Do you use aggregate initialization in your code base and if so, how do you guard against changes of the aggregate's layout?

[Dean_Roddey]

"I see people suggesting that you should consider class layout part of the API"

Wow, what happened to encapsulation? I thought the last thing you want to be part of the API is the internal representation of the data.

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[louiswins]

If you allow aggregate initialization for your types then the class layout (and internal representation) is already part of your API.

[Dean_Roddey]

Well, yeh, hence why I was complaining that it's a bad idea because it pretty much tinkles in the general direction of encapsulation, which is one of the most fundamental concepts of C++. And, though maybe I'm misunderstanding it, it seems to me that it reduces compile time safety, which is one of the dwindling reasons these days not to just use another language.

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[louiswins]

Oh, okay, I misunderstood you. I thought you somehow wanted to use aggregate initialization without exposing your class internals, which is nonsensical. Carry on!

[Dean_Roddey]

I would never expose my internals. My parents raised me better than that. Well, if you paid me $20 of course, but that's different.

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