Building boost::options from a string/boost::any map

Question

I have a map which represents a configuration. It\'s a map of std::string and boost::any.

This map is initialized at the start and I\'d

Answer 1

boost::any is not applicable to your problem. It performs the most basic form of type erasure: storage and (type-safe) retrieval, and that's it. As you've seen, no other operations can be performed. As jhasse points out, you could just test every type you want to support, but this is a maintenance nightmare.

Better would be to expand upon the idea boost::any uses. Unfortunately this requires a bit of boiler-plate code. If you'd like to try it, there's a new Boost library being discussed right now on the mailing list (titled "[boost] RFC: type erasure") that is essentially a generalized type erasure utility: you define the operations you'd like your erased type to support, and it generates the proper utility type. (It can simulate boost::any, for example, by requiring the erased type be copy-constructible and type-safe, and can simulate boost::function<> by additionally requiring the type be callable.)

Aside from that, though, your best option is probably to write such a type yourself. I'll do it for you:

#include 
#include 
#include 

namespace po = boost::program_options;

class any_option
{
public: 
    any_option() :
    mContent(0) // no content
    {}

    template 
    any_option(const T& value) :
    mContent(new holder(value))
    {
        // above is where the erasure happens,
        // holder inherits from our non-template
        // base class, which will make virtual calls
        // to the actual implementation; see below
    }

    any_option(const any_option& other) :
    mContent(other.empty() ? 0 : other.mContent->clone())
    {
        // note we need an explicit clone method to copy,
        // since with an erased type it's impossible
    }

    any_option& operator=(any_option other)
    {
        // copy-and-swap idiom is short and sweet
        swap(*this, other);

        return *this;
    }

    ~any_option()
    {
        // delete our content when we're done
        delete mContent;
    }

    bool empty() const
    {
        return !mContent;
    }

    friend void swap(any_option& first, any_option& second)
    {
        std::swap(first.mContent, second.mContent);
    }

    // now we define the interface we'd like to support through erasure:

    // getting the data out if we know the type will be useful,
    // just like boost::any. (defined as friend free-function)
    template 
    friend T* any_option_cast(any_option*);

    // and the ability to query the type
    const std::type_info& type() const
    {
        return mContent->type(); // call actual function
    }

    // we also want to be able to call options_description::add_option(),
    // so we add a function that will do so (through a virtual call)
    void add_option(po::options_description desc, const char* name)
    {
        mContent->add_option(desc, name); // call actual function
    }

private:
    // done with the interface, now we define the non-template base class,
    // which has virtual functions where we need type-erased functionality
    class placeholder
    {
    public:
        virtual ~placeholder()
        {
            // allow deletion through base with virtual destructor
        }

        // the interface needed to support any_option operations:

        // need to be able to clone the stored value
        virtual placeholder* clone() const = 0;

        // need to be able to test the stored type, for safe casts
        virtual const std::type_info& type() const = 0;

        // and need to be able to perform add_option with type info
        virtual void add_option(po::options_description desc,
                                    const char* name) = 0;
    };

    // and the template derived class, which will support the interface
    template 
    class holder : public placeholder
    {
    public:
        holder(const T& value) :
        mValue(value)
        {}

        // implement the required interface:
        placeholder* clone() const
        {
            return new holder(mValue);
        }

        const std::type_info& type() const
        {
            return typeid(mValue);
        }

        void add_option(po::options_description desc, const char* name)
        {
            desc.add_options()(name, po::value(), "");
        }

        // finally, we have a direct value accessor
        T& value()
        {
            return mValue;
        }

    private:
        T mValue;

        // noncopyable, use cloning interface
        holder(const holder&);
        holder& operator=(const holder&);
    };

    // finally, we store a pointer to the base class
    placeholder* mContent;
};

class bad_any_option_cast :
    public std::bad_cast
{
public:
    const char* what() const throw()
    {
        return "bad_any_option_cast: failed conversion";
    }
};

template 
T* any_option_cast(any_option* anyOption)
{
    typedef any_option::holder holder;

    return anyOption.type() == typeid(T) ? 
            &static_cast(anyOption.mContent)->value() : 0; 
}

template 
const T* any_option_cast(const any_option* anyOption)
{
    // none of the operations in non-const any_option_cast
    // are mutating, so this is safe and simple (constness
    // is restored to the return value automatically)
    return any_option_cast(const_cast(anyOption));
}

template 
T& any_option_cast(any_option& anyOption)
{
    T* result = any_option_cast(&anyOption);
    if (!result)
        throw bad_any_option_cast();

    return *result;
}

template 
const T& any_option_cast(const any_option& anyOption)
{
    return any_option_cast(const_cast(anyOption));
}

// NOTE: My casting operator has slightly different use than
// that of boost::any. Namely, it automatically returns a reference
// to the stored value, so you don't need to (and cannot) specify it.
// If you liked the old way, feel free to peek into their source.

#include 
#include 

Let me know if something is unclear. :)