| Home | Libraries | People | FAQ | More

## Function apply_visitor

boost::apply_visitor —

Allows compile-time checked type-safe application of the given visitor to the content of the given variant, ensuring that all types are handled by the visitor.

## Synopsis

    template<typename Visitor, typename Variant>
      typename Visitor::result_type
      apply_visitor(Visitor & visitor, Variant & operand);
    template<typename Visitor, typename Variant>
      typename Visitor::result_type
      apply_visitor(const Visitor & visitor, Variant & operand);
    template<typename BinaryVisitor, typename Variant1, typename Variant2>
      typename BinaryVisitor::result_type
      apply_visitor(BinaryVisitor & visitor, Variant1 & operand1,
                    Variant2 & operand2);
    template<typename BinaryVisitor, typename Variant1, typename Variant2>
      typename BinaryVisitor::result_type
      apply_visitor(const BinaryVisitor & visitor, Variant1 & operand1,
                    Variant2 & operand2);
    template<typename Visitor>
      apply_visitor_delayed_t<Visitor> apply_visitor(Visitor & visitor);

## Description

The behavior of `apply_visitor` is dependent on the number of arguments on which it operates (i.e., other than the visitor). The function behaves as follows:

- Overloads accepting one operand invoke the unary function call operator of the given visitor on the content of the given `variant` operand.
- Overloads accepting two operands invoke the binary function call operator of the given visitor on the content of the given `variant` operands.
- The overload accepting only a visitor returns a generic function object that accepts either one or two arguments and invokes `apply_visitor` using these arguments and `visitor`, thus behaving as specified above. (This behavior is particularly useful, for example, when one needs to operate on each element of a sequence of variant objects using a standard library algorithm.)

Returns: The overloads acccepting operands return the result of applying the given visitor to the content of the given operands. The overload accepting only a visitor return a function object, thus delaying application of the visitor to any operands.
Requires: The given visitor must fulfill the StaticVisitor concept requirements with respect to each of the bounded types of the given `variant`.
Throws: The overloads accepting operands throw only if the given visitor throws when applied. The overload accepting only a visitor will not throw. (Note, however, that the returned function object may throw when invoked.)

| Copyright © 2002, 2003 Eric Friedman, Itay Maman