Re: [Boost-users] [Serialization : decending compatibility] Additionalattributes prevent de-serialization by previous

Subject: Re: [Boost-users] [Serialization : decending compatibility] Additionalattributes prevent de-serialization by previous
From: Robert Ramey (ramey_at_[hidden])
Date: 2009-08-20 14:26:59

This subject has been brought up before and it touched upon in the docmentation:

libs/serialization/doc/todo.html#backversioning

You might want to undertake this project.

Robert Ramey

  <francoisramond_at_[hidden]> wrote in message news:001636eef81eefa4150471914868_at_google.com...
  Hello,

  I work on an industrial application which uses XML Boost Serialization as a way to store and retrieve production scheduling solutions from XML files. I've been using Serialization for years and I really enjoy the ease of use and the flexibility it provides.

  Recently, I released a new version (say V2) of that application, in which some C++ classes have additional attributes of new classes with respect to the previous version (V1). The new software (V2) can still read files serialized by the earlier version V1 (ascending compatibility), but XML files serialized by V2 cannot be read by V1. 

  I guess Boost Serialization wasn't designed for such "descending compatibility", nevertheless, during industrial production some unexpected bug on V2 might require to use V1 again (as it is stable), without loosing the scheduling solutions generated by V2. 

  From an XML file generated by V2, I somehow managed to remove the parts XML associated to the new attributes (the additional information can be skipped), and re-number some class_id to make the file readable by V1, but this is quite time-consuming, and I can't automate this process since the numbering of class_id depends on the solution serialized.

  Any idea to make V2 serialized files readable by V1, either by modifying V2 or by an automated process to edit the files (I can't bring any modification to the source code of V1) would be really appreciated.

  Thanks for reading till here and, hopefully, for your help,
  François

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