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

Subject: Re: [boost] std::map::find() wrapper
From: Olaf van der Spek (ml_at_[hidden])
Date: 2011-06-01 14:53:19

On Wed, May 4, 2011 at 1:04 PM, Olaf van der Spek <ml_at_[hidden]> wrote:
> On Wed, May 4, 2011 at 12:50 PM, Robert Jones <robertgbjones_at_[hidden]> wrote:
>> 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!
>
> boost::optional
> Shouldn't it be string&?
>
>> Either way, at some point you'd have to check the value was usable before
>> using it.
>
> Sure, but that can be done just as well with a pointer.
> Boost Optional is targeted at functions that return by value.
>
> What's the best way to get this wrapper into Boost?

Somebody? Please?

Olaf