xref: /netbsd-src/external/gpl3/gcc.old/dist/libstdc++-v3/doc/xml/manual/diagnostics.xml (revision b7b7574d3bf8eeb51a1fa3977b59142ec6434a55)
1<?xml version='1.0'?>
2<!DOCTYPE chapter PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.5//EN"
3 "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.5/docbookx.dtd"
4[ ]>
5
6<chapter id="std.diagnostics" xreflabel="Diagnostics">
7<?dbhtml filename="diagnostics.html"?>
8
9<chapterinfo>
10  <keywordset>
11    <keyword>
12      ISO C++
13    </keyword>
14    <keyword>
15      library
16    </keyword>
17  </keywordset>
18</chapterinfo>
19
20<title>
21  Diagnostics
22  <indexterm><primary>Diagnostics</primary></indexterm>
23</title>
24
25<sect1 id="std.diagnostics.exceptions" xreflabel="Exceptions">
26  <?dbhtml filename="exceptions.html"?>
27  <title>Exceptions</title>
28
29  <sect2 id="std.diagnostics.exceptions.api">
30    <title>API Reference</title>
31    <para>
32      All exception objects are defined in one of the standard header
33      files: <filename>exception</filename>,
34      <filename>stdexcept</filename>, <filename>new</filename>, and
35      <filename>typeinfo</filename>.
36    </para>
37
38    <para>
39      The base exception object is <classname>exception</classname>,
40      located in <filename>exception</filename>. This object has no
41      <classname>string</classname> member.
42    </para>
43
44    <para>
45      Derived from this are several classes that may have a
46      <classname>string</classname> member: a full hierarchy can be
47      found in the source documentation.
48    </para>
49
50    <para>
51      Full API details.
52    </para>
53
54    <!-- Doxygen XML: api/group__exceptions.xml -->
55
56  </sect2>
57  <sect2 id="std.diagnostics.exceptions.data" xreflabel="Adding Data to Exceptions">
58    <title>Adding Data to <classname>exception</classname></title>
59    <para>
60      The standard exception classes carry with them a single string as
61      data (usually describing what went wrong or where the 'throw' took
62    place).  It's good to remember that you can add your own data to
63    these exceptions when extending the hierarchy:
64   </para>
65   <programlisting>
66   struct My_Exception : public std::runtime_error
67   {
68     public:
69       My_Exception (const string&amp; whatarg)
70	   : std::runtime_error(whatarg), e(errno), id(GetDataBaseID()) { }
71       int  errno_at_time_of_throw() const { return e; }
72       DBID id_of_thing_that_threw() const { return id; }
73     protected:
74       int    e;
75       DBID   id;     // some user-defined type
76   };
77   </programlisting>
78
79  </sect2>
80</sect1>
81
82<sect1 id="std.diagnostics.concept_checking" xreflabel="Concept Checking">
83  <title>Concept Checking</title>
84  <para>
85    In 1999, SGI added <quote>concept checkers</quote> to their
86    implementation of the STL: code which checked the template
87    parameters of instantiated pieces of the STL, in order to insure
88    that the parameters being used met the requirements of the
89    standard.  For example, the Standard requires that types passed as
90    template parameters to <classname>vector</classname> be
91    &quot;Assignable&quot; (which means what you think it means).  The
92    checking was done during compilation, and none of the code was
93    executed at runtime.
94   </para>
95   <para>
96     Unfortunately, the size of the compiler files grew significantly
97     as a result.  The checking code itself was cumbersome.  And bugs
98     were found in it on more than one occasion.
99   </para>
100   <para>
101     The primary author of the checking code, Jeremy Siek, had already
102     started work on a replacement implementation.  The new code has been
103     formally reviewed and accepted into
104   <ulink url="http://www.boost.org/libs/concept_check/concept_check.htm">the
105   Boost libraries</ulink>, and we are pleased to incorporate it into the
106   GNU C++ library.
107 </para>
108 <para>
109   The new version imposes a much smaller space overhead on the generated
110   object file.  The checks are also cleaner and easier to read and
111   understand.
112 </para>
113
114 <para>
115   They are off by default for all versions of GCC.
116   They can be enabled at configure time with
117   <link linkend="manual.intro.setup.configure"><literal>--enable-concept-checks</literal></link>.
118   You can enable them on a per-translation-unit basis with
119     <literal>-D_GLIBCXX_CONCEPT_CHECKS</literal>.
120 </para>
121
122 <para>
123   Please note that the upcoming C++ standard has first-class
124   support for template parameter constraints based on concepts in the core
125   language. This will obviate the need for the library-simulated concept
126   checking described above.
127 </para>
128
129</sect1>
130
131</chapter>
132