Boost C++ Libraries

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BoostBook element class

class — Declares a class or class template

Synopsis

class ::= (template?, inherit*, purpose?, description?, (access| static-constant| typedef| enum| copy-assignment| constructor| destructor| method-group| free-function-group| function| method| overloaded-function| overloaded-method| data-member| class| class-specialization| struct| struct-specialization| union| union-specialization)*)

Description

C++ classes and class templates are described via the <class> element. Each class has a name (e.g., "any") given by the name attribute, a purpose given by the <purpose> element, documentation, and a set of types, functions, base classes, and data members. Here is a minimal definition of the boost::any class:

<namespace name="boost">
  <class name="any">
    <purpose>
      A class whose instances can hold instances of any type that satisfies
      ValueType requirements.
    </purpose>
  </class>
</namespace>

Additional class documentation can be contained in a description element following the <purpose> element. This documentation will be typeset prior to documentation for specific elements in the class (e.g., constructors or methods).

Class inheritance is described via the <inherit> element. The <inherit> element requires an access attribute which must be one of public, protected, or private. The content of the <inherited> element in C++ code that names the class inherited, and may contain markup to link to the class. The following description of the class boost::bad_any_cast describes public inheritance from the class std::bad_cast. It also defines the <purpose> element, which contains a short description of the use of the class.

<class name="bad_any_cast">
  <inherit access="public"><classname>std::bad_cast</classname></inherit>
  <purpose><para>The exception thrown in the event of a failed
  <functionname>any_cast</functionname> of an
  <classname>any</classname> value.</para></purpose>
</class>

Class templates are defined by <class> elements with a <template> child element at the beginning.

Attributes

Name Type Value Purpose
last-revision #IMPLIED CDATA Set to $Date$ to keep "last revised" information in sync with CVS changes
name #REQUIRED CDATA The name of the element being declared to referenced
id #IMPLIED CDATA A global identifier for this element
xml:base #IMPLIED CDATA Implementation detail used by XIncludes

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