Re: how to implement MAP<std::string,TYPE>

{I am letting this one go, but please note that some quoted context
would have made it easier to follow. -mod}

If you wanted to stick to your original design of getting a type from a
map to use as response object, this would be a very simple factory
method design:

boost::shared_ptr<Base> foofactory() {
   return boost::shared_ptr<foo>(new foo());
}

boost::shared_ptr<Base> barfactory() {
   return boost::shared_ptr<bar>(new bar());
}

typedef boost::function< boost::shared_ptr<Base> (void) >
factory_function;
typedef map<string,factory_function> factory_map;

int main() { // or in your server class
   factory_map FactoryMap;

   //populate the map
   FactoryMap["foo"] = &foofactory;
   FactoryMap["bar"] = &barfactory;

   // get a command into command
   string command = "bar";

   // execute command
   map_type::iterator commandfunc = FactoryMap.find(command);

   if(commandfunc == FactoryMap.end()) {
     // bad command ...

   } else {
     boost::shared_ptr<Base> commandobject = commandfunc->second();

     // use command object
   }
}

The above design would be useful if you wanted access to handle the foo
and bar response objects in a higher context:

For instance, if each derived class encapsulated a thread running the
response, and you wanted to have the ability of your server class to
kill any of your running threads, you would be able to insert
commandobjects into a vector.

Or, if you couldn't just clone foo and bar because in addition to the
object type, the message to the server included arguments to be passed
to foo or bar, ie

Client - "foo 12 1"
Server - foo x(12,1); x.run();

It would be more complicated if foo and bar took different amounts or
types of arguments, and I'd probably think of a different design at
that point.

Todd