From: "John Torjo" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > If VERIFY is used in MFC to mean an assert even in release mode then > that > > is > > > probably the best name. > > In MFC it doesn't have that meaning though. It means that the expression > > passed to VERIFY will get evaluated in the release build but the result of > > this expression will not get checked in release build. > > Right! > However, I think this would be a great feature (and a good name - > BOOST_VERIFY) - to allow the same behaviour as ASSERT in release as well. > What do you think? Do you think of a better name?
We use -- after name translation -- the following: BOOST_DEBUG_ASSERT BOOST_ASSERT We follow the philosophy of keeping assertions in production code; they've kept us from losing lots of money when a program runs wild. Therefore, we normally use (the moral equivalent to) BOOST_ASSERT and only in some circumstances use BOOST_DEBUG_ASSERT (such as to call a second code path to validate normal calculations). However, given the generally accepted meaning of an assertion, I have no problem with using BOOST_ASSERT for debug only tests and BOOST_VERIFY for debug and release tests. (Another name might be BOOST_CHECK.) I don't do Windows programming -- or at least I haven't done any in a few years -- so I'm not wedded to any connotation of "VERIFY." Another scheme I've used in the past is a manifest constant to control such assertion macros at one more level: production versus non-production builds. The idea is that, using my names above, BOOST_ASSERT appears in release builds unless BOOST_PRODUCTION_RELEASE is defined. The latter case compiles away the assertion code. The rationale for that approach is that having assertions in a release build means you get the performance benefit of optimized code -- which is terribly important here -- while retaining the assertions to validate conditions. Once the application has proven itself in rigorous testing, one can define BOOST_PRODUCTION_RELEASE, rebuild, do some testing, and release the product. Thus, the release build with BOOST_PRODUCTION_RELEASE defined gives you the ordinary behavior of assert -- the assertions don't appear in the build. -- Rob Stewart [EMAIL PROTECTED] Software Engineer http://www.sig.com Susquehanna International Group, LLP using std::disclaimer; _______________________________________________ Unsubscribe & other changes: http://lists.boost.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/boost
