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

Readable Property Map

A Readable Property Map provides read-access to the value associated with a given key via a call to the get() function. The return type of the get()function is either the value_type of the property map or a (const or non-const) reference to that type.

Refinement of

Copy Constructible

Notation

`PMap`	A type that is a model of Readable Property Map.
`pmap`	An object of type `PMap`.
`key`	An object of type `boost::property_traits<PMap>::key_type`.

Associated Types

Value Type	`boost::property_traits<PMap>::value_type`	The type of the property.
Reference Type	`boost::property_traits<PMap>::reference`	A type that is convertible to the value type.
Key Type	`boost::property_traits<PMap>::key_type`	The type of the key object used to look up the property. The property map may be templated on the key type, in which case this typedef can be `void`.
Property Map Category	`boost::property_traits<PMap>::category`	The category of the property: a type convertible to `readable_property_map_tag`.

Valid Expressions

Name	Expression	Return Type	Description
Get Property Value	`get(pmap, key)`	`reference`	Lookup the value associated with `key`.

Concept Checking Class

  template <class PMap, class Key>
  struct ReadablePropertyMapConcept
  {
    typedef typename property_traits<PMap>::key_type key_type;
    typedef typename property_traits<PMap>::category Category;
    typedef boost::readable_property_map_tag ReadableTag;
    void constraints() {
      function_requires< ConvertibleConcept<Category, ReadableTag> >();

      val = get(pmap, k);
    }
    PMap pmap;
    Key k;
    typename property_traits<PMap>::value_type val;
  };

Design Notes

At various times the name "read-only" was considered for this concept. However, that name is inappropriate because concepts are inherently positive, not negative. This becomes obvious when we define the Read Write Property Map, which refines both the Readable Property Map and the Writable Property Map concept. It would not make much sense to combine "read-only" and "write-only" concepts!

Jeremy Siek, Univ.of Notre Dame (jsiek@lsc.nd.edu)