From: Neil Mayhew (neil_mayhew_at_[hidden])
Date: 2008-05-28 19:50:16
On 28/05/08 04:25 PM Beman Dawes wrote:
> Neil Mayhew wrote:
>> ... have a base class that contains everything except the
>> constructors, and a derived class that adds the constructors
>
> There are some issues with the base class approach. For it to be a
> POD, it can't have constructors, base classes, or private members.
Strictly speaking, yes, although we are only concerned about memory
layout here, so the class doesn't have to be a true POD. The other
concern is for the class to be able to live inside a union, and I think
the constructors are the the only thing stopping that. (I #if'd the
constructors and I was then able to use endian in a union.)
> It might be better to just have two separate types, endian and
> old_endian. (old_endian isn't very clear as a name, but calling it
> pod_endian becomes invalid the moment C++0x ships.)
>
>> The typedefs to big32_t etc. would then be #if'd to correspond to the
>> POD or non-POD classes as desired. I think this is better than
>> putting the #if's around the constructors themselves.
>
> Hummm... Seems too obscure. Better to have two sets of typedefs, with
> the C++03 set prefixed by old_ (or whatever better name anyone can
> come up with.)
I don't like "old_", at least not if it has to appear in my code! :-)
I would like my client code to remain essentially the same when I
upgrade to a C++0x compiler. This means having the same type names,
which is why I suggested conditional typedefs. I thought this was
cleaner than putting the conditionals inside the endian class itself.
However, it doesn't make a lot of difference.
Perhaps the simplest and best solution is therefore:
class endian< ... >
: cover_operators< ... >
{
public:
#if defined(CXX_0X) || !defined(ENDIANS_IN_UNIONS)
endian() {}
endian(T val) { ... }
#endif
--Neil