The boost::traversal_category and boost::return_category traits classes provides access to the category tags for iterators that model the Boost Iterator Concepts, which are a replacement for the iterator requirements in the C++ standard. The other associated types of the Boost iterator concepts are accessed through the std::iterator_traits class.
An important feature of the boost::traversal_category and boost::return_category classes is that they are backwards compatible, i.e., they automatically work for iterators for which there are valid definitions of std::iterator_traits. The old iterator_category is mapped to the appropriate traversal and return categories.
When creating a new iterator type that is meant to work with boost::traversal_category and boost::return_category, you can either create a specialization of these classes for your iterator type, or you can provide all the necessary associated types as nested typedefs. In this case, your iterator class will need to inherit from new_iterator_base to let the category traits know that it will be able to find typedefs for traversal_category and return_category in you iterator class. Each of the new iterator requirements will need a category tag.
namespace boost {
// Return Type Categories
struct readable_iterator_tag { };
struct writable_iterator_tag { };
struct swappable_iterator_tag { };
struct mutable_lvalue_iterator_tag : virtual public writable_iterator_tag,
virtual public readable_iterator_tag { };
struct constant_lvalue_iterator_tag : public readable_iterator_tag { };
// Traversal Categories
struct forward_traversal_tag { };
struct bidirectional_traversal_tag : public forward_traversal_tag { };
struct random_access_traversal_tag : public bidirectional_traversal_tag { };
}
The following is pseudo-code for the iterator category traits classes.
namespace boost {
// Inherit from iterator_base if your iterator defines its own
// return_category and traversal_category. Otherwise, the "old style"
// iterator category will be mapped to the return_category and
// traversal_category.
struct new_iterator_base { };
template <typename Iterator>
struct return_category
{
// Pseudo-code
if (Iterator inherits from new_iterator_base) {
typedef typename Iterator::return_category type;
} else {
typedef std::iterator_traits<Iterator> OldTraits;
typedef typename OldTraits::iterator_category Cat;
if (Cat inherits from std::forward_iterator_tag)
if (is-const(T))
typedef boost::constant_lvalue_iterator_tag type;
else
typedef boost::mutable_lvalue_iterator_tag type;
else if (Cat inherits from std::input_iterator_tag)
typedef boost::readable_iterator_tag type;
else if (Cat inherits from std::output_iterator_tag)
typedef boost::writable_iterator_tag type;
}
};
template <typename T>
struct return_category<T*>
{
// Pseudo-code
if (is-const(T))
typedef boost::constant_lvalue_iterator_tag type;
else
typedef boost::mutable_lvalue_iterator_tag type;
};
template <typename Iterator>
struct traversal_category
{
// Pseudo-code
if (Iterator inherits from new_iterator_base) {
typedef typename Iterator::traversal_category type;
} else {
typedef std::iterator_traits<Iterator> OldTraits;
typedef typename OldTraits::iterator_category Cat;
if (Cat inherits from std::random_access_iterator_tag)
typedef boost::random_access_traversal_tag type;
else if (Cat inherits from std::bidirectional_iterator_tag)
typedef boost::bidirectional_traversal_tag type;
else if (Cat inherits from std::forward_iterator_tag)
typedef boost::forward_traversal_tag type;
}
};
template <typename T>
struct traversal_category<T*>
{
typedef boost::random_access_traversal_tag type;
};
}