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  13. <h1><img src="../../../../boost.png" alt="Boost logo" align=
  14. "middle" width="277" height="86">Boost.Flyweight Tutorial Annex: MPL lambda expressions</h1>
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  24. <hr>
  25. <p>This short introduction to lambda expressions is meant for readers unfamiliar
  26. with the <a href="../../../mpl/doc/index.html">Boost MPL Library</a> who
  27. want to rapidly acquire a working knowledge of the basic concepts for the purposes
  28. of using them in Boost.Flyweight. Please refer to the Boost.MPL documentation
  29. for further information beyond these introductory notes.
  30. </p>
  31. <p>
  32. The specifiers defined by Boost.Flyweight rely heavily on the
  33. <a href="../../../mpl/doc/refmanual/lambda-expression.html"><code>Lambda
  34. Expression</code></a> concept defined by the
  35. <a href="../../../mpl/doc/index.html">Boost MPL Library</a>. A lambda
  36. expression can be thought of as a compile-time "type function", an entity (a
  37. concrete type, actually) that can be invoked with a list of types and returns
  38. some associated type in its turn. Consider for instance an arbitrary class
  39. template:
  40. </p>
  41. <blockquote><pre>
  42. <span class=keyword>template</span><span class=special>&lt;</span><span class=keyword>typename</span> <span class=identifier>T</span><span class=special>,</span><span class=keyword>typename</span> <span class=identifier>Q</span><span class=special>&gt;</span>
  43. <span class=keyword>class</span> <span class=identifier>foo</span>
  44. <span class=special>{</span>
  45. <span class=special>...</span>
  46. <span class=special>};</span>
  47. </pre></blockquote>
  48. <p>
  49. and suppose we want to have a lambda expression that, when invoked
  50. with some generic types <code>Arg1</code> and <code>Arg2</code>,
  51. returns <code>foo&lt;Arg1,Arg2&gt;</code>. Such a lambda expression
  52. can be implemented in two ways
  53. <ol>
  54. <li>As a
  55. <a href="../../../mpl/doc/refmanual/metafunction-class.html"><code>MPL
  56. Metafunction Class</code></a>, a type with a special nested class template
  57. named <code>apply</code>:
  58. <blockquote><pre>
  59. <span class=keyword>struct</span> <span class=identifier>foo_specifier</span>
  60. <span class=special>{</span>
  61. <span class=keyword>template</span><span class=special>&lt;</span><span class=keyword>typename</span> <span class=identifier>Arg1</span><span class=special>,</span><span class=keyword>typename</span> <span class=identifier>Arg2</span><span class=special>&gt;</span>
  62. <span class=keyword>struct</span> <span class=identifier>apply</span>
  63. <span class=special>{</span>
  64. <span class=comment>// this is the &quot;return type&quot; of foo_specifier</span>
  65. <span class=keyword>typedef</span> <span class=identifier>foo</span><span class=special>&lt;</span><span class=identifier>Arg1</span><span class=special>,</span><span class=identifier>Arg2</span><span class=special>&gt;</span> <span class=identifier>type</span><span class=special>;</span>
  66. <span class=special>};</span>
  67. <span class=special>};</span>
  68. </pre></blockquote>
  69. </li>
  70. <li>
  71. As a
  72. <a href="../../../mpl/doc/refmanual/placeholder-expression.html"><code>MPL
  73. Placeholder Expression</code></a>, a class template instantiated with one or
  74. more <i>placeholders</i>:
  75. <blockquote><pre>
  76. <span class=keyword>typedef</span> <span class=identifier>foo</span><span class=special>&lt;</span><span class=identifier>boost</span><span class=special>::</span><span class=identifier>mpl</span><span class=special>::</span><span class=identifier>_1</span><span class=special>,</span><span class=identifier>boost</span><span class=special>::</span><span class=identifier>mpl</span><span class=special>::</span><span class=identifier>_2</span><span class=special>&gt;</span> <span class=identifier>foo_specifier</span><span class=special>;</span>
  77. </pre></blockquote>
  78. Note that, in this case, <code>foo_specifier</code> is a concrete type, much
  79. as <code>int</code> or <code>std::set&lt;std::string&gt;</code> are; yet,
  80. MPL internal mechanisms are able to detect that this type has been gotten
  81. from instantiating a class template with placeholders <code>boost::mpl::_1</code>
  82. and <code>boost::mpl::_2</code> and take these placeholders as slots to
  83. be substituted for actual types (the first and second type supplied,
  84. respectively) when <code>foo_specifier</code> is
  85. invoked. So, an instantiation of <code>foo</code> can be used
  86. to refer back to the <code>foo</code> class template itself! The net
  87. effect is the same as with metafunctions, but placeholder expressions spare
  88. us the need to write boilerplate metafunction classes
  89. --and the kind of metaprogramming magic they depend on has an undeniable
  90. beauty to it.
  91. </li>
  92. </ol>
  93. So far the examples shown just forward the arguments <code>Arg1</code> and
  94. <code>Arg2</code> directly to a class template without further elaboration,
  95. but there is nothing preventing us from doing some argument manipulation,
  96. like, for instance, switching their places:
  97. </p>
  98. <blockquote><pre>
  99. <span class=keyword>struct</span> <span class=identifier>foo_specifier</span>
  100. <span class=special>{</span>
  101. <span class=keyword>template</span><span class=special>&lt;</span><span class=keyword>typename</span> <span class=identifier>Arg1</span><span class=special>,</span><span class=keyword>typename</span> <span class=identifier>Arg2</span><span class=special>&gt;</span>
  102. <span class=keyword>struct</span> <span class=identifier>apply</span><span class=special>{</span><span class=keyword>typedef</span> <span class=identifier>foo</span><span class=special>&lt;</span><span class=identifier>Arg2</span><span class=special>,</span><span class=identifier>Arg1</span><span class=special>&gt;</span> <span class=identifier>type</span><span class=special>;};</span>
  103. <span class=special>};</span>
  104. <span class=keyword>typedef</span> <span class=identifier>foo</span><span class=special>&lt;</span><span class=identifier>boost</span><span class=special>::</span><span class=identifier>mpl</span><span class=special>::</span><span class=identifier>_2</span><span class=special>,</span><span class=identifier>boost</span><span class=special>::</span><span class=identifier>mpl</span><span class=special>::</span><span class=identifier>_1</span><span class=special>&gt;</span> <span class=identifier>foo_specifier</span><span class=special>;</span>
  105. </pre></blockquote>
  106. <p>
  107. passing placeholder subexpressions as arguments to the overall expression:
  108. </p>
  109. <blockquote><pre>
  110. <span class=keyword>struct</span> <span class=identifier>foo_specifier</span>
  111. <span class=special>{</span>
  112. <span class=keyword>template</span><span class=special>&lt;</span><span class=keyword>typename</span> <span class=identifier>Arg1</span><span class=special>,</span><span class=keyword>typename</span> <span class=identifier>Arg2</span><span class=special>&gt;</span>
  113. <span class=keyword>struct</span> <span class=identifier>apply</span><span class=special>{</span><span class=keyword>typedef</span> <span class=identifier>foo</span><span class=special>&lt;</span><span class=identifier>boost</span><span class=special>::</span><span class=identifier>shared_ptr</span><span class=special>&lt;</span><span class=identifier>Arg1</span><span class=special>&gt;,</span><span class=identifier>std</span><span class=special>::</span><span class=identifier>less</span><span class=special>&lt;</span><span class=identifier>Arg2</span><span class=special>&gt;</span> <span class=special>&gt;</span> <span class=identifier>type</span><span class=special>;};</span>
  114. <span class=special>};</span>
  115. <span class=keyword>typedef</span> <span class=identifier>foo</span><span class=special>&lt;</span>
  116. <span class=identifier>boost</span><span class=special>::</span><span class=identifier>shared_ptr</span><span class=special>&lt;</span><span class=identifier>boost</span><span class=special>::</span><span class=identifier>mpl</span><span class=special>::</span><span class=identifier>_1</span><span class=special>&gt;,</span>
  117. <span class=identifier>std</span><span class=special>::</span><span class=identifier>less</span><span class=special>&lt;</span><span class=identifier>boost</span><span class=special>::</span><span class=identifier>mpl</span><span class=special>::</span><span class=identifier>_2</span><span class=special>&gt;</span>
  118. <span class=special>&gt;</span> <span class=identifier>foo_specifier</span><span class=special>;</span>
  119. </pre></blockquote>
  120. <p>
  121. or accepting less or more arguments than the class template itself
  122. (the number of parameters of a lambda expression is called its <i>arity</i>):
  123. </p>
  124. <blockquote><pre>
  125. <span class=keyword>struct</span> <span class=identifier>foo_specifier</span>
  126. <span class=special>{</span>
  127. <span class=keyword>template</span><span class=special>&lt;</span><span class=keyword>typename</span> <span class=identifier>Arg1</span><span class=special>&gt;</span>
  128. <span class=keyword>struct</span> <span class=identifier>apply</span><span class=special>{</span><span class=keyword>typedef</span> <span class=identifier>foo</span><span class=special>&lt;</span><span class=identifier>Arg1</span><span class=special>,</span><span class=identifier>std</span><span class=special>::</span><span class=identifier>less</span><span class=special>&lt;</span><span class=identifier>Arg1</span><span class=special>&gt;</span> <span class=identifier>type</span><span class=special>;};</span>
  129. <span class=special>};</span>
  130. <span class=keyword>typedef</span> <span class=identifier>foo</span><span class=special>&lt;</span><span class=identifier>boost</span><span class=special>::</span><span class=identifier>mpl</span><span class=special>::</span><span class=identifier>_1</span><span class=special>,</span><span class=identifier>std</span><span class=special>::</span><span class=identifier>less</span><span class=special>&lt;</span><span class=identifier>boost</span><span class=special>::</span><span class=identifier>mpl</span><span class=special>::</span><span class=identifier>_1</span><span class=special>&gt;</span> <span class=special>&gt;</span> <span class=identifier>foo_specifier</span><span class=special>;</span>
  131. <span class=keyword>struct</span> <span class=identifier>foo_specifier</span>
  132. <span class=special>{</span>
  133. <span class=keyword>template</span><span class=special>&lt;</span><span class=keyword>typename</span> <span class=identifier>Arg1</span><span class=special>,</span><span class=keyword>typename</span> <span class=identifier>Arg2</span><span class=special>,</span><span class=keyword>typename</span> <span class=identifier>Arg3</span><span class=special>&gt;</span>
  134. <span class=keyword>struct</span> <span class=identifier>apply</span><span class=special>{</span><span class=keyword>typedef</span> <span class=identifier>foo</span><span class=special>&lt;</span><span class=identifier>Arg1</span><span class=special>,</span><span class=identifier>foo</span><span class=special>&lt;</span><span class=identifier>Arg2</span><span class=special>,</span><span class=identifier>Arg3</span><span class=special>&gt;</span> <span class=special>&gt;</span> <span class=identifier>type</span><span class=special>;};</span>
  135. <span class=special>};</span>
  136. <span class=keyword>typedef</span> <span class=identifier>foo</span><span class=special>&lt;</span><span class=identifier>boost</span><span class=special>::</span><span class=identifier>mpl</span><span class=special>::</span><span class=identifier>_1</span><span class=special>,</span><span class=identifier>foo</span><span class=special>&lt;</span><span class=identifier>boost</span><span class=special>::</span><span class=identifier>mpl</span><span class=special>::</span><span class=identifier>_2</span><span class=special>,</span><span class=identifier>boost</span><span class=special>::</span><span class=identifier>mpl</span><span class=special>::</span><span class=identifier>_3</span><span class=special>&gt;</span> <span class=special>&gt;</span> <span class=identifier>foo_specifier</span><span class=special>;</span>
  137. </pre></blockquote>
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  148. <br>
  149. <p>Revised August 13th 2008</p>
  150. <p>&copy; Copyright 2006-2008 Joaqu&iacute;n M L&oacute;pez Mu&ntilde;oz.
  151. Distributed under the Boost Software
  152. License, Version 1.0. (See accompanying file <a href="../../../../LICENSE_1_0.txt">
  153. LICENSE_1_0.txt</a> or copy at <a href="http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt">
  154. http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt</a>)
  155. </p>
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