Andre Poenitz wrote:
>> Is this just a wild flight of fancy, or does anybody else think
>> that it's a sensible proposal?
>
> I think this could be handled on a case-by-case base by using some
> helper functions in the insets that really need it.
Actually, I did some reading and I think I have stumbled across
something very powerful.
The C++ streams allow us to define arbitrary new modifiers --- and
enable subsequent operations on the stream to be aware of them. For
example, the code below would be used
std::ostringstream os;
os << font::setFamily(font::SERIF) << "André "
<< font::setFamily(font::SANS_SERIF) << "Pönitz\n";
Note that it works on existing stream types!!! Thereafter one would
need to write a 'decipherer'. For example, something to establish the
width of the string in this font, or to paint it, but the beauty is
that this 'mark-up' is entirely separate.
Don't you think that that is beautiful? A built-in stack of string
modifiers. I can imagine latex output, html output etc, etc, just by
parsing a stringstream.
namespace font {
enum Family {
SERIF,
SANS_SERIF,
TYPEWRITER
};
class setFamily {
public:
static int getAlloc() { return xalloc_id_; }
explicit setFamily(Family family) : family_(family) {}
friend std::ostream & operator<<(std::ostream &, setFamily const &);
private:
Family family_;
static int const xalloc_id_;
};
int const setFamily::xalloc_id_ = std::ios_base::xalloc();
std::ostream & operator<<(std::ostream & os, setFamily const & sf)
{
os.iword(CName::GetAlloc()) = sf.family_;
return os;
}
} // namespace font
--
Angus
