I've been working on this problem off and on for a few months, and now wanted to really come up with a proper solution that will handle the case of creating new user-defined classes (and instances of those classes) with member functions/properties at run-time in a C++11 project.
So far, I've been using SWIG (formerly with Python, now with Lua, exploring Squirrel). Like all the C++ binding/embedding libraries I've encountered so far (Luna*, luabinder, luabind, OOLua, Sqrat/Sqext, Squall), all expect your classes to be predefined in C++ prior to code execution because they either rely on preprocessor directives or templates.
So my question is, are there any libraries out there that use a more procedural approach to wrapping a language, or are there any good tutorials/examples for something like Lua or Squirrel, that one would recommend for handling the creation of custom-named classes with custom members and functions? Some direction would be greatly appreciated.
Even simply a good example showing how to create a custom class with a function and a property, in either Lua, Squirrel, via their respective C++ APIs without the use of macros/templates/dynamically-generated code, would be hugely helpful.
EDIT: I have gone as far as creating an Instance class that contains a std::vector of members key/value pairs, and a member identifying the type so functions can be looked up. However, there is very little documentation out there on creating simple classes in Lua/Squirrel without the use of static code.
EDIT 2: I would like a solution that works on any platform and without having to dynamically link.
Creating a class derived from some existing C++ class is the only way (known to me) to bring a new class into a running C++ program. Short of dynamically compiling actual C++ source and loading the resulting library, there is no way to physically add a new class. The next best thing is to create a proxy object in C++ that wraps a Python (Lua etc) object, and make that Python (Lua) object an instance of a class that extends an existing C++ class mirrored to the Python (Lua) side.
C++
+---------+ mirrors +--------------+
| class X | ...............................> | class X |
+---------+ | mirrored to |
| | Python |
| inherits +--------------+
v inherits |
+-----------------+ v
| class X_Wrapper | references +--------------+
| | python obj -------------------------> | class CX(X): |
+-----------------+ | def met() |
+--------------+
Here's an example of extending a C++ class with Python, using boost::python as a bridge.
C++ side:
#include <boost/python.hpp>
#include <iostream>
using namespace boost::python;
// this is the interface we will implement in Python
struct World
{
virtual std::string greet() = 0;
virtual ~World() {}
};
// this is a helper class needed to access Python-overrided methods
struct WorldWrap : World, wrapper<World>
{
std::string greet()
{
return this->get_override("greet")();
}
};
// This function tests our class implemented in Python
std::string test(World* w)
{
std::cout << "Calling w->greet() on some World-derived object\n";
return w->greet();
}
// This is what the Python side will see
BOOST_PYTHON_MODULE(hello)
{
class_<WorldWrap, boost::noncopyable>("World")
.def("greet", pure_virtual(&World::greet));
def("test", test);
}
Python side:
import hello
class HomeWorld(hello.World):
""" Implements a function defined in C++ as pure virtual """
def greet(self):
return "howdy"
home = HomeWorld()
print (hello.test(home))
Consider following Lua multimap example.
Multimap = {};
function Multimap:__index(key)
if (key == 'keys') then
local ret = {}
for k,_ in pairs(self) do
ret[#ret+1] = k;
end
return ret;
else
return rawget(getmetatable(self), key)
end
end
function Multimap.Create()
local self = {};
setmetatable(self, Multimap);
return self;
end
function Multimap:Insert(key, value)
local list = self[key];
if (list == nil) then
list = {};
self[key] = list;
end
table.insert(list, value);
end
function Multimap:Remove(key, value)
local list = self[key];
assert(list ~= nil, "key not found");
for i = 1,#list do
if (list[i] == value) then
table.remove(list, i);
if (#list == 0) then
self[key] = nil;
end
return;
end
end
error("value not found");
end
-- testing
m = Multimap.Create()
m:Insert(1,5)
m:Insert(2,6)
m:Insert(3,7)
m:Insert(1,8)
m:Remove(2,6)
print(pcall(function()
m:Remove(2,6) -- will produce assert exception
end))
print("keys left: ", table.concat(m.keys, ','))
You can implement this in C++ in several ways.
- Use heavy Lua API. The code below is almost exact to Lua.
#include <Lua/src/lua.hpp>
int Multimap_Index(lua_State* L) {
lua_settop(L, 2); // force 2 arguments
const char *key_value = "key";
size_t key_len;
const char *key = lua_tolstring(L, 2, &key_len);
if (!strncmp(key, key_value, strlen(key_value))) {
int i = 0;
lua_newtable(L); // stack : self, key, ret = {}
int ret = lua_gettop(L);
lua_pushnil(L); // stack : self, key, ret, nil
while (lua_next(L, 1) != 0) { // stack : self, key, ret, k, v
lua_pop(L, 1); // stack : self, key, ret, k
lua_len(L, ret); // stack : self, key, ret, k, #ret
lua_pushvalue(L, -2); // stack : self, key, ret, k, #ret, k
lua_rawseti(L, ret, lua_tointeger(L, -2)+1); // ret[#ret+1] = k ; || stack : self, key, ret, k, #ret
lua_pop(L, 1); // stack : self, key, ret, k
}
// stack : self, key, ret
return 1;
}
else {
lua_getmetatable(L, 1); // stack : self, key, metatable(self)
lua_pushvalue(L, 2); // stack : self, key, metatable(self), key
lua_rawget(L, -2); // stack : self, key, metatable(self), rawget(metatable(self), key)
return 1;
}
}
int Multimap_Remove(lua_State* L) {
lua_settop(L, 3); // force 3 arguments: self, key, value
lua_checkstack(L, 12); // reserve 12 arguments on stack (just in case)
lua_pushvalue(L, 2); // stack: self, key, value, key
lua_gettable(L, 1); // stack: self, key, value, list = self[key]
if (lua_isnil(L, -1))
luaL_error(L, "key not found");
lua_len(L, -1); // stack: self, key, value, list, #list
int count = lua_tointeger(L, -1);
lua_pop(L, 1); // stack: self, key, value, list
for (int i = 1; i <= count; ++i) {
lua_rawgeti(L, -1, i); // stack: self, key, value, list, v = list[i]
if (lua_compare(L, 3, 5, LUA_OPEQ)) { // if (list[i] == value)
lua_getglobal(L, "table"); // stack : self, key, value, list, v, table
lua_getfield(L, -1, "remove"); // stack : self, key, value, list, v, table, table.remove
lua_pushvalue(L, 4);
lua_pushinteger(L, i); // stack : self, key, value, list, v, table, table.remove, list, i
lua_call(L, 2, 0); // table.remove(list, i); || stack : self, key, value, list, v, table
lua_pushnil(L);
if (lua_next(L, 4) == 0) { // if list is empty table
lua_pushvalue(L, 2);
lua_pushnil(L);
lua_settable(L, 1); // self[key] = nil
}
return 0;
}
}
luaL_error(L, "value not found");
}
int main() {
auto L = luaL_newstate();
luaL_openlibs(L);
lua_newtable(L);
int Multimap = lua_gettop(L); // Multimap = {}
lua_pushvalue(L, Multimap);
lua_setglobal(L, "Multimap"); // _G.Multimap = Multimap;
// option 1: create a C function for operation
// Multimap.__index = &Multimap_Index
lua_pushcfunction(L, Multimap_Index);
lua_setfield(L, Multimap, "__index");
// option 2: compile Lua code and use it
luaL_loadstring(L,
"local self = {};\n"
"setmetatable(self, Multimap);\n"
"return self;\n"
);
lua_setfield(L, Multimap, "Create"); // Multimap.Create = &Multimap_Create
luaL_loadstring(L,
"local self, key, value = ...;\n" // initialize local variables from parameters here
"local list = self[key];\n"
"if (list == nil) then\n"
" list = {};\n"
" self[key] = list;\n"
"end\n"
"table.insert(list, value);\n"
);
lua_setfield(L, Multimap, "Insert"); // Multimap.Create = &Multimap_Insert
lua_pushcfunction(L, Multimap_Remove);
lua_setfield(L, Multimap, "Remove"); // Multimap.Create = &Multimap_Remove
lua_getfield(L, Multimap, "Create");
lua_call(L, 0, 1);
int m = lua_gettop(L);
lua_getfield(L, m, "Insert"); // stack : m, m.insert
int Insert = lua_gettop(L);
// m.Insert(m, 1, 5)
lua_pushvalue(L, Insert);
lua_pushvalue(L, m);
lua_pushinteger(L, 1);
lua_pushinteger(L, 5);
lua_call(L, 3, 0);
// m.Insert(m, 2, 6)
lua_pushvalue(L, Insert);
lua_pushvalue(L, m);
lua_pushinteger(L, 2);
lua_pushinteger(L, 6);
lua_call(L, 3, 0);
// m.Insert(m, 3, 7)
lua_pushvalue(L, Insert);
lua_pushvalue(L, m);
lua_pushinteger(L, 3);
lua_pushinteger(L, 7);
lua_call(L, 3, 0);
// m.Insert(m, 1, 8)
lua_pushvalue(L, Insert);
lua_pushvalue(L, m);
lua_pushinteger(L, 1);
lua_pushinteger(L, 8);
lua_call(L, 3, 0);
// m.Remove(m, 2, 6)
lua_getfield(L, m, "Remove");
lua_pushvalue(L, m);
lua_pushinteger(L, 2);
lua_pushinteger(L, 6);
lua_call(L, 3, 0);
// m.Remove(m, 2, 6)
lua_getfield(L, m, "Remove");
lua_pushvalue(L, m);
lua_pushinteger(L, 2);
lua_pushinteger(L, 6);
lua_pcall(L, 3, 0, 0);
printf("%s\n", lua_tostring(L, -1));
lua_getglobal(L, "table");
lua_getfield(L, -1, "concat");
lua_getfield(L, m, "keys");
lua_pushstring(L, ",");
lua_call(L, 2, 1);
printf("keys left: %s\n", lua_tostring(L, -1));
lua_close(L);
return 0;
}
- OR you can use Lua userdata that uses std::multimap (I would need another hour to implement this, so ask if you really need that -- that doesn't follow from your question)
Disclaimer: I'm posting this contribution as an answer because I don't have enough reputation points to add a comment.
Comment: Setting aside the problematic of binding with a specific scripting language, it seems that you are facing a fundamental limitation of the C++ language: it is not "dynamic" (as pointed out by other comments). That is, the language does not provide any functionality to extend or modify a compiled program.
Maybe all hope is not lost, though. Searching the web for "c++ dynamic loading" reveals that some systems (such and Linux and Windows) do seem to implement a dynamic loading mechanism.
Here are the links to two (old) articles that talk about the subject.
- Dynamic Class Loading for C++ on Linux in the Linux Journal.
- Dynamically Loaded C++ Objects in Dr.Dobb's.
They seem interesting at first glance. I'm not sure they are still relevant, though.
This is but a shot in the dark.
来源：https://stackoverflow.com/questions/40451586/creating-new-classes-members-at-run-time-in-scripting-languages-used-in-c