Re: [Boost-users] Boost 1.54.0 Header Warnings: Shadowed Variables

Subject: Re: [Boost-users] Boost 1.54.0 Header Warnings: Shadowed Variables
From: Tom Browder (tom.browder_at_[hidden])
Date: 2013-11-09 06:20:09

On Sat, Nov 9, 2013 at 4:32 AM, Eric Prud'hommeaux <eric_at_[hidden]> wrote:
> * Lars Viklund <zao_at_[hidden]> [2013-11-09 10:23+0100]
>> On Fri, Nov 08, 2013 at 06:31:25PM -0600, Tom Browder wrote:
>> > I am trying to use Boost 1.54.0 to replace a previous version (1.47)
>> > and am using g++ 4.7 with  most warnings turned on.  I am getting many
>> > -Wshadow errors and wonder why they exist.  Surely the developers test
>> > for such.
...
> Or they may, and any convention for managing shadowing applied to
> headers would trivially enable a coder to enable shadowing warnings on
> their own code. This potentially saves them mysterious bugs and
> sniffing around in a debugger before finding that it was something the
> compiler could have told them about if it weren't lost in the noise.
>
> I agree with not being religious about it, but -Wshadow is a pretty
> achievable goal.

And it would certainly "boost" Boost's already wide-spread reputation
of excellence.

>> Warnings are not errors for a reason, they exist as advice that may or
>> may not apply.

And that's why it's important to release warning-free code to
outsiders who can't always easily determine the true intent of the
original author.  I am using Boost to help support the well-respected
BRL-CAD package (http://brlcad.org) whose policy is to release
warning-free code, so Boost releases being warning-free would be a
very good thing.

Thanks for the insightful comments.

Best regards,

-Tom