Re: "Type-safe" sprintf

From:
"Larry Smith" <no_spam@_nospam.com>
Newsgroups:
microsoft.public.vc.language
Date:
Thu, 8 Mar 2007 20:59:02 -0500
Message-ID:
<eP12H6eYHHA.1216@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl>
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Try this instead (much cleaner - see examples below):

#include <string>
#include <sstream>
#include <tchar.h>

// TCHAR versions of "std::string", etc.
typedef std::basic_string<TCHAR> tstring;
typedef std::basic_ostringstream<TCHAR> tostringstream;

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////=
////
// "FormatStr" class. Use this class to format a "tstring" on the fly =
with
// streaming arguments. It's basically the C++ answer to "sprintf()" =
style
// argument lists. Instead of passing a format string and variable =
number
// of arguments however, just construct a temporary as seen in the =
examples
// below and stream the same arguments you would normally pass to any
// "std::ostream" object via the << operator. The result can then be
// implicitly converted to a "tstring" via the "tstring()" operator so
// you can effectively use it wherever you would use a "tstring" =
(frequently
// as a "const tstring &" argument for instance - see example 2 below).
//
// Example 1
// ---------
//
// // Results in "Bill Gates is worth 50 billion dollars"
// tstring String = FormatStr() << _T("Bill Gates is worth ") << 50 =
<< _T(" billion dollars");
//
// Example 2 (as above but pass to a function on the fly)
// ---------
//
// void YourFunc(const tstring &String)
// {
// // ...
// }
//
// YourFunc(FormatStr() << _T("Bill Gates is worth ") << 50 << _T(" =
billion dollars");
//
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////=
////
class FormatStr
{
public:
    ////////////////////////////////////////////
    // IMPORTANT: Don't make T a reference arg
    // under VC6 (unfortunately). Some later
    // versions of VC6 have a bug and will
    // choke on it (infamous "internal compiler"
    // error).
    ////////////////////////////////////////////
    template <typename T>
    FormatStr &operator<<(const T &Whatever)
    {
        m_Stream << Whatever;
        return *this;
    }

    operator tstring() const
    {
        return m_Stream.str();
    }

private:
    tostringstream m_Stream;
};
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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; =
charset=iso-8859-1">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.3059" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<DIV><FONT face="Courier New" size=2>Try this instead =
(much&nbsp;cleaner - see
examples below):</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Courier New" size=2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Courier New" size=2>#include =
&lt;string&gt;<BR>#include
&lt;sstream&gt;<BR>#include &lt;tchar.h&gt;</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Courier New" size=2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Courier New" size=2>// TCHAR versions of =
"std::string",
etc.<BR>typedef std::basic_string&lt;TCHAR&gt; tstring;<BR>typedef
std::basic_ostringstream&lt;TCHAR&gt; tostringstream;</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Courier New" size=2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Courier New"
size=2>////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////=
/////////////<BR>//
"FormatStr" class. Use this class to format a "tstring" on the fly =
with<BR>//
streaming arguments. It's basically the C++ answer to "sprintf()" =
style<BR>//
argument lists. Instead of passing a format string and variable =
number<BR>// of
arguments however, just construct a temporary as seen in the =
examples<BR>//
below and stream the same arguments you would normally pass to any<BR>// =

"std::ostream" object via the &lt;&lt; operator. The result can then =
be<BR>//
implicitly converted to a "tstring" via the "tstring()" operator =
so<BR>// you
can effectively use it wherever you would use a "tstring" =
(frequently<BR>// as a
"const tstring &amp;" argument for instance - see example 2 =
below).<BR>//<BR>//
Example 1<BR>// ---------<BR>//<BR>//&nbsp;&nbsp; // Results in "Bill =
Gates is
worth 50 billion dollars"<BR>//&nbsp;&nbsp; tstring String = =
FormatStr()
&lt;&lt; _T("Bill Gates is worth ") &lt;&lt; 50 &lt;&lt; _T(" billion
dollars");<BR>//<BR>// Example 2 (as above but pass to a function on the =

fly)<BR>// ---------<BR>//<BR>//&nbsp;&nbsp; void YourFunc(const tstring =

&amp;String)<BR>//&nbsp;&nbsp; =
{<BR>//&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; //
....<BR>//&nbsp;&nbsp; }<BR>//<BR>//&nbsp;&nbsp; YourFunc(FormatStr() =
&lt;&lt;
_T("Bill Gates is worth ") &lt;&lt; 50 &lt;&lt; _T(" billion
dollars");<BR>//<BR>/////////////////////////////////////////////////////=
////////////////////////<BR>class
FormatStr<BR>{<BR>public:<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
////////////////////////////////////////////<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; // =
IMPORTANT:
Don't make T a reference arg<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; // under VC6 =
(unfortunately).
Some later<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; // versions of VC6 have a bug and
will<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; // choke on it (infamous "internal
compiler"<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; // error).<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
////////////////////////////////////////////<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; =
template
&lt;typename T&gt;<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; FormatStr =
&amp;operator&lt;&lt;(const T
&amp;Whatever)<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
{<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; m_Stream &lt;&lt;
Whatever;<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; return
*this;<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; }</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Courier New" size=2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Courier New" size=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; operator =
tstring()
const<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; =
{<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
return m_Stream.str();<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; }</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Courier New" size=2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Courier New" size=2>private:<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
tostringstream m_Stream;<BR>};</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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