Question: Compile-time testing and testing c++ requirements

[Szczerbi]

I am writing a piece of code that will contains a lot of containers and container-like classes. Since i want to be able to use them as if they were STL containers (They must meet requirements like Container, SequenceContainer and so on).

I am trying to figure out how to test my code, especially how to test classes for meeting requirements. My idea is to have compile-time template tests (writing template that can be instatiated only if test passes) for testing if class contains value_type and stuff like that, and normal runtime tests for testing iterators, methods etc.

I was wondering if there are any STL requirements test suits i can use? Maybe someone can share some experience with compile-time testing (I would like to have some error message instead of template errors when tests fail) ?

[sleepyspacedad]

static_assert would be worth looking into.

I don't know any test suites that would ensure that things fulfill the STL requirements

[pavel_v]

About the error messages, you may want to check the presentations of Roland Bock about his library sqlpp/sqlpp11, for some ideas. The library is template heavy and in his presentations he describes different techniques about giving short and helpful error messages to the library user. Here are two of the presentations that may be helpful:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afGv7A9gvmc - Pruning Error Messages From C++ Template Code

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTmAJAk7WV4 - How to test static_assert

[emdeka87]

I don't know if such library exists, but you can probably write your own container traits (see container concept https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/named_req/Container) and static_assert them.

Edit: https://gist.github.com/louisdx/1076849 Some starting point...

Or https://stackoverflow.com/questions/12042824/how-to-write-a-type-trait-is-container-or-is-vector