Re: [Boost-users] Serialization and reading from a const object

From: Thorsten Ottosen (thorsten.ottosen_at_[hidden])
Date: 2006-05-25 06:35:46

Jeff Garland wrote:
> Robert Ramey wrote:

>>I want everyone to be successful using the library - even if they complain
>>that it requires them to write good code.
> 
>                                   ^^^^^^^^^
> IMO the current policy of the library actually forces me to write 
> bad/ugly code because if I ever want to serialize something in a 
> non-const context I have to force it to const artificially.
> 
> This will be short because I know we've been over this point endlessly 
> in the past, but I'll try one more time.  Make a macro to control this 
> behavior:
> 
> BOOST_SERIALIZATION_CONST_STRICT
> 
> or whatever.  Make this optional.  When someone posts an issue with an 
> archive, tell them to recompile with this option turned on so that they 
> can help find the problem.  Then the rest of us can write normal code 
> and the library will behave as expected.  Less people will need to read 
> the fine print of the library.

This is a grand idea.

> BTW, I suspect the decrease in bug reports might be a result of less 
> folks being able to get "hello serialization" to compile and 
> subsequently giving up on the library instead of the 'better' code that 
> this 'enforces'.

Right. We want people to use the library, not scare them off.

-Thorsten