Within a few years the Standard C++ Library will be the standard set of classes and libraries delivered with all ANSI-conforming C++ compilers. We have noted that the design of a large portion of the Standard C++ Library is in many ways not object-oriented. On the other hand, C++ excels as a language for manipulating objects. How do we integrate the Standard Library's non-object-oriented architecture with C++'s strengths as a language for manipulating objects?
The key is to use the right tool for each task. Object-oriented design methods and programming techniques are almost without peer as guideposts in the development of large, complex software. For the large majority of programming tasks, object-oriented techniques will remain the preferred approach. And products such as Rogue Wave's Tools.h++ 7.0, which encapsulates the Standard C++ Library with a familiar object-oriented interface, will provide you with the power of the Library and the advantages of object-orientation.
Use Standard C++ Library components directly when you need flexibility and/or highly efficient code. Use the more traditional approaches to object-oriented design, such as encapsulation and inheritance, when you need to model larger problem domains, and knit all the pieces into a full solution. When you need to devise an architecture for your application, always consider the use of encapsulation and inheritance to compartmentalize the problem. But if you discover that you need an efficient data structure or algorithm for a compact problem, such as data stream manipulation in drivers (the kind of problem that often resolves to a single class), look to the Standard C++ Library. The Standard C++ Library excels in the creation of reusable classes, where low-level constructs are needed, while traditional OOP techniques really shine when those classes are combined to solve a larger problem.
In the future, most libraries will use the Standard C++ Library as their foundation. By using the Standard C++ Library, either directly or through an encapsulation such as Tools.h++ 7.0, you help ensure interoperability. This is especially important in large projects that may rely on communication between several libraries. A good rule of thumb is to use the highest encapsulation level available to you, but make sure that the Standard C++ Library is available as the base for interlibrary communication and operation.
The C++ language supports a wide range of programming approaches because the problems we need to solve require that range. The language, and now the Standard C++ library that supports it, are designed to give you the power to approach each unique problem from the best possible angle. The Standard C++ Library, when combined with more traditional OOP techniques, puts a very flexible tool into the hands of anyone building a collection of C++ classes, whether those classes are intended to stand alone as a library or are tailored to a specific task.