serialization question (using composite STL classes)

[Bit Byte]

Suppose I have a data variable defined thus:

typedef std::vector<std:air<std::string,std::string> > InfoVector ;

I have written a template function to generalize serialization:

template <class T> std:stream& Serialize(std:stream& out, const T&
value)
{
out.write(reinterpret_cast<const char*>(&value), sizeof(T)) ) ;
}

Can I pass InfoVector to my template function (or do I need a partial
specialized template ?). Any clarification on this issue will be very
helpful

 

[=?ISO-8859-15?Q?Juli=E1n?= Albo]

Suppose I have a data variable defined thus:
typedef std::vector<std:air<std::string,std::string> > InfoVector ;

This is not the definition of a variable.

I have written a template function to generalize serialization:

template <class T> std:stream& Serialize(std:stream& out, const T&
value)
{
out.write(reinterpret_cast<const char*>(&value), sizeof(T)) ) ;
}

This is not serialization at all, is just raw data writing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serialization

 

[bjeremy]

Suppose I have a data variable defined thus:

typedef std::vector<std:air<std::string,std::string> > InfoVector ;

I have written a template function to generalize serialization:

template <class T> std:stream& Serialize(std:stream& out, const T&
value)
{
out.write(reinterpret_cast<const char*>(&value), sizeof(T)) ) ;
}

Can I pass InfoVector to my template function (or do I need a partial
specialized template ?). Any clarification on this issue will be very
helpful

Your writing the address of your InfoVector (plus some garbage since
you are writing sizeof(InfoVector) bytes which is greater than and
address). As Julian points out, this is not serialization. You would
need to step through the vector and serialize the value (not reference)
of each pair respectively in such a way as a copy of the original
vector can be pieced back together again. Java has some langauge
support for this, I think Boost has some libraries for C++, however, I
never used them.

 

[David Harmon]

On Wed, 03 Jan 2007 21:51:13 +0000 in comp.lang.c++, Bit Byte

Can I pass InfoVector to my template function

Not a chance! std::vector, std::string, and many other classes manage
dynamic data that has no resemblance to anything compile-time sizeof
knows about.

 

[Diego Martins]

This is not the definition of a variable.


This is not serialization at all, is just raw data writing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serialization

But raw writing is useful when endianess is not an issue

 

[=?ISO-8859-15?Q?Juli=E1n?= Albo]

But raw writing is useful when endianess is not an issue

Usefulness or lack or it are not reasons to call it serialization.

 

[Diego Martins]

Usefulness or lack or it are not reasons to call it serialization.

you are right

but my point is, in most cases, one can use raw writing which is fast
and simple, instead of creating a bunch of boring serialization classes