split variant into plain and optional, add variant serialization

src/common/variant.h

@@ -74,15 +74,14 @@ struct variant_static_visitor : public boost::static_visitor<ResultT>
 };
 
 template <typename... Types>
-class variant final
+class variant
 {
-    using VType = boost::variant<boost::blank, Types...>;
+    using VType = boost::variant<Types...>;
 
 public:
 //constructors
     /// default constructor
     variant() = default;
-    variant(boost::none_t) : variant{} {}  //act like boost::optional
 
     /// construct from variant type (use enable_if to avoid issues with copy/move constructor)
     template <typename T,
@@ -95,14 +94,7 @@ class variant final
             >::type = true>
     variant(T &&value) : m_value{std::forward<T>(value)} {}
 
-//overloaded operators
-    /// boolean operator: true if the variant isn't empty/uninitialized
-    explicit operator bool() const noexcept { return !this->is_empty(); }
-
 //member functions
-    /// check if empty/uninitialized
-    bool is_empty() const noexcept { return m_value.which() == 0; }
-
     /// check the variant type
     template <typename T>
     bool is_type() const noexcept { return this->index() == this->type_index_of<T>(); }
@@ -136,7 +128,7 @@ class variant final
     template <typename T>
     static constexpr int type_index_of() noexcept
     {
-        using types = boost::mpl::vector<boost::blank, Types...>;
+        using types = typename VType::types;
         using elem  = typename boost::mpl::find<types, T>::type;
         using begin = typename boost::mpl::begin<types>::type;
         return boost::mpl::distance<begin, elem>::value;
@@ -162,6 +154,41 @@ class variant final
 //member variables
     /// variant of all value types
     VType m_value;
+
+//friend functions
+template <class Archive, typename... Ts>
+friend bool do_serialize(Archive &ar, variant<Ts...> &v);
+};
+
+template <typename... Types>
+class optional_variant: public variant<boost::blank, Types...>
+{
+public:
+//constructors
+    /// default constructor
+    optional_variant() = default;
+
+    /// construct from variant type (use enable_if to avoid issues with copy/move constructor)
+    template <typename T,
+        typename std::enable_if<
+                !std::is_same<
+                        std::remove_cv_t<std::remove_reference_t<T>>,
+                        optional_variant<Types...>
+                    >::value,
+                bool
+            >::type = true>
+    optional_variant(T &&value) : variant<boost::blank, Types...>(std::forward<T>(value)) {}
+
+    // construct like boost::optional
+    optional_variant(boost::none_t) {}
+
+//overloaded operators
+    /// boolean operator: true if the variant isn't empty/uninitialized
+    explicit operator bool() const noexcept { return !this->is_empty(); }
+
+//member functions
+    /// check if empty/uninitialized
+    bool is_empty() const noexcept { return this->index() == 0; }
 };
 
 } //namespace tools

src/serialization/variant.h

@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@
 #include <boost/mpl/if.hpp>
 #include <boost/mpl/front.hpp>
 #include <boost/mpl/pop_front.hpp>
+#include "common/variant.h"
 #include "serialization.h"
 
 /*! \struct variant_serialization_triats
@@ -144,3 +145,13 @@ static bool do_serialize(Archive<true> &ar, boost::variant<T...> &v)
 {
   return boost::apply_visitor(variant_write_visitor<Archive>(ar), v);
 }
+
+// implementation for tools::variant delegates to internal boost::variant member field
+namespace tools
+{
+template <class Archive, typename... Ts>
+bool do_serialize(Archive &ar, variant<Ts...> &v)
+{
+  return do_serialize(ar, v.m_value);
+}
+}