A few days ago Boost 1.59 was released and I have already been getting some hands-on experience with it. I have especially been focusing on the new libraries that are found in Boost 1.59.
Boost is a C++ project of portable, cross-platform C++ source libraries that can be used alongside the C++ Standard Library.
The C++ Boost libraries are a great way to speed up development time and produce stable and more maintainable code with fewer bugs.
What’s New in Boost 1.59?
Boost 1.59 comes with two new libraries named Convert and Coroutine2. Several existing libraries have also been updated. There are also many bug fixes.
Some of the areas which have been improved include Variant, TypeIndex, Multi-index Containers and Move. Others are Lexical Cast, Fusion, Geometry, Context, and Container.
The Boost.Test v3 container includes major new features with BOOST_TEST generic assertion and data-driven test cases among others. You can follow the details of the updates in Boost 1.59 here.
The Boost 1.59 Convert Library
Included as Boost.Convert 2.0, the Convert Library is an extensible type-conversion framework designed to be configurable. It is kind of related to boost::lexical_cast but with alternate approaches.
This library is ideal for conversions. These are conversions with a uniform interface for converting various data representations between their binary formats and their textual representations. You can get to know more about Boost Convert here.
The Boost 1.59 Coroutine2 Library
Available as Boost.Coroutine2, the Boost 1.59 C++ Coroutine2 Library adds better control and convenience. This allows suspending and resuming of code execution at specific locations.
Coroutine2 can preserve state across function calls. This adds a unique handling of control flow to Boost. This switching of state can also be controlled by the programmer. It is important to note that Coroutine2 is a C++14 only implementation for Coroutine. Follow this link to learn more about Boost Coroutine2.
There are several other great features about the Boost Libraries that can impact the productivity of the programmer. I urge you to take a little time to get familiar with the Boost library project. Better yet, jump in and contribute in whatever way you can.
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