Re: [boost] Removal of boost::basic_string_ref (in favor of basic_string_view)

Subject: Re: [boost] Removal of boost::basic_string_ref (in favor of basic_string_view)
From: Nevin Liber (nevin_at_[hidden])
Date: 2016-02-17 15:05:35

On 17 February 2016 at 13:52, Marshall Clow <mclow.lists_at_[hidden]> wrote:

> I have just removed boost::basic_string_ref from the develop branch, and
> updated the specializations to use basic_string_view.
>
> Code that uses boost::string_ref (and wstring_ref) should continue to work
> as before.
>
> The basic_string_view class better matches what the standards committee is
> doing and has WAY more constexpr support.
>
> I'll be watching the testbots for results, but I believe that the only part
> of boost that was using basic_string_ref was Boost.Log, and that was
> switched over to basic_string_view in December.
>

That's a breaking change to a publicly available library.

I'm not against it, but the impact is not necessarily minor.

I've had code at a previous job which used basic_string_ref specifically.

In C++11 builds, could you use an alias template to map
boost::basic_string_ref to boost::basic_string_view?  That might help
mitigate some of the concerns.
-- 
 Nevin ":-)" Liber  <mailto:nevin_at_[hidden] <nevin_at_[hidden]>>
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