# Tutorial

## 2.2.5. Tab-Expanding Filters

Suppose you want to write a filter which replaces each tab character with one or more space characters in such a way that the document appears unchanged when displayed. The basic algorithm is as follows: You examine characters one at a time, forwarding them as-is and keeping track of the current column number. When you encounter a tab character, you replace it with a sequence of space characters whose length depends on the current column count. When you encounter a newline character, you forward it and reset the column count.

In the next three sections, I'll express this algorithm as a `stdio_filter`, an InputFilter and an OutputFilter. The source code can be found in the header `<libs/iostreams/example/tab_expanding_filter.hpp>`. These examples were inspired by James Kanze's `ExpandTabsInserter.hh` (see [Kanze]).

#### `tab_expanding_stdio_filter`

You can express a tab-expanding Filter as a `stdio_filter` as follows:

    #include <cstdio>    // EOF
    #include <iostream>  // cin, cout
    #include <boost/iostreams/filter/stdio.hpp>

    class tab_expanding_stdio_filter : public stdio_filter {
    public:
        explicit tab_expanding_stdio_filter(int tab_size = 8)
            : tab_size_(tab_size), col_no_(0)
        {
            assert(tab_size > 0);
        }
    private:
        void do_filter();
        void do_close();
        void put_char(int c);
        int  tab_size_;
        int  col_no_;
    };

    } } } // End namespace boost::iostreams:example

The helper function `put_char` is identical to `line_wrapping_stdio_filter::put_char`. It writes a character to `std::cout` and updates the column count:

        void put_char(int c)
        {
            std::cout.put(c);
            if (c == '\n') {
                col_no_ = 0;
            } else {
                ++col_no_;
            }
        }

Using `put_char` you can implement `do_filter` as follows:

        void do_filter()
        {
            int c;
            while ((c = std::cin.get()) != EOF) {
                if (c == '\t') {
                    int spaces = tab_size_ - (col_no_ % tab_size_);
                    for (; spaces > 0; --spaces)
                        put_char(' ');
                } else {
                    put_char(c);
                }
            }
        }

The `while` loop reads a character from `std::cin` and writes it to `std::cout`, unless it is a tab character, in which case it writes an appropriate number of space characters to `std::cout`.

As with `line_wrapping_stdio_filter`, the `virtual` function `do_close` resets the Filter's state:

        void do_close() { col_no_ = 0; }

#### `tab_expanding_input_filter`

You can express a tab-expanding Filter as an InputFilter as follows:

    #include <boost/iostreams/char_traits.hpp> // EOF, WOULD_BLOCK
    #include <boost/iostreams/concepts.hpp>    // input_filter
    #include <boost/iostreams/operations.hpp>  // get

    namespace boost { namespace iostreams { namespace example {

    class tab_expanding_input_filter : public input_filter {
    public:
        explicit tab_expanding_input_filter(int tab_size = 8)
            : tab_size_(tab_size), col_no_(0), spaces_(0)
        {
            assert(tab_size > 0);
        }

        template<typename Source>
        int get(Source& src);

        template<typename Source>
        void close(Source&);
    private:
        int get_char(int c);
        int   tab_size_;
        int   col_no_;
        int   spaces_;
    };

    } } } // End namespace boost::iostreams:example

Let's look first at the helper function `get_char`:

        int get_char(int c)
        {
            if (c == '\n') {
                col_no_ = 0;
            } else {
                ++col_no_;
            }
            return c;
        }

This function updates the column count based on the given character `c` and returns `c`. Using `get_char` you can implement `get` as follows:

        template<typename Source>
        int get(Source& src)
        {
            if (spaces_ > 0) {
                --spaces_;
                return get_char(' ');
            }

            int c;
            if ((c = iostreams::get(src)) == EOF || c == WOULD_BLOCK)
                return c;

            if (c != '\t')
                return get_char(c);

            // Found a tab. Call this filter recursively.
            spaces_ = tab_size_ - (col_no_ % tab_size_);
            return this->get(src);
        }

The implementation is similar to that of `line_wrapping_input_filter::get`. Since `get` can only return a single character at a time, whenever a tab character must be replaced by a sequence of space character, only the first space character can be returned. The rest must be returned by subsequent invocations of `get`. The member variable `spaces_` is used to store the number of such space characters.

The implementation begins by checking whether any space characters remain to be returned. If so, it decrements `spaces_` and returns a space. Otherwise, a character is read from `src`. Ordinary characters, as well as the special values `EOF` and `WOULD_BLOCK`, are returned as-is. When a tab character is encountered, the number of spaces which must be returned by future invocations of get is recorded, and a space character is returned.

As usual, the function `close` resets the Filter's state:

        void close(Source&)
        {
            col_no_ = 0;
            spaces_ = 0;
        }

#### `tab_expanding_output_filter`

You can express a tab-expanding Filter as an OutputFilter as follows:

    #include <boost/iostreams/concepts.hpp>    // output_filter
    #include <boost/iostreams/operations.hpp>  // put

    namespace boost { namespace iostreams { namespace example {

    class tab_expanding_output_filter : public output_filter {
    public:
        explicit tab_expanding_output_filter(int tab_size = 8)
            : tab_size_(tab_size), col_no_(0), spaces_(0)
        {
            assert(tab_size > 0);
        }

        template<typename Sink>
        bool put(Sink& dest, int c);

        template<typename Sink>
        void close(Sink&);
    private:
        template<typename Sink>
        bool put_char(Sink& dest, int c);
        int  tab_size_;
        int  col_no_;
        int  spaces_;
    };

    } } } // End namespace boost::iostreams:example

The implemenation helper function `put_char` is the same as that of `line_wrapping_output_filter::put_char`: it writes the given character to `std::cout` and increments the column number, unless the character is a newline, in which case the column number is reset.

        template<typename Sink>
        bool put_char(Sink& dest, int c)
        {
            if (!iostreams::put(dest, c))
                return false;
            if (c != '\n')
                ++col_no_;
            else
                col_no_ = 0;
            return true;
        }

Using `put_char` you can implement `put` as follows:

        template<typename Sink>
        bool put(Sink& dest, int c)
        {
            for (; spaces_ > 0; --spaces_)
                if (!put_char(dest, ' '))
                    return false;

            if (c == '\t') {
                spaces_ = tab_size_ - (col_no_ % tab_size_) - 1;
                return this->put(dest, ' ');
            }

            return put_char(dest, c);
        }

The implementation begins by attempting to write any space characters left over from previously encountered tabs. If successful, it examine the given character `c`. If `c` is not a tab character, it attempts to write it to `dest`. Otherwise, it calculates the number of spaces which must be inserted and calls itself recursively. Using recursion here saves us from having to decrement the member variable `spaces_` at two different points in the code.

Note that after a tab character is encountered, get will return false until all the associated space characters have been written.

As usual, the function `close` resets the Filter's state:

        void close(Source&)
        {
            col_no_ = 0;
            spaces_ = 0;
        }

Revised 02 Feb 2008

© Copyright 2008 CodeRage, LLC
© Copyright 2004-2007 Jonathan Turkanis

Use, modification, and distribution are subject to the Boost Software License, Version 2.0. (See accompanying file LICENSE_1_0.txt or copy at http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt)