[/ Copyright Antony Polukhin, 2013-2024. Distributed under the Boost Software License, Version 1.0. (See accompanying file LICENSE_1_0.txt or copy at <a href="http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt">http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt</a>) ] [library Boost.Any [quickbook 1.7] [version 1.2] [id any] [copyright 2001 Kevlin Henney] [copyright 2013-2024 Antony Polukhin] [category Language Features Emulation] [license Distributed under the Boost Software License, Version 1.0. (See accompanying file LICENSE_1_0.txt or copy at [@http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt]) ] ] [section Introduction] There are times when a generic (in the sense of ['general] as opposed to ['template-based programming]) type is needed: variables that are truly variable, accommodating values of many other more specific types rather than C++'s normal strict and static types. We can distinguish three basic kinds of generic type: * Converting types that can hold one of a number of possible value types, e.g. `int` and `string`, and freely convert between them, for instance interpreting `5` as `"5"` or vice-versa. Such types are common in scripting and other interpreted languages. `boost::lexical_cast` supports such conversion functionality. * Discriminated types that contain values of different types but do not attempt conversion between them, i.e. `5` is held strictly as an `int` and is not implicitly convertible either to `"5"` or to `5.0`. Their indifference to interpretation but awareness of type effectively makes them safe, generic containers of single values, with no scope for surprises from ambiguous conversions. * Indiscriminate types that can refer to anything but are oblivious to the actual underlying type, entrusting all forms of access and interpretation to the programmer. This niche is dominated by `void *`, which offers plenty of scope for surprising, undefined behavior. The [classref boost::any] class (based on the class of the same name described in [@http://www.two-sdg.demon.co.uk/curbralan/papers/ValuedConversions.pdf Valued Conversions] by Kevlin Henney, ['C++ Report] 12(7), July/August 2000) is a variant value type based on the second category. It supports copying of any value type and safe checked extraction of that value strictly against its type. A similar design, offering more appropriate operators, can be used for a generalized function adaptor, `any_function`, a generalized iterator adaptor, `any_iterator`, and other object types that need uniform runtime treatment but support only compile-time template parameter conformance. The [classref boost::anys::unique_any] class (based on the [@https://userver.tech/d3/d49/classutils_1_1AnyMovable.html utils::AnyMovable] class from the [@https://userver.tech/ 🙠userver framework]) is a variant value type based on the second category. It supports safe checked extraction of that value strictly against its type and passing ownership of the value. Think of [classref boost::anys::unique_any] as of an alternative to [classref boost::any] (or to `std::any`) that does not require copy or move construction from the held type. [endsect] [section Examples] The following code demonstrates the syntax for using implicit conversions to and copying of any objects: ``` #include <list> #include <boost/any.hpp> using boost::any_cast; typedef std::list<boost::any> many; void append_int(many & values, int value) { boost::any to_append = value; values.push_back(to_append); } void append_string(many & values, const std::string & value) { values.push_back(value); } void append_char_ptr(many & values, const char * value) { values.push_back(value); } void append_any(many & values, const boost::any & value) { values.push_back(value); } void append_nothing(many & values) { values.push_back(boost::any()); } ``` The following predicates follow on from the previous definitions and demonstrate the use of queries on any objects: ``` bool is_empty(const boost::any & operand) { return operand.empty(); } bool is_int(const boost::any & operand) { return operand.type() == typeid(int); } bool is_char_ptr(const boost::any & operand) { try { any_cast<const char *>(operand); return true; } catch(const boost::bad_any_cast &) { return false; } } bool is_string(const boost::any & operand) { return any_cast<std::string>(&operand); } void count_all(many & values, std::ostream & out) { out << "#empty == " << std::count_if(values.begin(), values.end(), is_empty) << std::endl; out << "#int == " << std::count_if(values.begin(), values.end(), is_int) << std::endl; out << "#const char * == " << std::count_if(values.begin(), values.end(), is_char_ptr) << std::endl; out << "#string == " << std::count_if(values.begin(), values.end(), is_string) << std::endl; } ``` The following type, patterned after the OMG's Property Service, defines name-value pairs for arbitrary value types: ``` struct property { property(); property(const std::string &, const boost::any &); std::string name; boost::any value; }; typedef std::list<property> properties; ``` The following base class demonstrates one approach to runtime polymorphism based callbacks that also require arbitrary argument types. The absence of virtual member templates requires that different solutions have different trade-offs in terms of efficiency, safety, and generality. Using a checked variant type offers one approach: ``` class consumer { public: virtual void notify(const any &) = 0; ... }; ``` The following code demonstrates [classref boost::anys::unique_any] usage for implementing HTTP processing with passing of optional user data from the authorizer to the HTTP body processing: ``` void HttpServer::ProcessRequest() const { const auto path = this->ReceiveHttpStartingLine(); auto headers = this->ReceiveHeaders(); boost::anys::unique_any user_data; const auto& user_authorizer = immutable_authorizers_.at(path); if (!user_authorizer(headers, user_data)) { throw Unauthorized(); } const auto body = this->ReceiveBody(); const auto& user_handler = immutable_handlers_.at(this->ReceiveHttpStartingLine()); user_handler(body, user_data); } ``` [endsect] [section:ValueType ['ValueType] requirements] Values are strongly informational objects for which identity is not significant, i.e. the focus is principally on their state content and any behavior organized around that. Another distinguishing feature of values is their granularity: normally fine-grained objects representing simple concepts in the system such as quantities. As the emphasis of a value lies in its state not its identity, values can be copied and typically assigned one to another, requiring the explicit or implicit definition of a public copy constructor and public assignment operator. Values typically live within other scopes, i.e. within objects or blocks, rather than on the heap. Values are therefore normally passed around and manipulated directly as variables or through references, but not as pointers that emphasize identity and indirection. The specific requirements on value types to be used in an [classref boost::any] and [classref boost::anys::basic_any] are: * A ['ValueType] is ['CopyConstructible]. * The destructor for a ['ValueType] upholds the no-throw exception-safety guarantee. [endsect] [xinclude autodoc_any.xml] [section Acknowledgements] Doug Gregor ported the documentation to the BoostBook format. [endsect]