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I would like to use something like typedef in my C++ programs to enhance type safety.
As an example, suppose I have two functions
void function1(unsigned idOfType1);
void function2(unsigned idOfType2);
then I can mistakenly pass idOfType2 to function1 and vice versa. I want the compiler to give me an error in this case. I am aware that I could wrap these unsigned in a struct, but then I'd have to give provide a field name and use . to access them, which is slightly inconvenient. Is there a good way around this?
Edit: As far as I know typedef will not work for this purpose as it is just a shorthand for a type and will not be used for type checking.
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typedef is a reserved keyword in the programming languages C and C++. It is used to create an additional name (alias) for another data type, but does not create a new type, except in the obscure case of a qualified typedef of an array type where the typedef qualifiers are transferred to the array element type.
Typedefs provide a level of abstraction away from the actual types being used, allowing you, the programmer, to focus more on the concept of just what a variable should mean. This makes it easier to write clean code, but it also makes it far easier to modify your code.
Strong or opaque typedefs are a very powerful feature if you want to prevent errors with the type system – and as I've been advocating for, you want that. Unlike “normal” typedefs, they are a true type definition: they create a new type and allow stuff like overloading on them and/or prevent implicit conversions.
The C programming language is type-safe in limited contexts; for example, a compile-time error is generated when an attempt is made to convert a pointer to one type of structure to a pointer to another type of structure, unless an explicit cast is used.
Use Boost strong typedef:
typedefcreates an alias for an existing type. It does not create a new type that can be used for matching either function or template parameters...Usage of BOOST_STRONG_TYPEDEF addresses this...
BOOST_STRONG_TYPEDEFis a macro which generates a class named "name" wraps and instance of its primitive type and provides appropriate conversion operators in order to make the new type substitutable for the one that it wraps.
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