vtk-m/examples/cosmotools
Kenneth Moreland d1a4aecc59 Improvements to moving data into ArrayHandle
We have made several improvements to adding data into an `ArrayHandle`.

## Moving data from an `std::vector`

For numerous reasons, it is convenient to define data in a `std::vector`
and then wrap that into an `ArrayHandle`. It is often the case that an
`std::vector` is filled and then becomes unused once it is converted to an
`ArrayHandle`. In this case, what we really want is to pass the data off to
the `ArrayHandle` so that the `ArrayHandle` is now managing the data and
not the `std::vector`.

C++11 has a mechanism to do this: move semantics. You can now pass
variables to functions as an "rvalue" (right-hand value). When something is
passed as an rvalue, it can pull state out of that variable and move it
somewhere else. `std::vector` implements this movement so that an rvalue
can be moved to another `std::vector` without actually copying the data.
`make_ArrayHandle` now also takes advantage of this feature to move rvalue
`std::vector`s.

There is a special form of `make_ArrayHandle` named `make_ArrayHandleMove`
that takes an rvalue. There is also a special overload of
`make_ArrayHandle` itself that handles an rvalue `vector`. (However, using
the explicit move version is better if you want to make sure the data is
actually moved.)

## Make `ArrayHandle` from initalizer list

A common use case for using `std::vector` (particularly in our unit tests)
is to quickly add an initalizer list into an `ArrayHandle`. Now you can
by simply passing an initializer list to `make_ArrayHandle`.

## Deprecated `make_ArrayHandle` with default shallow copy

For historical reasons, passing an `std::vector` or a pointer to
`make_ArrayHandle` does a shallow copy (i.e. `CopyFlag` defaults to `Off`).
Although more efficient, this mode is inherintly unsafe, and making it the
default is asking for trouble.

To combat this, calling `make_ArrayHandle` without a copy flag is
deprecated. In this way, if you wish to do the faster but more unsafe
creation of an `ArrayHandle` you should explicitly express that.

This requried quite a few changes through the VTK-m source (particularly in
the tests).

## Similar changes to `Field`

`vtkm::cont::Field` has a `make_Field` helper function that is similar to
`make_ArrayHandle`. It also features the ability to create fields from
`std::vector`s and C arrays. It also likewise had the same unsafe behavior
by default of not copying from the source of the arrays.

That behavior has similarly been depreciated. You now have to specify a
copy flag.

The ability to construct a `Field` from an initializer list of values has
also been added.
2020-07-23 10:53:38 -06:00
..
CMakeLists.txt Update cmake minimum required version to 3.12 2020-04-13 12:42:28 -05:00
CosmoCenterFinder.cxx Improvements to moving data into ArrayHandle 2020-07-23 10:53:38 -06:00
CosmoHaloFinder.cxx Improvements to moving data into ArrayHandle 2020-07-23 10:53:38 -06:00