Boost C++ Libraries

...one of the most highly regarded and expertly designed C++ library projects in the world. — Herb Sutter and Andrei Alexandrescu, C++ Coding Standards

The Boost Statechart Library

Configuration

General configuration: Introduction; Debug mode compilation options; Release mode compilation options; Application Defined Macros

General configuration

Introduction

The library uses several configuration macros in <boost/config.hpp>, as well as two configuration macros meant to be supplied by the application. Moreover, two commonly available compiler options also have an impact on the available features.

Debug mode compilation options

C++ RTTI must be turned on (used by various asserts)
C++ exception handling can be turned on or off. When turned off, obviously the library's error handling support is no longer available

Release mode compilation options

C++ RTTI can be turned on or off. When turned off, the use of state_cast<>() leads to a compile time error (state_downcast<>() is still available). Moreover, BOOST_STATECHART_USE_NATIVE_RTTI must not be defined simultaneously
C++ exception handling can be turned on or off. When turned off, obviously the library's error handling support is no longer available

Application Defined Macros

The following macros may be defined by an application using the library:

Macro	Meaning
`BOOST_STATECHART_USE_NATIVE_RTTI`	When defined, the library no longer uses its own speed-optimized RTTI implementation. Instead, native C++ RTTI is employed (see RTTI customization in the performance document for more information). This has the following effects: `state_machine::state_base_type` becomes a polymorphic type. That is, when `typeid` is applied to a `state_machine::state_base_type` reference, the result refers to a `type_info` object representing the the type of the most derived state type Custom state type information is no longer available All states need to store one pointer less, leading to a best-case state machine memory footprint reduction of about 15% Under most circumstances, dispatch speed degrades. This is because native C++ RTTI values are retrieved through an additional indirection on almost all platforms. See Speed versus scalability tradeoffs in the performance document for timings
`BOOST_STATECHART_RELAX_TRANSITION_CONTEXT`	When defined, the sequence of actions that are called during a transition is relaxed. That is, its is no longer necessary that all states up to the innermost common context are exited before the transition action is called (as mandated by the UML standard). Instead, the transition action can be a member of either the transition source or any direct or indirect outer context and is called as soon as all possibly active inner states have been exited. Then all remaining active states up to the innermost common context are exited before entering all states down to the transition destination

Both macros need to be consistently defined or undefined for all translation units that are later linked into the same executable. Not doing so will inevitably lead to ODR violations. Depending on compiler and linker technology such violations may or may not manifest themselves in link-time errors.

Revised 05 January, 2008

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)