Re: [boost] [complex] Feedback and Potential Review Manager

Subject: Re: [boost] [complex] Feedback and Potential Review Manager
From: John Maddock (boost.regex_at_[hidden])
Date: 2012-05-06 04:28:46

> I implemented this but it seems to add limitations on the
> types usable. They now require to have an overloaded
> istream extraction operator and a specialization of
> std::numeric_limits. Those two limitations are reasonable
> but I am not certain that we want to impose such conditions
> on the template types.

The requirements are more subtle than that, the logic goes something like 
this:

* If there's a numeric_limits specialization:
   * If the precision is less than a float/double/long double, and T is 
constructible from those types, then construct from float/double/long 
double.
   * If the precision is < 100 decimal places:
       * If T is constructible from a const char* then construct the 
constant that way.
       * Use the iostream operator to stream the constant in (we could 
arguably use a trait to check whether this is supported before using it as 
well).
   * Precision > 100 digits - calculate the constant and cache the result.
* No numeric_limits - use boost::math::tools::digits<T>() to check runtime 
precision and pick either construct-from string or calculate the constant.

There's also a trait class that can be specialized for some type T to 
override the above logic.

So you don't have to have either numeric_limits or an iostream operator, but 
you have to have *something* that allows us to get the constant in there.

HTH, John.