iterators for bz_API-STLWrapper classes

[Enigma]

I think it would be nice if the STL-wrapper classes in bzfsAPI supported iterators. What I mean is to add the functions begin(), end(), rbegin(), and rend() to each class, as well as the necessary typedefs to make code a little cleaner.

Currently, to use std::for_each with bz_APIIntList, code has to be written like this...

(Note that operator[] has to be used because it is the only function that returns a reference to const, and the dataBlob member is protected.)

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bz_APIIntList *player_list = bz_newIntList();
bz_getPlayerIndexList(player_list);

 std::for_each(&(*player_list)[0],
               &(*player_list)[player_list->size()],
               std::bind2nd(kill_team_player(), team));
 

or

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 std::for_each(&player_list->operator[](0),
               &player_list->operator[](player_list->size()),
               std::bind2nd(kill_team_player(), team));

Whereas code written with begin(), end(), etc... looks much cleaner.

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 std::for_each(player_list->begin(), 
               player_list->end(), 
               std::bind2nd(kill_team_player(), team));

Added iterator typedefs seem necessary if the functions to get iterators are added to the bz_API classes.

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class bzAPIIntList {
typedef std::vector<int>::iterator iterator;
...
};

bzAPIIntList::iterator begin = blah.begin();

Anyway, I hope I did not overlook anything, and thanks for taking the time to read this.

[DTRemenak]

You're welcome to implement iterators for the API parameter classes. Such a patch would likely be accepted.

You may not, however, use the STL to do so (so no typedef'ing to std::vector<int>::iterator, for instance). There was a reason we didn't use the STL in the API itself (not that I remember what it was).

[JeffM]

windows can't use STL across the DLL/APP barrier.

The actual code for the implementation has to be done inside the bzfAPI.cpp file, and can't be done in the header.

[Enigma]

Here is a small patch with begin() and end() added to the container classes.

I wrote a reverse_iterator class and a iterator_traits class (not in the patch), but I implemented the reverse_iterator as a template class, which I don't think will work, as jeff mentioned that the definitions need to be in the cxx file.

In the end() functions I subtracted 1 and added 1 so that a out_of_range exception isn't thrown.

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-bz_APIIntList::iterator bz_APIIntList::end()
-{
-  int* ret = &data->list.at(data->list.size()-1);
-  return ret+1;
-}

As a side note, I've never used DLLs.

I need to sleep