Re: [Boost-users] [serialization]

From: Robert Ramey (ramey_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-11-11 16:40:11

David Abrahams wrote:
> "Robert Ramey" <ramey_at_[hidden]> writes:
>> OK, let me rephrase that.  There would be no advantage to doing that
>> since one could ->
>>
>>>> make thier own derivation(s) of one or more archive
>>>> classes or even a whole new archive class - but that doesn't
>>>> represent any conflict with the current library.

> A special archive class doesn't help if the interface for serializing
> arrays isn't a standard part of the archive concept.  Everyone who
> writes a datatype containing an array will need to use that interface
> in his serialize function.

The archive class concept indicates that the following expression is true

ar << t

for any serializable type t.

The documentation defines a serializable type as:

A type T is Serializable if and only if one of the following is true:
  a.. it is a primitive type.
  In this document, we use the term primitive type to mean types whose data 
is simply saved/loaded to/from an archive with no further processing. 
Arithmetic (including characters), bool, enum and stl::string and 
stl::wstring types are primitive types. Using serialization traits, any user 
type can also be designated as "primitive" so that it is handled in this 
way.
  b.. It is a class type and for all Archive classes, one of the following 
has been declared:
    a.. a class member function serialize
    b.. a global function serialize
  c.. it is a pointer to a Serializable type.
  d.. it is a reference to a Serializable type.
  e.. it is an native C++ Array of Serializable type.
That is any array is serializable if its elements are serializable.  Doesn't 
that cover it?

Robert Ramey