Re: [Boost-users] [Serialization] purpose of GUID

From: Robert Ramey (ramey_at_[hidden])
Date: 2007-05-16 23:43:46

  "Ingo Nolden" <nuttygraphics_at_[hidden]> wrote in message news:20070516202821.34C172F83E5_at_wowbagger.osl.iu.edu...

  Thank you for your answer,

  I understand now. I saw the code, that would use the name. But I couldn't see why it was not invoked. 
  My actual intent is to use boost::serialization in a very special way. I am going to write a xml_archive replacement, that will enable me to read nearly arbitrary xml. 

  *** my personal view is that this is not possible.  Boost serialization archives
  are intimately coupled to the C++ data structures they correspond to. 

  My first plan was to write an own serialization. After looking into boost::serialization I thought it wouldn't be clever to not use as much of this great code as possible. I especially appreciate that the serialize function does not need to be virtual, and therefore can accept a non polymorphic archive. It seems there is a great level of savvy gone into that part.

  *** There are tools which take an arbitrary XML schema and produce a corresponding
  C++ data structure.  This is the opposite of Boost Serialization.

  If you're looking for a project, you could make a version/derivative/add-on to the xml_oarchive
  which produces and xml schema along with the archive itself.  Then the archive would be
  browsable with standard xml tools.  I considered this idea when making the xml_archive
  but concluded it wasn't necessary to meet the minimal requirements for acceptance.

  Robert Ramey