Re: [boost] std::auto_ptr in public interfaces

Subject: Re: [boost] std::auto_ptr in public interfaces
From: Daniela Engert (dani_at_[hidden])
Date: 2017-05-21 06:06:12

Am 20.05.2017 um 19:46 schrieb Robert Ramey via Boost:
> On 5/20/17 10:18 AM, Richard Hodges via Boost wrote:
> 
>> unless I specifically request it by defining the preprocess or symbol
>> BOOST_ALLOW_AUTO_PTR or some such.
> 
> We already BOOST_NO_AUTO_PTR have as part of config.hpp .  It was
> originally defined to address C++03 libraries that didn't included it.
> The implementation could easily (I presume, since I'm not the person who
> is going to do it) be extended so that it is defined for C++11+
> conforming compilers.

Robert, BOOST_NO_AUTO_PTR has already acquired the (additional) semantic
of 'std::auto_ptr is no longer available' (have a peek at
boost_macro_reference.html, section 'macros that describe features that
have been removed from the standard'). A few libraries use this macro
now to switch between std::auto_ptr and std::unique_ptr for their RAII
holders, both in their non-public internal parts and in their test code.

So, libraries with std::auto_ptr in their public interface might
implement both std::auto_ptr-based functions and std::unique_ptr-based
functions in parallel, guarded by BOOST_NO_AUTO_PTR or
BOOST_NO_CXX11_SMART_PTR.

What do you think?