Re: [Boost-users] [Boost-announce] [Review] UUID library (mini-)review starts today, November 23rd

Subject: Re: [Boost-users] [Boost-announce] [Review] UUID library (mini-)review starts today, November 23rd
From: Daryle Walker (darylew_at_[hidden])
Date: 2008-12-09 18:15:44

On Dec 9, 2008, at 12:17 PM, Andy Tompkins wrote:

> On Tue, 9 Dec 2008 03:34:01 -0500, "Daryle Walker"
> <darylew_at_[hidden]> said:
>>
[SNIP]
>> Is default construction useful besides when initialization can't be
>> done in one step? Instead of an "is_null" member function, maybe  
>> (pseudo-
>> )Boolean conversion (and "operator not") can be used.
>
> The default constructor is unintuitive.  I will likely remove it.  I
> will
> add a 'boolean' conversion and possibility operator!.
>
>> I don't think the multitude of string conversion techniques are
>> needed.  Keep the constructor with "char const *" for pseudo-
>> literals.  Everything else, in either direction, could use
>> "lexical_cast".
>
> I agree, lexical_cast is good.  I will remove the to_..._string
> functions.
> The constructor that takes a string will likely move to a generator.
[SNIP]

So, there won't be any constructors besides the constructor template  
that takes an input iterator for sixteen octet reads (and an implicit  
copy constructor)?  You could make UUID a POD type if you could move  
that constructor too.  (It could probably be moved to a creation  
function, done as a static member function for UUID.  The Nil-UUID  
can be implemented this way too.)

>
>> Should the serialization be done in a separate header?  BTW, how is a
>> custom primitive type handled?  Is it just a byte-level save/load of
>> memory?  (What if the type isn't POD, like this one?)
>
> Yes, it is a byte-level save/load.  My reason was so that exactly 128
> bytes
> are saved/loaded.
[TRUNCATE]

You mean 128 bits, or 16 octets.  An alternative I used, for a MD5  
bit-queue, was to group the bits into sextets (6-packs), map that to  
a base-64 string, and serialize that string.  For 128 bits, you get  
21 sextets and 2 remaining bits, for a string of 22 characters.

-- 
Daryle Walker
Mac, Internet, and Video Game Junkie
darylew AT hotmail DOT com