Re: request for interest/participants: another lua C++ binding

[Oliver Schoenborn <oliver.schoenborn@...>]

Hi Tyranni,

Tyranni wrote:
> Oliver,
>
>   
> >    * luabind: most powerful, but requires boost, and syntax a little
> >      unnatural (IMO)
> >     
>
> What is your specific issue with using boost?
>   
My only problem with it is that many projects can afford to depend on it 
due to size or other constraints.

> Also, I use luabind not just as a binding system, but also to abstract dealing with the Lua stack.
> The luabind::object class and luabind::object_cast functions are extremely useful for this:
>
> double d = luabind::object_cast<double>( luabind::globals(L)['my']['nested']['table']['entry'] );
> // yes that looks sorta ugly but in practice you don't write it like that
>   
Seems to me this casting could be handled automatically by the compiler. 
As to the table example, is the above necessary? I would much prefer 
being able to write

double d = luabind::globals(L, "my.nested.table.entry");

Seems rather simpler. Perhaps I don't know luabind enough, but in 
general (from the docs) I find it forces you to be much more verbose and 
explicit than necessary about what you want to achieve.
>   
> >    * swig and tolua++: don't allow for variable argument lists (AFAICT)
> >      or for logging callbacks and gets/sets
> >     
>
> SWIG supports C varargs.  I don't think it supports Lua varargs since the Lua-SWIG module is
> targeted to Lua 5.0.  You can add it and send them patches.
>   
Varargs don't preserve type and UDT.
> In terms of adding logging functionality, there is complete flexibility in SWIG through the use of
> typemaps.  They are a bit of a pain to use (you normally don't have to), but you can.
>   
I'd rather avoid having to use them, especially to support logging.
> One problem with SWIG is that it is one-way... you can only access C++ objects and functions from
> Lua.  You cannot (easily) get those objects back in C++.  [Something like this could be possible
> with some adapating tools that combine SWIG and luabind.]
>   
IIRC (though I might be thinking of tolua++ rather than SWIG), swig 
allows you to "export" globals to lua interpreter, which address *some* 
of the above, but you're right, it's doesn't help with getting things 
from the lua interpreter.
> I'm not trying to squash your call to arms; I'm just trying to give you more info.
>   
I greatly appreciate your input, thanks for taking the time. Cheers,
Oliver

> -Evan
>
>
> Oliver Schoenborn wrote:
>   
> > Hello, I'm somewhat unhappy with the existing bindings to C++. The major
> > ones
> >
> >    * lua++: clean and simple, but requires custom lua
> >    * cpplua: some good ideas, but some less good, and doesn't seem to
> >      be maintained
> >    * luabind: most powerful, but requires boost, and syntax a little
> >      unnatural (IMO)
> >    * swig and tolua++: don't allow for variable argument lists (AFAICT)
> >      or for logging callbacks and gets/sets
> >
> > [...]
> >