tag

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#### tag

Metafunction defining type as the tag of the specified geometry type.

###### Description

With Boost.Geometry, tags are the driving force of the tag dispatching mechanism. The tag metafunction is therefore used in every free function.

###### Synopsis

    template<typename Geometry>
    struct tag
    {
      // ...
    };

###### Template parameter(s)

Parameter | Description
--- | ---
typename Geometry | Any type fulfilling a Geometry Concept

###### Header

Either

`#include <boost/geometry.hpp>`

Or

`#include <boost/geometry/core/tag.hpp>`

###### Metafunction result type

The metafunction tag defines type as one of the following tags:

- point_tag
- linestring_tag
- polygon_tag
- multi_point_tag
- multi_linestring_tag
- multi_polygon_tag
- box_tag
- segment_tag
- ring_tag

###### Complexity

Compile time

###### Example

Shows how tag dispatching essentially works in Boost.Geometry

    #include <iostream>

    #include <boost/assign.hpp>

    #include <boost/geometry.hpp>
    #include <boost/geometry/geometries/polygon.hpp>
    #include <boost/geometry/geometries/multi_polygon.hpp>
    #include <boost/geometry/geometries/adapted/boost_tuple.hpp>

    BOOST_GEOMETRY_REGISTER_BOOST_TUPLE_CS(cs::cartesian)

    template <typename Tag> struct dispatch {};

    // Specialization for points
    template <> struct dispatch<boost::geometry::point_tag>
    {
        template <typename Point>
        static inline void apply(Point const& p)
        {
            // Use the Boost.Geometry free function "get"
            // working on all supported point types
            std::cout << "Hello POINT, you are located at: "
                << boost::geometry::get<0>(p) << ", "
                << boost::geometry::get<1>(p)
                << std::endl;
        }
    };

    // Specialization for polygons
    template <> struct dispatch<boost::geometry::polygon_tag>
    {
        template <typename Polygon>
        static inline void apply(Polygon const& p)
        {
            // Use the Boost.Geometry manipulator "dsv"
            // working on all supported geometries
            std::cout << "Hello POLYGON, you look like: "
                << boost::geometry::dsv(p)
                << std::endl;
        }
    };

    // Specialization for multipolygons
    template <> struct dispatch<boost::geometry::multi_polygon_tag>
    {
        template <typename MultiPolygon>
        static inline void apply(MultiPolygon const& m)
        {
            // Use the Boost.Range free function "size" because all
            // multigeometries comply to Boost.Range
            std::cout << "Hello MULTIPOLYGON, you contain: "
                << boost::size(m) << " polygon(s)"
                << std::endl;
        }
    };

    template <typename Geometry>
    inline void hello(Geometry const& geometry)
    {
        // Call the metafunction "tag" to dispatch, and call method (here "apply")
        dispatch
            <
                typename boost::geometry::tag<Geometry>::type
            >::apply(geometry);
    }

    int main()
    {
        // Define polygon type (here: based on a Boost.Tuple)
        typedef boost::geometry::model::polygon<boost::tuple<int, int> > polygon_type;

        // Declare and fill a polygon and a multipolygon
        polygon_type poly;
        boost::geometry::exterior_ring(poly) = boost::assign::tuple_list_of(0, 0)(0, 10)(10, 5)(0, 0);

        boost::geometry::model::multi_polygon<polygon_type> multi;
        multi.push_back(poly);

        // Call "hello" for point, polygon, multipolygon
        hello(boost::make_tuple(2, 3));
        hello(poly);
        hello(multi);

        return 0;
    }

Output:

    Hello POINT, you are located at: 2, 3
    Hello POLYGON, you look like: (((0, 0), (0, 10), (10, 5), (0, 0)))
    Hello MULTIPOLYGON, you contain: 1 polygon(s)