Subject: Re: [boost] std::map::find() wrapper
From: Rob Riggs (rob_at_[hidden])
Date: 2011-05-04 08:37:10
On 05/04/2011 04:33 AM, Olaf van der Spek wrote:
>> It's also a special case, which is best avoided if possible, that doesn't
>> > seem to offer
>> > any real benefit.
> Containers of pointers occur quite frequently. There's even a Ptr Container lib.
>
Those containers manage the lifetimes of heap allocated objects just as
smart pointers manage the lifetimes of theirs.
One of the hallmarks of modern C++ programming is the absence of bare
pointers. We have iterators, smart pointers and pointer containers to
manage and hide pointers for us. We have a healthy distrust of bare
pointers because they are so easily misused.
boost::optional solves the problem without introducing bare pointers.
In fact, optional solves the problem specifically so we can avoid using
bare pointers.
Rob