What is the simplest way to create and call dynami

Question

I want to fill a map with class name and method, a unique identifier and a pointer to the method.

typedef std::map<std::string, std::string, std::string, int> actions_type;
typedef actions_type::iterator actions_iterator;

actions_type actions;
actions.insert(make_pair(class_name, attribute_name, identifier, method_pointer));

//after which I want call the appropriate method in the loop

while (the_app_is_running)
{
    std::string requested_class = get_requested_class();
    std::string requested_method = get_requested_method();

    //determine class
    for(actions_iterator ita = actions.begin(); ita != actions.end(); ++ita)
    {
        if (ita->first == requested_class && ita->second == requested_method)
        {
            //class and method match
            //create a new class instance
            //call method
        }
    }
}

If the method is static then a simple pointer is enough and the problem is simple, but I want to dynamically create the object so I need to store a pointer to class and an offset for the method and I don't know if this works (if the offset is always the same etc).

The problem is that C++ lacks reflection, the equivalent code in a interpreted language with reflection should look like this (example in PHP):

$actions = array
(
     "first_identifier" => array("Class1","method1"),
     "second_identifier" => array("Class2","method2"),
     "third_identifier" => array("Class3","method3")
);

while ($the_app_is_running)
{
     $id = get_identifier();

     foreach($actions as $identifier => $action)
     {
         if ($id == $identifier)
         {
             $className = $action[0];
             $methodName = $action[1];

             $object = new $className() ;

             $method = new ReflectionMethod($className , $methodName);
             $method -> invoke($object);    
         }
     }
 }

PS: Yes I'm trying to make a (web) MVC front controller in C++. I know I know why don't use PHP, Ruby, Python (insert your favorite web language here) etc?, I just want C++.

Answer 1

If you do not want to use member function pointers, you can use statics which take an argument of the class instance. For example:

class MyClass
{
    public:
        void function();

        static void call_function(MyClass *instance);  // Or you can use a reference here.
};

MyClass instance;
MyClass::call_function(&instance);

This requires more work on the coder and causes maintainability issues (since if you update the signature of one, you must update that of the other as well).

You could also use a single static function which calls all your member functions:

class MyClass
{
    public:
        enum Method
        {
            fp_function,
        };

        void function();

        static void invoke_method(MyClass *instance, Method method);  // Or you can use a reference here.
};

void MyClass::invoke_method(MyClass *instance, Method method)
{
    switch(method)
    {
        default:
            // Error or something here.
            return;

        case fp_function:
            instance->function();
            break;

        // Or, if you have a lot of methods:

#define METHOD_CASE(x) case fp_##x: instance->x(); break;

        METHOD_CASE(function);

#undef METHOD_CASE
    }

    // Free logging!  =D
}

MyClass instance;
MyClass::invoke_method(instance, MyClass::fp_function);

Answer 2

Go for Subject-Observer design pattern.

Answer 3

I think the most important thing to find out here is, do all of your methods have the same signature? If they do, this is a trivial use of boost bind(if you're into that), functors are an option(the static, duck type kind), or just plain ole virtual inheritance is an option. Inheritance isnt currently in vogue but its pretty easy to understand and I dont think it complicates things anymore then using boost bind(imho best for small non systemic functors).

here is a sample implementation

#include<iostream>
#include<map>
#include<string>

using std::map;
using std::string;
using std::cout;
using std::pair;

class MVCHandler
{
public:
    virtual void operator()(const string& somekindofrequestinfo) = 0;
};

class MyMVCHandler : public MVCHandler
{
public:
    virtual void operator()(const string& somekindofrequestinfo)
    {
        cout<<somekindofrequestinfo;
    }
};

void main()
{
    MyMVCHandler myhandler;
    map<string, MVCHandler*> handlerMap;
    handlerMap.insert(pair<string, MVCHandler*>("mysuperhandler", &myhandler));
    (*handlerMap["mysuperhandler"])("somekindofrequestdata");
}

Answer 4

I wrote that stuff last hours, and added it to my collection of useful stuff. The most difficult thing is to cope with the factory function, if the types you want to create are not related in any way. I used a boost::variant for this. You have to give it a set of types you ever want to use. Then it will keep track what is the current "active" type in the variant. (boost::variant is a so-called discriminated union). The second problem is how you store your function pointers. The problem is that a pointer to a member of A can't be stored to a pointer to a member of B. Those types are incompatible. To solve this, i store the function pointers in an object that overloads its operator() and takes a boost::variant:

return_type operator()(variant<possible types...>)

Of course, all your types' functions have to have the same return type. Otherwise the whole game would only make little sense. Now the code:

#include <boost/variant.hpp>
#include <boost/function.hpp>
#include <boost/bind.hpp>
#include <boost/tuple/tuple.hpp>
#include <boost/mpl/identity.hpp>
#include <boost/function_types/parameter_types.hpp>
#include <boost/function_types/result_type.hpp>
#include <boost/function_types/function_arity.hpp>
#include <boost/preprocessor/repetition.hpp>
#include <map>
#include <string>
#include <iostream>

// three totally unrelated classes
// 
struct foo {
    std::string one() {
        return "I ";
    }
};

struct bar {
    std::string two() {
        return "am ";
    }
};

struct baz {
    std::string three() const {
        return "happy!";
    }
};

// The following are the parameters you have to set
//

// return type
typedef std::string return_type;
// variant storing an object. It contains the list of possible types you
// can store.
typedef boost::variant< foo, bar, baz > variant_type;
// type used to call a function on the object currently active in
// the given variant
typedef boost::function<return_type (variant_type&)> variant_call_type;

// returned variant will know what type is stored. C++ got no reflection, 
// so we have to have a function that returns the correct type based on
// compile time knowledge (here it's the template parameter)
template<typename Class>
variant_type factory() {
    return Class();
}

namespace detail {
namespace fn = boost::function_types;
namespace mpl = boost::mpl;

// transforms T to a boost::bind
template<typename T>
struct build_caller {
    // type of this pointer, pointer removed, possibly cv qualified. 
    typedef typename mpl::at_c<
        fn::parameter_types< T, mpl::identity<mpl::_> >,
        0>::type actual_type;

    // type of boost::get we use
    typedef actual_type& (*get_type)(variant_type&);

// prints _2 if n is 0
#define PLACEHOLDER_print(z, n, unused) BOOST_PP_CAT(_, BOOST_PP_ADD(n, 2))
#define GET_print(z, n, unused)                                         \
    template<typename U>                                                \
    static variant_call_type get(                                       \
        typename boost::enable_if_c<fn::function_arity<U>::value ==     \
            BOOST_PP_INC(n), U>::type t                                 \
        ) {                                                             \
        /* (boost::get<actual_type>(some_variant).*t)(n1,...,nN) */     \
        return boost::bind(                                             \
            t, boost::bind(                                             \
                (get_type)&boost::get<actual_type>,                     \
                _1) BOOST_PP_ENUM_TRAILING(n, PLACEHOLDER_print, ~)     \
            );                                                          \
    }

// generate functions for up to 8 parameters
BOOST_PP_REPEAT(9, GET_print, ~)

#undef GET_print
#undef PLACEHOLDER_print

};

}

// incoming type T is a member function type. we return a boost::bind object that
// will call boost::get on the variant passed and calls the member function
template<typename T>
variant_call_type make_caller(T t) {
    return detail::build_caller<T>::template get<T>(t);
}

// actions stuff. maps an id to a class and method.
typedef std::map<std::string, 
                 std::pair< std::string, std::string >
                 > actions_type;

// this map maps (class, method) => (factory, function pointer)
typedef variant_type (*factory_function)();
typedef std::map< std::pair<std::string,      std::string>, 
                  std::pair<factory_function, variant_call_type> 
                  > class_method_map_type;

// this will be our test function. it's supplied with the actions map, 
// and the factory map
std::string test(std::string const& id,
                 actions_type& actions, class_method_map_type& factory) {
    // pair containing the class and method name to call
    std::pair<std::string, std::string> const& class_method =
        actions[id];

    // real code should take the maps by const parameter and use
    // the find function of std::map to lookup the values, and store
    // results of factory lookups. we try to be as short as possible. 
    variant_type v(factory[class_method].first());

    // execute the function associated, giving it the object created
    return factory[class_method].second(v);
}

int main() {
    // possible actions
    actions_type actions;
    actions["first"] = std::make_pair("foo", "one");
    actions["second"] = std::make_pair("bar", "two");
    actions["third"] = std::make_pair("baz", "three");

    // connect the strings to the actual entities. This is the actual
    // heart of everything.
    class_method_map_type factory_map;
    factory_map[actions["first"]] = 
        std::make_pair(&factory<foo>, make_caller(&foo::one));
    factory_map[actions["second"]] = 
        std::make_pair(&factory<bar>, make_caller(&bar::two));
    factory_map[actions["third"]] = 
        std::make_pair(&factory<baz>, make_caller(&baz::three));

    // outputs "I am happy!"
    std::cout << test("first", actions, factory_map)
              << test("second", actions, factory_map)
              << test("third", actions, factory_map) << std::endl;
}

It uses pretty fun techniques from boost preprocessor, function types and bind library. Might loop complicated, but if you get the keys in that code, it's not much to grasp anymore. If you want to change the parameter count, you just have to tweak variant_call_type:

typedef boost::function<return_type (variant_type&, int)> variant_call_type;

Now you can call member functions that take an int. Here is how the call side would look:

return factory[class_method].second(v, 42);

Have fun!

---

If you now say the above is too complicated, i have to agree with you. It is complicated because C++ is not really made for such dynamic use. If you can have your methods grouped and implemented in each object you want create, you can use pure virtual functions. Alternatively, you could throw some exception (like std::runtime_error) in the default implementation, so derived classes do not need to implement everything:

struct my_object {
    typedef std::string return_type;

    virtual ~my_object() { }
    virtual std::string one() { not_implemented(); }
    virtual std::string two() { not_implemented(); }
private:
   void not_implemented() { throw std::runtime_error("not implemented"); }
};

For creating objects, a usual factory will do

struct object_factory {
    boost::shared_ptr<my_object> create_instance(std::string const& name) {
        // ...
    }
};

The map could be composed by a map mapping IDs to a pair of class and function name (the same like above), and a map mapping that to a boost::function:

typedef boost::function<my_object::return_type(my_object&)> function_type;
typedef std::map< std::pair<std::string, std::string>, function_type> 
                  class_method_map_type;
class_method_map[actions["first"]] = &my_object::one;
class_method_map[actions["second"]] = &my_object::two;

Calling the function would work like this:

boost::shared_ptr<my_object> p(get_factory().
    create_instance(actions["first"].first));
std::cout << class_method_map[actions["first"]](*p);

Of course, with this approach, you loose flexibility and (possibly, haven't profiled) efficiency, but you greatly simplify your design.

Answer 5

Like many C++ questions, this looks like another application of Boost. You basically want to store the result of boost::bind(&Class::member, &Object). [edit] Storing such a result is easy with boost::function.

Answer 6

Perhaps you're looking for member function pointers.

Basic usage:

class MyClass
{
    public:
        void function();
};

void (MyClass:*function_ptr)() = MyClass::function;

MyClass instance;

instance.*function_ptr;

As stated in the C++ FAQ Lite, macros and typedefs would greatly increase readability when using member function pointers (because their syntax isn't common in code).