Re: [Boost-users] Boost functional library vs Bind library

From: Edward Diener (eddielee_at_[hidden])
Date: 2006-02-15 00:45:17

yinglcs2_at_[hidden] wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I am new to Boost library.  I wonder if the Boost
> functional library is a sub-set of the Boost bind
> library?
> 
> http://www.boost.org/libs/functional/
> 
> http://www.boost.org/libs/bind
> 
> If now, what functionality that functional library
> provides that bind library does not?

The functional library is a better way of using a number of adapters in 
the current C++ standard library for creating function objects.

Bind is much more advanced, and much easier, than using the C++ standard 
library adapters, and is a much better paradigm for using function 
objects. The only adapters in the functional library you still might 
want to use with bind are the Negators, whereas bind very adequately 
replaces the rest of functional, and its original C++ standard 
equivalents. Bind also offers more advanced functionality, mostly having 
to do with argument replacement and manipulation when calling the bound 
(member) function.

You might also want to look at Boost lambda, which is similar to the 
functionality which bind offers, using a different more in-line syntax, 
which is not intended to save the function object for later use, when 
calling a bound (member) function. Boost lambda needs a highly C++ 
compliant compiler, and a number of older or lesser C++ compliant 
compilers do not work with Boost lambda.

A Boost bind object, which is a C++ function object, can be saved as a 
Boost function, for use as a callback, or used in Boost signals as a 
signal handler.