Re: C++ language: Cloneable classes

From:
=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Daniel_Kr=FCgler?= <daniel.kruegler@googlemail.com>
Newsgroups:
comp.lang.c++.moderated
Date:
Fri, 9 May 2008 09:15:41 CST
Message-ID:
<7ef0e594-20f3-4bd5-ad76-9e19794329d5@k37g2000hsf.googlegroups.com>
On 9 Mai, 05:31, Krzysztof Czainski <1czaj...@gmail.com> wrote:

My final approach:

[code]
/** Cloneable interface for classes.
  * @author Krzysztof Czainski
  * @created 2008.05.04
  */

#pragma once
#include <memory>
#include <boost/assert.hpp>
#include <boost/cast.hpp>

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

/** Inherit virtually. Base class for Cloneable<> and
NaturallyCloneable<> */
class CloneableBase
{
public:

        /** @safety AC- */
        virtual ~CloneableBase() {};

protected:

        /** @returns new copy of *this
         * @safety aCI */
        virtual CloneableBase* doClone() const = 0 ;

};

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

/** class User : public Cloneable<User> */
template < typename Derived >
class Cloneable : public virtual CloneableBase
{
public:

        typedef std::auto_ptr<Derived> AutoPtr;

        /** @safety aCI */
        AutoPtr clone() const
        {
                return
AutoPtr( boost::polymorphic_downcast<Derived*>( doClone() ) );
        }

};

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

/** class UserFinal : public NaturallyCloneable<UserFinal> */
template < typename Derived >
class NaturallyCloneable : public virtual CloneableBase
{
protected:

        /** @override CloneableBase
         * @safety aCI */
        virtual CloneableBase* doClone() const
        {
                // prevent slicing and assert corectnes of static_cast
                BOOST_ASSERT( typeid(*this) == typeid(Derived) );
                return new Derived( static_cast< const Derived& >(*this) );
        }

};

[/code]

I won't use the improved version of Daniel Kr?gler's code, because in
the example below class NaturallyCloneable<B> wouldn't provide
implementation for Cloneable<A>::doClone, which would make it
abstract.


This is true. In my recent reply, I just wanted to present you the
most
similar approach given your original idea. As expressed in my OP, I
also think that CloneableBase should have a protected doClone()
member function, otherwise the class name does not make much
sense from a user perspective.

I still think that it would be fine to add:

protected:
      virtual Cloneable* doClone() const = 0;

to your most recent Cloneable definition to exclude some corner
cases statically (boost::polymorphic_downcast will catch these
of-course for debug builds).

An interesting enhancement proposal for Cloneable could be to
add one further template parameter as smart-pointer policy like
this:

template <typename Derived, typename PtrPolicy =
std::auto_ptr<Derived> >
class Cloneable : public virtual CloneableBase
{
         // Compile-time check of the smart pointer:
         BOOST_STATIC_ASSERT((boost::is_same<Derived, typename
PtrPolicy::element_type>::value));
         // Alternatively you could make the compile check a bit more
tolerant:
         BOOST_STATIC_ASSERT((boost::is_base_of<Derived, typename
PtrPolicy::element_type>::value));
public:
         typedef PtrPolicy Ptr;
         Ptr clone() const {
           return
Ptr( boost::polymorphic_downcast<Derived*>( doClone() ) );
         }
protected:
      virtual Cloneable* doClone() const = 0;
};

Example:
[code]
class A : public Cloneable<A> {}; // abstract base for B and C
class B : public A, public NaturallyCloneable<B> {};
class C : public A { virtual A* doClone() const { /* return hand-made
copy of *this */ } };
[/code]


Yes, this is fine. And by means of the virtual inheritance you
simulate what other languages usually call "interface" (but
you know that). And if you use Cloneable<D, boost::shared_ptr<D> >
this will match the style of those languages even more ;-)

Greetings from Bremen,

Daniel Kr?gler

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