Re: [Boost-users] boost and Obj-C++ ("id" variables)

Subject: Re: [Boost-users] boost and Obj-C++ ("id" variables)
From: John Maddock (boost.regex_at_[hidden])
Date: 2010-05-07 08:00:23

> in some headers, boost is using "id" as variable name. This makes is 
> impossible to use those headers in Obj-C (or better Obj-C++) code, because 
> "id" has a special meaning there.
> I worked around by renaming these id variables in the boost headers for 
> every new boost release (hoping that it will be fixed in the next 
> release), but this is ugly.
> Now I looked into the boost trac, and found that this problem was 
> reported - and fixed! - multiple times. I can read from the trac that it 
> SHOULD haven been fixed in the latest 1.43.0 (if I read that correct). 
> It's fixed and it's Milestone is 1.43.0. So I downloaded boost 1.43.0 - 
> but the problem is still there. Still "id" variables. How can this be? 
> Doesn't this mean there are serious problems in source code control? Or 
> hasn't the fix just not made its way into 1.43 - where can I read in which 
> version a fix really appears?
>
> If I read it right, it should have been fixed in boost 1.37.0:
> https://svn.boost.org/trac/boost/ticket/2306
> https://svn.boost.org/trac/boost/changeset/48751
>
> But appeared again and should now be fixed in boost 1.43.0:

Nod, we don't have anyone regularly testing that platform - after all it's 
not really C++ is it ?  ;-)

> https://svn.boost.org/trac/boost/ticket/4132
> https://svn.boost.org/trac/boost/ticket/4191
> https://svn.boost.org/trac/boost/changeset/61789
>
> Any ideas what happens here?

The fixes to Boost.Regex have only just (last few days) been made to SVN 
Trunk - much too late for the 1.43 release - they should be in 1.44 though.

I've also started a request on the Boost-developer list that we check for 
variable names that clash with Objective-C++, so far there doesn't seem to 
be much enthusiasm for this, just exasperation at Apple :-(

HTH, John.

PS This isn't a problem I can reproduce locally either, which doesn't help 
matters...