Re: [Boost-users] multi_index uses serialization?

From: Jeff Garland (jeff_at_[hidden])
Date: 2007-02-27 00:45:53

Robert Ramey wrote:
> I never realized this before.  Truth is I never really looked at multi-index 
> because I haven't needed it yet.  But this post raises some questions in my 
> mind.
> 
> This means that the default is that any usage of multi-index includes 
> serialization library headers regardless of whether boost serialization 
> is to be used. 

I agree this isn't optimal.  I also don't think it's consistent with what 
other libraries do -- well at least date-time.  So, date-time has added a 
'convenience header' in 1.34 (boost/date_time.hpp) which includes all the 
types and the i/o, but not the serialization interfaces.  You still have to 
specially include other headers to get the serialization functions.  I'm not 
suggesting that this is the 'one right way', but I think it's a reasonable way.

 >...snip...
 >
> 
> "JOAQUIN LOPEZ MU?Z" wrote:
> 
>> Furthermore, if for whatever reason you don't even
>> want for Boost.MultiIndex to include any
>> Boost.Serialization-related header (for instance,
>> if you're using a partial copy of the Boost distro
>> without the serialization stuff), this can be done
>> by defining the macro
>>
>>   BOOST_MULTI_INDEX_DISABLE_SERIALIZATION
>>
>> either globally (in your project settings or compiler
>> commandline) or in each relevant .cpp prior to the
>> inclusion of Boost.MultiIndex headers.

At a minimum this seems backwards in that I'll bet most MI users don't use 
serialization.  I also don't really care for the macro approach -- probably 
because I have to clutter my code to turn something off.  I'd usually expect 
to 'add something' to my code to enable another feature.  Bust, I guess you 
could argue it either way. In any case it would be nice to be consistent 
across boost libs on this.  What do the other libs that support serialization 
do -- what are they, graph, ?

Jeff