[Boost-users] boost::format with non-standard string class

From: Scott Lamb (slamb_at_[hidden])
Date: 2004-03-27 13:25:39

Hi,

I'm not real happy with std::string, largely because it seems poorly  
suited to UTF-8. I'm happier with other classes such as Glib::ustring.  
[1,2]

Is it possible to use boost::format with such a class? I'd previously  
thought that boost as a whole expected you to use std::string, but the  
recent discussion of boost::regex + Glib::ustring gave me some hope. It  
seems the requirements for boost::regex are more simple - a  
bidirectional, read-only character (not byte) iterator. That should be  
easy enough to provide for any UTF-8 string class.

I do see explicit mention of std::basic_string in the boost::format  
headers, but I thought I'd ask anyway.

(I likely will find or make another class to avoid pulling in all of  
glib. But it would be similar to Glib::ustring.)

[1] - more in-depth discussion of Glib::ustring vs. std::string at  
<http://www.gtkmm.org/gtkmm2/docs/reference/html/ 
classGlib_1_1ustring.html#_details>
[2] - additional reasons for disliking std::string at  
<http://www.sgi.com/tech/stl/string_discussion.html>

Thanks,
Scott