Re: [boost] usage of auto in tutorials

Subject: Re: [boost] usage of auto in tutorials
From: Andrzej Krzemienski (akrzemi1_at_[hidden])
Date: 2019-03-19 21:08:12

wt., 19 mar 2019 o 21:10 Robert Ramey via Boost <boost_at_[hidden]>
napisał(a):

> On 3/19/19 8:49 AM, Andrzej Krzemienski via Boost wrote:
>
> > I wonder what others in this group think? Maybe we could come up with
> some
> > guidelines for documentation writers.
> >
> > Regards,
> > &rzej;
> >
>
> FWIW - my personal rule is to never use auto.
>
> The type conveys information. I think hiding information is a bad idea
> in general.  (note before anyone complains: hiding information is not
> the same as abstracting and interface).
>
> auto is hack to permit one to work around some unfortunate situation
> which might occur while engaged in Template MetaProgramming.  I haven't
> kept track, but I've found it necessary in probably less than 10 cases
> over the years.
>
> (Almost) Never use auto!)
>
> I subscribe to rule "almost never auto"; but by this I mean "do not use
type inference when you can spell out your type explicitly".

I never suspected that the feature known as "trailing return type", like

```
auto Class::fun() -> value_type;
```

would be questioned as unfit for tutorials. I am quite surprised that in
Stephan's environment "auto" is banned regardless if it is used for type
inference or for trailing return types.

Regards,
&rzej;