer                     using std::disclaimer;
Dev Tools & Components
Susquehanna International Group, LLP  http://www.sig.com





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