[Boost-users] [Serialization] Registering containers of user-provided types

Subject: [Boost-users] [Serialization] Registering containers of user-provided types
From: Vivek (vivek_at_[hidden])
Date: 2011-02-09 18:36:07

I am writing a library that will handle storing and serializing user-defined
types. The user-defined types are required to be themselves serializable.

However the library uses templates to create containers of user types. These
containers are then serialized through a base class pointer. I don't know
how to export the container types to boost::serialization through the
templates. The only way I can do it is to force the user of the library to
BOOST_CLASS_EXPORT_GUID() every container type.

I've tried unpacking the macro by looking at boost/serialization/export.hpp,
but it is slightly complex... Is there a way to export a class as part of
the template instantiation? Or another way to write the library to easily
serialize containers of user-defined types?

Thanks

-v

Example code:

#include <iostream>
#include <vector>

#include <boost/foreach.hpp>
#include <boost/serialization/access.hpp>
#include <boost/serialization/vector.hpp>
#include <boost/serialization/base_object.hpp>
#include <boost/serialization/export.hpp>

#include <boost/archive/text_oarchive.hpp>

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// Example code that would reside in the library
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

struct type_container_base {
private:
    virtual void make_abstract() const {}
    friend class ::boost::serialization::access;
    template <typename ARCHIVE>
    void serialize(ARCHIVE &, const unsigned int) {}
};

BOOST_SERIALIZATION_ASSUME_ABSTRACT(type_container_base)

template <typename USER_TYPE>
struct type_container : type_container_base {
    void add(const USER_TYPE& d) { _vector.push_back(d); }
private:
    std::vector<USER_TYPE> _vector;
    friend class ::boost::serialization::access;
    template <typename ARCHIVE>
    void serialize(ARCHIVE & ar, const unsigned int) {
        ar &
::boost::serialization::base_object<type_container_base>(*this);
        ar & _vector;
    }
};

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// Example user code that would use the library
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

struct user_type {
    user_type(int i) : _val(i) {}
private:
    int _val;
    friend class ::boost::serialization::access;
    template <typename ARCHIVE>
    void serialize(ARCHIVE & ar, const unsigned int) {
        ar & _val;
    }
};

// *** Is there a better way than forcing the user to do this for every
// *** user_type they want to use with the library?
BOOST_CLASS_EXPORT_GUID(type_container<user_type>,
"type_container<user_type>")

int main() {
    std::vector<type_container_base*> containers;
    type_container<user_type>* tc = new type_container<user_type>();
    tc->add(user_type(7));
    tc->add(user_type(42));
    tc->add(user_type(1776));
    containers.push_back(tc);
    {
        boost::archive::text_oarchive ar(std::cout);
        const std::size_t size = containers.size();
        ar << size;
        BOOST_FOREACH(type_container_base* p, containers)
            ar << p;
    }
    return 0;
}