doc/named-param.dox
changeset 267 1eb606fe5591
child 268 986d30f5c1c0
equal deleted inserted replaced
-1:000000000000 0:9747e382dffb
       
     1 /* -*- C++ -*-
       
     2  *
       
     3  * This file is a part of LEMON, a generic C++ optimization library
       
     4  *
       
     5  * Copyright (C) 2003-2008
       
     6  * Egervary Jeno Kombinatorikus Optimalizalasi Kutatocsoport
       
     7  * (Egervary Research Group on Combinatorial Optimization, EGRES).
       
     8  *
       
     9  * Permission to use, modify and distribute this software is granted
       
    10  * provided that this copyright notice appears in all copies. For
       
    11  * precise terms see the accompanying LICENSE file.
       
    12  *
       
    13  * This software is provided "AS IS" with no warranty of any kind,
       
    14  * express or implied, and with no claim as to its suitability for any
       
    15  * purpose.
       
    16  *
       
    17  */
       
    18 
       
    19 /*!
       
    20 
       
    21 \page named-param Named Parameters
       
    22 
       
    23 \section named-func-param Named Function Parameters
       
    24 
       
    25 C++ makes it possible to use default parameter values when calling a
       
    26 function. In such a case we do not have to give value for parameters,
       
    27 the program will use the default ones.  Unfortunately sometimes this
       
    28 is not enough. If we do not want to give values for all the
       
    29 parameters, only for some of them we come across problems, because an
       
    30 arbitrary set of parameters cannot be omitted. On the other hand
       
    31 parameters have a fixed order in the head of the function.  C++ can
       
    32 apply the default values only in the back of the order, if we do not
       
    33 give other value for them.  So we can not give the function for
       
    34 example the value of the first, and the third parameter, expecting
       
    35 that the program will aplly the default value for the second
       
    36 parameter.  However sometimes we would like to use some functinos
       
    37 exactly in this way. With a crafty trick and with some little
       
    38 inconvenience this is possible. We have implemented this little trick
       
    39 as an example below.
       
    40 
       
    41 \code
       
    42 class namedFn 
       
    43 {
       
    44   int _id;
       
    45   double _val;
       
    46   int _dim;
       
    47   
       
    48   public:
       
    49   namedFn() : _id(0), _val(1), _dim(2) {}
       
    50   namedFn& id(int p)     { _id  = p ; return *this; }
       
    51   namedFn& val(double p) { _val = p ; return *this; }
       
    52   namedFn& dim(int p)    { _dim = p ; return *this; }
       
    53 
       
    54   run() {
       
    55     printf("Here is the function itself.");
       
    56   }
       
    57 };
       
    58 \endcode
       
    59 
       
    60 
       
    61 The usage is the following.
       
    62 
       
    63 We have to define a class, let's call it \c namedFn.  Let us assume that
       
    64 we would like to use a parameter, called \c X. In the \c namedFn class we
       
    65 have to define an \c _X attribute, and a function \c X. The function
       
    66 expects a parameter with the type of \c _X, and sets the value of
       
    67 \c _X. After setting the value the function returns the class itself. The
       
    68 class also have to have a function, called for example <tt>run()</tt>, we have
       
    69 to implement here the original function itself. The constructor of the
       
    70 class have to give all the attributes like \c _X the default values of
       
    71 them.
       
    72 
       
    73 If we instantiate this class, the default values will be set for the
       
    74 attributes (originally the parameters), initially. If we call function
       
    75 \c X, we get a class with the modified parameter value of
       
    76 \c X. Therefore we can modify any parameter-value, independently from the
       
    77 order. To run the algorithm we have to call the <tt>run()</tt> function at the
       
    78 end of the row.
       
    79 
       
    80 Example:
       
    81 \code
       
    82 namedFn().id(3).val(2).run();
       
    83 \endcode
       
    84 
       
    85 \note Although it is a class, namedFn is used pretty much like as it were
       
    86 a function. That it why it is called namedFn and not \c NamedFn.
       
    87 
       
    88 \note In fact, the final <tt>.run()</tt> could be made unnecessary if the
       
    89 actual function code were put in the destructor instead. This however would make
       
    90 hard to implement functions with return values, and would also make the
       
    91 implementation of \ref named-templ-func-param "named template parameters"
       
    92 very problematic. <b>Therefore, by convention, <tt>.run()</tt> must be used
       
    93 to explicitly execute function having named parameters in Lemon.</b>
       
    94 
       
    95 
       
    96 \section traits-classes Traits Classes
       
    97 
       
    98 The procedure above can also be applied when defining classes. In this
       
    99 case the type of the attributes can be changed.  Initially we have to
       
   100 define a class with the default attribute types. This is the so called
       
   101 Traits Class. Later on the types of these attributes can be changed,
       
   102 as described below. In our software \ref lemon::DijkstraDefaultTraits is an
       
   103 example of how a traits class looks like.
       
   104 
       
   105 \section named-templ-param Named Class Template Parameters
       
   106 
       
   107 If we would like to change the type of an attribute in a class that
       
   108 was instantiated by using a traits class as a template parameter, and
       
   109 the class contains named parameters, we do not have to reinstantiate
       
   110 the class with new traits class. Instead of that, adaptor classes can
       
   111 be used like in the following cases.
       
   112 
       
   113 \code
       
   114 Dijkstra<>::SetPredNodeMap<NullMap<Node,Node> >::Create
       
   115 \endcode
       
   116 
       
   117 It can also be used in conjunction with other named template
       
   118 parameters in arbitrary order.
       
   119 
       
   120 \code
       
   121 Dijkstra<>::SetDistMap<MyMap>::SetPredMap<NullMap<Node,Edge> >::Create
       
   122 \endcode
       
   123 
       
   124 The result will be an instantiated Dijkstra class, in which the
       
   125 DistMap and the PredMap is modified.
       
   126 
       
   127 \section named-templ-func-param Named Function Template Parameters
       
   128 
       
   129 If the class has so called wizard functions, the new class with the
       
   130 modified tpye of attributes can be returned by the appropriate wizard
       
   131 function. The usage of these wizard functions is the following:
       
   132 
       
   133 */