[/ (C) Copyright Edward Diener 2012 Distributed under the Boost Software License, Version 1.0. (See accompanying file LICENSE_1_0.txt or copy at http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt). ] [section:tti_detail_has_data Introspecting data] The TTI macro [macroref BOOST_TTI_HAS_DATA] introspects the data of a class. The data can be member data or static member data. BOOST_TTI_HAS_DATA macro takes a single parameter, which is the name of an inner member data or static member data, whose existence the programmer wants to check. The macro generates a metafunction called "has_data_'name_of_inner_data'". The metafunction can be invoked by passing it the enclosing type to introspect and the type of the data. The metafunction returns a single type called 'type', which is a boost::mpl::bool_. As a convenience the metafunction returns the value of this type directly as a compile time bool constant called 'value'. This is true or false depending on whether the inner data, of the specified type, exists or not. [heading Generating the metafunction] You generate the metafunction by invoking the macro with the name of an inner data member: BOOST_TTI_HAS_DATA(AData) generates a metafunction called 'has_data_AStaticMemberData' in the current scope. [heading Invoking the metafunction] You invoke the metafunction by instantiating the template with an enclosing type to introspect and the type of the data. A return value called 'value' is a compile time bool constant. has_data_AData::value [heading Examples] First we generate metafunctions for various inner data names: #include BOOST_TTI_HAS_DATA(data1) BOOST_TTI_HAS_DATA(data2) BOOST_TTI_HAS_DATA(data3) Next let us create some user-defined types we want to introspect. struct AClass { }; struct Top { int data1; static AClass * data2; }; struct Top2 { static long data1; Top data3; }; Finally we invoke our metafunction and return our value. This all happens at compile time, and can be used by programmers doing compile time template metaprogramming. has_data_data1::value; // true has_data_data1::value; // false has_data_data1::value; // false has_data_data1::value; // true has_data_data2::value; // true has_data_data2::value; // false has_data_data3::value; // false has_data_data3::value; // true; [heading Metafunction re-use] The macro encodes only the name of the data for which we are searching and the fact that we are introspecting for data within an enclosing type. Because of this, once we create our metafunction for introspecting an inner data by name, we can reuse the metafunction for introspecting any enclosing type, having any inner data type, for that name. [endsect]