‘auto’ in C++ is the same as ‘var’ in C#

auto in C++ is the same as var in C#. Auto keyword is defined in upcoming C++ standard C++0x

The news is, that latest Microsoft Visual Studio C++ 2010 have support for this keyword. auto keyword has a new meaning – ‘declares a variable whose type is deduced from the initialization expression in its declaration’.

Old C++

std::vector intArray;
intArray.push_back(10);
intArray.push_back(20);
intArray.push_back(30);
std::vector::const_iterator iterator = intArray.begin();

New C++

std::vector intArray;
intArray.push_back(10);
intArray.push_back(20);
intArray.push_back(30);
auto iterator = intArray.begin();

As you see, ‘std::vector::const_iterator iterator’ becomes ‘auto iterator’. No more unnecessary typing.

The same concept in C# is available from version 3.0. Variables that are declared at method scope can have an implicit type var. An implicitly typed local variable is strongly typed just as if you had declared the type yourself, but the compiler determines the type. Reference.

P.S. Open source world are using auto keyword for at least a year. Support for auto keyword was added to GCC beginning from version 4.4.0

It seems that _SECURE_SCL_THROWS is deprecated in Visual Studio C++ 2010

It seems that _SECURE_SCL_THROWS is deprecated in Visual Studio C++ 2010. Because include file ‘Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0\VC\include\yvals.h’ has the following code block:

#if _SECURE_SCL_THROWS
#ifndef _SILENCE_DEPRECATION_OF_SECURE_SCL_THROWS
...
#undef _SECURE_SCL_THROWS
#pragma _CRT_WARNING( _DEPRECATE_SECURE_SCL_THROWS )
...

It gets undefined, and if you search c++ header files, there are no references to _SECURE_SCL_THROWS anymore. The strange part is, that latest documentation still have reference to _SECURE_SCL_THROWS, which states that it is valid macro, and ‘Defines whether incorrect use of Checked Iterators causes an exception or a program termination’.

The good news is, that _SECURE_SCL is enabled by default, that causes _ITERATOR_DEBUG_LEVEL to be enabled, that causes iterators to break program debug version if you do something wrong with stl iterators.

Windows XP menu ‘Add mirror’ greyed out

Today I was trying to make a software RAID 1 in Windows XP Professional. I thought I have done that a couple times, but today somehow menu Add mirror stayed inactive.

I did a google search and to my surprise two KB articles from Microsoft support came out.

They both have the following paragraph:

You cannot create mirrored volumes on computers that are running Windows XP Home Edition, Windows XP Professional or Windows XP 64-Bit Edition. However, you can use a computer that is running Windows XP Professional to create mirrored volumes on remote computers that are running Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2000 Advanced Server, or Windows 2000 Datacenter Server. You must have administrative privileges on the remote computer to do this.

So how it is possible, that I have created such volumes in the past? Perhaps in Windows Server or in my dreams.

Also, there is a known hack that involves changing system files with a hex editor, but this is one of my production machines, so I will not take a risk, and I would not recommend this hack to anyone. Use the following link on your own risk (I warned you): How to enable software RAID 1 in Windows XP (hack).