building on the preceding analysis, we can now demonstrate that
the container is initially able to grow, but looses this capability
after accepting one element of unknown subclass type...
`lib::Several` is designed to be highly adaptable, allowing for
several quite distinct usage styles. On the downside, this requires
to perform some checks at runtime only, since the ability to handle
some element depends on specific circumstances.
This is a notable difference to `std::vector`, which is simply not capable
of handling ''non-copyable'' types, even if given an up-front memory reservation.
The last test case provided with the previous changeset did not trigger
an exception, but closer investigation revealed that this is correct,
since in this specific situation the container can accept this object type,
thereby just loosing the ability to move-relocate further objects.
A slightly re-arranged test scenario can be used to demonstrate this fine point.
- the test-dummy objects need a `noexcept` move ctor
- **bug** here: need an explicit check to prevent other types
than the known element type from ''sneaking in''
The `SeveralBuilder` is very flexible with respect to added elements,
but it will investigate the provided type information and reject any
further build operation that can not be carried out safely.
...turns out that we must ensure to pass a plain "object" type
to the standard allocator framework (no const, no references).
Here, ''object in C++ terminology'' means a scalar or record type,
but no functor, no references and no void,
Consider what (not) to support.
Notably I decided ''not to support'' moving out of an iterator,
since doing so would contradict the fundamental assumptions of
the »Lumiera Forward Iterator« Concept.
Start verifying some variations of element placement,
still focussing on the simple cases
Parts of the decision logic for element handling was packaged
as separate »strategy« class — but this turned out to be neither
a real abstraction, nor configurable in any way. Thus it is better
to simplify the structure and turn these type predicates into simple
private member functions of the SeveralBuilder itself
...passes the simplest unit test
* create a Several<int>
* populate from `std::initializer_list`
* random-access to elements
''next step would be to implement iteration''
Some decisions
- use a single template with policy base
- population via separate builder class
- implemented similar to vector (start/end)
- but able to hold larger (subclass) objects
At the time of the initial design attempts, I naively created a
classic interface to describe an fixed container allocated ''elsewhere.''
Meanwhile the C++ language has evolved and this whole idea looks
much more as if it could be a ''Concept'' (C++20). Moreover, having
several implementations of such a container interface is deemed inadequate,
since it would necessitate ''at least two indirections'' — while
going the Concept + Template route would allow to work without any
indirection, given our current understanding that the `ProcNode` itself
is ''not an interface'' — rather a building block.
