Make hdf5_io more flexible, reusable and less verbose

[jacg]

There are a few aspects to this. Their solutions are probably related.

Reduce DRY violations

Take

typedef struct {
  unsigned int event_id;
  double x;
  double y;
  double z;
  double t;
} hit_t;

This must be accompanied by the 100% deducible-from-the-above boilerplate

HF::CompoundType create_hit_type() {
  return {{"event_id", HF::AtomicType<unsigned int>{}},
          {"x", HF::AtomicType<double>{}},
          {"y", HF::AtomicType<double>{}},
          {"z", HF::AtomicType<double>{}},
          {"t", HF::AtomicType<double>{}}};
}
HIGHFIVE_REGISTER_TYPE(hit_t, create_hit_type)

This should be generated automatically by machine rather than typed out by humans.

Make hdf5_io generic, reusable and C++-friendly.

The interface we should be aiming for, looks very roughly like this:

class my_first { public: /*whatever I want*/ private: int foo; double bar; };
class my_other { ... double whatever; T something; };

using my_schema = hdf5_io<"A_Group", {"dataset1", my_first}, {"dataset2", my_other}>;

my_schema my_table;
my_table.open();

my_table.write<"dataset1">(my_first{1, 2.3});
my_table.write<"dataset1">(vector<my_first>{ ... });

my_table.write<"dataset2">(my_other{4.5, T{...}});
my_table.write<"dataset2">(vector<my_other>{ ... });

my_first = my_table.read_one<"dataset1">();
vector<my_first> = my_table.read<"dataset1">();

my_other = my_table.read_one<"dataset2">();
vector<my_other> = my_table.read<"dataset2">();

That is,

• We should define the functionality once, and make it generic over arbitrary groups containing arbitrary datasets.

• Let the user write and manipulate C++ classes: we should take care, behind the scenes, of creation of any C-structs that may be needed in order to talk to HDF5. (I'm not 100% convinced that the C++ classes can't be used directly and that C-structs are needed, but if they are, the user shouldn't notice.)

The biggest problem will probably be finding a usable syntax for the compile-time specification (so, probably template arguments) of the schema and a way to do the necessary metaprogramming without reducing the Bus Number to zero (and increasing compile times to infinity).

[jacg]

Actually, making hdf5_io generic (without automatic generation of C-structs or HighFive boilerplate) is probably best done with run-time mechanisms.

We should probably do this as a first step.