[Boost-users] XML serialization of non-std::string types

Subject: [Boost-users] XML serialization of non-std::string types
From: Thomas Sondergaard (ts_news1_at_[hidden])
Date: 2009-01-07 15:09:56

I'm using boost::serialization with QString, and I'm having the same 
problem as this poster: http://lists.boost.org/boost-users/2006/10/22940.php

boost::serialization doesn't deal ideally with non-std::strings, and 
there are enough of them in use, that it is important (QString, CString, 
wxString, etc).

Would it be possible to add a mechanism that would make it easy to 
extend boost::serialization to handle new string types as conveniently 
as std::string/std::wstring?

I'm currently using the following helper-function to do the job, but 
ideally I'd want the same syntax for serializing QStrings as other strings.

template<class Archive>
inline void serializeQString(Archive &ar, const char *name, QString &s) {
   if (Archive::is_saving::value) {
     std::string tmp(s.toUtf8().constData());
     ar & boost::serialization::make_nvp(name, tmp);
   } else if (Archive::is_loading::value) {
     std::string tmp;
     ar & boost::serialization::make_nvp(name, tmp);
     s = QString::fromUtf8(tmp.c_str());
   }
}

Regards,

Thomas Sondergaard