Re: [Boost-users] [serialization][any]Do we haveserializationsupport for boost::any?

From: Robert Ramey (ramey_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-09-28 16:36:15

Vladimir Prus wrote:
> Robert Ramey wrote:
>
>
>>>> Do we have serialization support for boost::any? If not, how is it
>>>> possible to serialize boost::any?
>>>
>>> Good question. Robert, is it possible to place BOOST_CLASS_EXPORT
>>> inside class definition, so that I can write something like that:
>>>
>>>   class any_base {};
>>>   template<class T>
>>>   class any_value_holder : public any_base
>>>   {
>>>        .......
>>>        BOOST_CLASS_EXPORT(any_value_holder);
>>>   };
>>>
>>> and have BOOST_CLASS_EXPORT run for each instantiation of
>>> any_value_holder?
>
>>
>> This would tie the GUID "any_value_holder" to multiple types
>> any_value_holder<T> so it wouldn't be unique any more.
>
> So, basically we can't make "any" serializable?

I doubt its hard to make "any" serializable.  Its the automatic export of 
any<T> (or whatever it is) that's the difficulty.

If one is willing to add

BOOST_CLASS_EXPORT_GUID(any<X>, "any_X")

for each any<X> used in one's application there would be no problem.

The issue isn't the serialization of boost::any per se, but rather how to 
generate a character name from a type.

As I write thsi, I was going to mention that shared_ptr<T> has the same 
problem --- But, it doesn't now I have to think about if there is any 
problem at all or what.

Robert Ramey