Boost Macros

Boost provides many useful macros that help with configuration, debugging, portability, and convenience when working with the libraries.

There are thousands of defined macros (refer to the Boost Macro Reference). However, here are some of the most commonly used, and some sample code showing how to work them into your code.

Library Inclusion and Linking

Macro Description

BOOST_ALL_NO_LIB

Disables automatic linking for all Boost libraries.

BOOST_LIB_DIAGNOSTIC

Enables diagnostic output for automatic linking.

BOOST_INCLUDE_LIBRARIES(libs…​)

Used to specify which libraries should be included when using B2.

BOOST_ALL_DYN_LINK

Forces all Boost libraries to be linked dynamically.

Example

The BOOST_ALL_NO_LIB macro prevents automatic linking of Boost libraries.

#define BOOST_ALL_NO_LIB  // Disable auto-linking

#include <boost/filesystem.hpp>
#include <iostream>

int main() {
    std::cout << "Boost Filesystem is included, but auto-linking is disabled.\n";
}

Configuration and Compiler Detection

Macro Description

BOOST_VERSION

Defines the Boost version as an integer (for example, 107800 for Boost 1.78.0).

BOOST_PLATFORM

Identifies the platform (for example, Windows, Linux).

BOOST_COMPILER

Identifies the compiler in use (for example, gcc, msvc).

BOOST_STDLIB

Identifies the standard library (for example, libstdc++, msvc).

BOOST_SP_USE_QUICK_ALLOCATOR

Optimizes memory allocation for shared_ptr.

BOOST_NO_CXX11_SMART_PTR

Defined if C++11 std::shared_ptr and std::unique_ptr are not available, so Boost’s smart pointers are used as a fallback.

BOOST_STATIC_CONSTANT

Defines compile-time constants in a way that is compatible with older C++ versions, so ensures compatibility with pre-C++11 compilers.

BOOST_FILESYSTEM_VERSION

Defines the version of the Boost.Filesystem library being used, to ensure compatibility between different versions of that library.

BOOST_NO_CXX11_LAMBDAS

Defined if C++11 lambda expressions are not available, so allows for providing alternative function objects for compatibility.

BOOST_FILESYSTEM_NO_DEPRECATED

Disables deprecated features in Boost.Filesystem.

Examples

The BOOST_STDLIB macro is part of Boost.Config and identifies the standard library implementation being used (for example, GNU libstdc++, Microsoft STL, or libc++). This is useful when writing code that needs to adapt to different standard library behaviors. BOOST_STDLIB expands to a string representing the detected standard library.

#include <boost/config.hpp>
#include <iostream>

int main() {
    std::cout << "Detected Standard Library: " << BOOST_STDLIB << std::endl;

#ifdef BOOST_LIBSTD_GNU
    std::cout << "Using GNU libstdc++" << std::endl;
#elif defined(BOOST_LIBSTD_MSVC)
    std::cout << "Using Microsoft STL (MSVC Standard Library)" << std::endl;
#elif defined(BOOST_LIBSTD_LIBCXX)
    std::cout << "Using libc++ (Clang Standard Library)" << std::endl;
#else
    std::cout << "Using an unknown or unsupported standard library" << std::endl;
#endif

    return 0;
}

Using BOOST_PLATFORM, BOOST_COMPILER, and BOOST_STDLIB for diagnostics by identifing the system’s platform, compiler, and standard library.

#include <iostream>
#include <boost/config.hpp>

int main() {
    std::cout << "Platform: " << BOOST_PLATFORM << std::endl;
    std::cout << "Compiler: " << BOOST_COMPILER << std::endl;
    std::cout << "Standard Library: " << BOOST_STDLIB << std::endl;
    return 0;
}

Using BOOST_VERSION to ensure version compatibility when using Boost.

#include <iostream>
#include <boost/version.hpp>

int main() {
    std::cout << "Boost version: "
              << (BOOST_VERSION / 100000) << "."   // Major version
              << (BOOST_VERSION / 100 % 1000) << "." // Minor version
              << (BOOST_VERSION % 100) << std::endl; // Patch version
    return 0;
}

Using BOOST_SP_USE_QUICK_ALLOCATOR to optimize shared_ptr.

#define BOOST_SP_USE_QUICK_ALLOCATOR // Define before including Boost.SmartPtr

#include <boost/smart_ptr.hpp>
#include <iostream>

int main() {
    boost::shared_ptr<int> ptr1(new int(42));
    boost::shared_ptr<int> ptr2 = ptr1;

    std::cout << "Shared pointer value: " << *ptr1 << std::endl;
    return 0;
}

Debugging and Assertions

Macro Description

BOOST_ASSERT(expr)

Asserts an expression, throwing an error in debug builds.

BOOST_STATIC_ASSERT(expr)

Performs a compile-time assertion.

BOOST_STATIC_ASSERT_MSG(expr, msg)

Performs a compile-time assertion, with an added message.

BOOST_VERIFY(expr)

Like BOOST_ASSERT, but always evaluates the expression, even in release mode.

BOOST_ENABLE_ASSERT_HANDLER

Enables a custom assertion handler.

BOOST_ASIO_ENABLE_HANDLER_TRACKING

Enables the debugging of handlers when using Boost.Asio.

Examples

Using BOOST_ASSERT, BOOST_STATIC_ASSERT, and BOOST_VERIFY for debugging.

#include <boost/assert.hpp>
#include <boost/static_assert.hpp>
#include <iostream>

void process(int value) {
    BOOST_ASSERT(value > 0 && "Value must be positive");  // Runtime assertion
}

int main() {
    BOOST_STATIC_ASSERT(sizeof(int) == 4);  // Compile-time assertion

    int x = 10;
    BOOST_VERIFY(x != 0);  // Always checks in release mode

    process(-1);  // Will trigger an assertion failure
}

Using BOOST_ASIO_ENABLE_HANDLER_TRACKING to help debug asynchronous operations by tracking handlers.

#define BOOST_ASIO_ENABLE_HANDLER_TRACKING // Enable debugging before including Boost.Asio

#include <boost/asio.hpp>
#include <iostream>

int main() {
    boost::asio::io_context io;
    std::cout << "Boost.Asio handler tracking enabled!\n";
    return 0;
}

Preprocessor Utilities

Macro Description

BOOST_PP_REPEAT(count, macro, data)

Repeats a macro expansion a specified number of times.

BOOST_PP_IF(cond, then, else)

Implements an if-like construct at preprocessing time.

BOOST_PP_ENUM_PARAMS(count, param)

Expands into a comma-separated list of parameters.

Example

Using BOOST_PP_REPEAT to generate repeated code.

#include <boost/preprocessor/repetition/repeat.hpp>
#include <iostream>

#define PRINT_N(z, n, text) std::cout << text << " " << n << "\n";

int main() {
    BOOST_PP_REPEAT(5, PRINT_N, "Iteration");
}

Cross-Platform Compatibility

Macro Description

BOOST_WINDOWS

Defined when compiling on Windows.

BOOST_LINUX

Defined when compiling on Linux.

BOOST_UNIX

Defined when compiling on a Unix-like system.

BOOST_LITTLE_ENDIAN

Define when the system is byte-order little-endian.

BOOST_BIG_ENDIAN

Define when the system is byte-order big-endian.

Examples

Using BOOST_WINDOWS, BOOST_LINUX, and BOOST_UNIX for platform-specific code.

#include <iostream>

int main() {
#ifdef BOOST_WINDOWS
    std::cout << "Running on Windows\n";
#elif defined(BOOST_LINUX)
    std::cout << "Running on Linux\n";
#elif defined(BOOST_UNIX)
    std::cout << "Running on a Unix-like system\n";
#else
    std::cout << "Unknown platform\n";
#endif
}

Using Using BOOST_LITTLE_ENDIAN and BOOST_BIG_ENDIAN for proper handling of byte order in serialization.

#include <iostream>
#include <boost/config.hpp>

int main() {
#if defined(BOOST_LITTLE_ENDIAN)
    std::cout << "System is little-endian.\n";
#elif defined(BOOST_BIG_ENDIAN)
    std::cout << "System is big-endian.\n";
#else
    std::cout << "Unknown endianness.\n";
#endif
    return 0;
}

Threading and Synchronization

Macro Description

BOOST_DISABLE_THREADS

Disables multi-threading support in Boost.

BOOST_HAS_THREADS

Indicates if Boost is built with threading support.

BOOST_THREAD_USE_LIB

Forces Boost.Thread to be used as a static library.

BOOST_THREAD_USE_DLL

Forces Boost.Thread to be used as a shared library.

BOOST_THREAD_PROVIDES_FUTURE

Enables std::future-like functionality in Boost.Thread.

Example

Using BOOST_HAS_THREADS to ensure threading support is enabled.

#include <boost/thread.hpp>
#include <iostream>

void threadFunc() {
    std::cout << "Hello from thread!\n";
}

int main() {
#ifdef BOOST_HAS_THREADS
    boost::thread myThread(threadFunc);
    myThread.join();
#else
    std::cout << "Threads are not supported.\n";
#endif
}

Exception Handling

Macro Description

BOOST_THROW_EXCEPTION(e)

A portable way to throw exceptions that integrates with BOOST_NO_EXCEPTIONS.

BOOST_NO_EXCEPTIONS

Disables exception handling.

Examples

Using BOOST_THROW_EXCEPTION to throw exceptions in a portable way.

#include <boost/exception/exception.hpp>
#include <boost/exception/all.hpp>
#include <iostream>

struct MyException : virtual boost::exception, virtual std::exception {
    const char* what() const noexcept override {
        return "A Boost exception occurred!";
    }
};

void riskyOperation() {
    BOOST_THROW_EXCEPTION(MyException());
}

int main() {
    try {
        riskyOperation();
    } catch (const MyException& e) {
        std::cout << "Caught exception: " << e.what() << "\n";
    }
}

Using BOOST_NO_EXCEPTIONS to ensure compatibility with exception-free environments.

#include <iostream>
#include <boost/config.hpp>

void safe_function() {
#ifndef BOOST_NO_EXCEPTIONS
    throw std::runtime_error("Something went wrong!");
#else
    std::cerr << "Exceptions are disabled. Handling error manually.\n";
#endif
}

int main() {
    try {
        safe_function();
    } catch (const std::exception& e) {
        std::cerr << "Caught exception: " << e.what() << std::endl;
    }
}

See Also

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