Parsing a configuration file with boost::program_options

Question

Good day,

i wrote a class to parse a configuration file via boost::program_options. Here is what I have (shortened):

namespace nsProOp = boost::program_options;
nsProOp::variables_map m_variableMap;
nsProOp::options_description m_description;



// To add options to the variableMap, e.g. "addOption<int>("money_amount");"
template <class T>
    void addOption(const std::string& option, const std::string& helpDescription = "") {
        m_description.add_options()(option.c_str(), nsProOp::value<T > (), helpDescription.c_str());
    }



// And this is how i actually read the file:
void ConfigFile::parse() {
    std::ifstream file;
    file.open(m_pathToFile.c_str());

    nsProOp::store(nsProOp::parse_config_file(file, m_description, true), m_variableMap);
    nsProOp::notify(m_variableMap);      
}

Okay, this works fine. But i want to be able to parse the same file again so that I always use the latest entries provided by the user! The boost documentation says about "store":

"Stores in 'm' all options that are defined in 'options'. If 'm' already has a non-defaulted value of an option, that value is not changed, even if 'options' specify some value."

So, if I call "parse()" again nothing happens, because m_variableMap is filled. My attempt to call m_variableMap.clear() does not solve my problem, so store only works the first time.

Has anybody an advice for me? If my question is unclear, just tell me. Thanks!

Answer 1

In at least boost 1.50, variables_map::clear() will allow the variable map to be properly refilled via store. An alternative solution that works as far back as at least boost 1.37 is to assign a default constructed variable map into the variable map before calling store.

void ConfigFile::parse() {
  std::ifstream file;
  file.open(m_pathToFile.c_str());
  m_variableMap = nsProOp::variables_map(); // Clear m_variableMap.
  nsProOp::store(nsProOp::parse_config_file(file, m_description, true), 
                 m_variableMap);
  nsProOp::notify(m_variableMap);      
}

---

Here is a sample program:

#include <boost/program_options.hpp>
#include <iostream>
#include <fstream>
#include <string>

namespace po = boost::program_options;

void write_settings(const char* value)
{
  std::ofstream settings_file("settings.ini");
  settings_file << "name = " << value;
}

void read_settings(po::options_description& desc,
                   po::variables_map& vm)
{
  std::ifstream settings_file("settings.ini");

  // Clear the map.
  vm = po::variables_map();

  po::store(po::parse_config_file(settings_file , desc), vm);
  po::notify(vm);    
}

int main()
{
  std::string name;

  // Setup options.
  po::options_description desc("Options");
  desc.add_options()
    ("name", po::value<std::string>(&name), "name");
  po::variables_map vm;

  // Write, read, and print settings.
  write_settings("test");
  read_settings(desc, vm);
  std::cout << "name = " << name << std::endl;

  // Write, read, and print newer settings.
  write_settings("another test");
  read_settings(desc, vm);
  std::cout << "name = " << name << std::endl;
}

Which produces the following output:

name = test
name = another test