Opened 5 years ago
Last modified 5 years ago
#13165 new Feature Requests
inplace_ptr
| Reported by: | Owned by: | Peter Dimov | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milestone: | To Be Determined | Component: | smart_ptr |
| Version: | Boost 1.64.0 | Severity: | Not Applicable |
| Keywords: | Cc: |
Description
Boost.Optional uses in place object creation. In many cases it could used as a drop in repelacment of scoped_ptr with the benefit of circumventing a memory allocation and locality of memory access.
However its semantics is 'optional' and not like a fast replacement of scoped_ptr. Wouldn't it be an idea to add something like this to the smart_ptr library? Names can be e.g. inplace_ptr, value_ptr, etc. We could also use Boost.Optional but colleagues might get confused, since you do not use the 'optional' aspect but its performance aspect.
Note that people might wonder why not use value based directly, but there are still some use cases:
- for pimpl idiom / hide expansive headers (e.g. multi index) in client
- 2 phase construction, where information is not yet available at parent constructor time.
Only drawback is that you lose polymorphism.
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/22636407/why-not-use-boostoptional-as-a-better-scoped-ptr
...the pimpl idiom can't be solved with this; it needs the definition anyway.