Storing a list of arbitrary objects in C++

Question

In Java, you can have a List of Objects. You can add objects of multiple types, then retrieve them, check their type, and perform the appropriate action for that type.
For example: (apologies if the code isn't exactly correct, I'm going from memory)

List<Object> list = new LinkedList<Object>();

list.add("Hello World!");
list.add(7);
list.add(true);

for (object o : list)
{
    if (o instanceof int)
        ; // Do stuff if it's an int
    else if (o instanceof String)
        ; // Do stuff if it's a string
    else if (o instanceof boolean)
        ; // Do stuff if it's a boolean
}

What's the best way to replicate this behavior in C++?

Answer 1

boost::variant is similar to dirkgently's suggestion of boost::any, but supports the Visitor pattern, meaning it's easier to add type-specific code later. Also, it allocates values on the stack rather than using dynamic allocation, leading to slightly more efficient code.

EDIT: As litb points out in the comments, using variant instead of any means you can only hold values from one of a prespecified list of types. This is often a strength, though it might be a weakness in the asker's case.

Here is an example (not using the Visitor pattern though):

#include <vector>
#include <string>
#include <boost/variant.hpp>

using namespace std;
using namespace boost;

...

vector<variant<int, string, bool> > v;

for (int i = 0; i < v.size(); ++i) {
    if (int* pi = get<int>(v[i])) {
        // Do stuff with *pi
    } else if (string* si = get<string>(v[i])) {
        // Do stuff with *si
    } else if (bool* bi = get<bool>(v[i])) {
        // Do stuff with *bi
    }
}

(And yes, you should technically use vector<T>::size_type instead of int for i's type, and you should technically use vector<T>::iterator instead anyway, but I'm trying to keep it simple.)