Arduino: pass function to class, returning String - c++

Question

I'm trying to get my Arduino class to return String messages with all kind of information for logging. With lots of trial and error I manage to pass a reference to the logging function to the class, but can only get a char* but not a String, and I want to be able to send Strings making it so much easier to send back all kinds of data.
I have the first part working already.
The sketch:
#include <Test.h>
#include <string.h>
void setup() {
Serial.begin(115200);
Test t;
t.setLogging(writeLog);
writeLog("Test message!" + String(" .... "));
t.doSomething("This is useful.");
t.doSomething("This as well.\n");
t.doSomething("This is even more useful.\n");
bool b = true;
}
void loop() {
}
void writeLog (char* message) {
Serial.print("char function: ");
Serial.print(message);
}
void writeLog (String message) {
Serial.print("String function: ");
Serial.println(message);
}
The header file:
#ifndef TEST_h
#define TEST_h
class Test
{
public:
Test(); // The constructor.
void setLogging(void (*)(char*)); // Takes function setting where to log.
void doSomething(char*);
};
#endif
The class:
#include <Test.h>
typedef void (*LogFunction)(char*);
LogFunction writeLog;
Test::Test () {
}
void Test::doSomething (char* s) {
// Do something useful and log the result.
writeLog(s);
}
void Test::setLogging (void (*f)(char*) ) {
writeLog = f;
return;
}
Now what I want my class to be able to do is send information like this, as String, rather than char* (I also haven't found an easy way of converting "anything" to char* and then concatenating the two or more strings):
writeLog ("HydroMonitorECSensor::setCalibration Receiving calibration - haveCalibration = " + String(haveCalibration));
writeLog ("HydroMonitorECSensor::setCalibration calibratedSlope = " + String(calibratedSlope));
writeLog ("HydroMonitorECSensor::setPins capPos set to " + String(capPos));
Where haveCalibration is a bool (which as String becomes either "true" or "false"), calibratedSlope is a double and capPos is an int. This way I can easily and cleanly send complete lines to the logger. Works great within the main script - not from the class.
I tried simply changing the char* to String and adding #include <string.h> to the library files but it doesn't work.
In Test.cpp I then get void Test::setLogging (void (*f)(String) ) { and in Test.h void setLogging(void (*)(String)); and now I get error messages:
In file included from /home/wouter/Arduino/libraries/Test/Test.cpp:1:0:
/home/wouter/Arduino/libraries/Test/Test.h:10:29: error: expected ',' or '...' before '(' token
void setLogging(void (*)(String)); // Takes function setting where to log.
^
/home/wouter/Arduino/libraries/Test/Test.cpp:16:40: error: variable or field 'setLogging' declared void
void Test::setLogging (void (*f)(String) ) {
^
/home/wouter/Arduino/libraries/Test/Test.cpp:16:31: error: 'f' was not declared in this scope
void Test::setLogging (void (*f)(String) ) {
^
/home/wouter/Arduino/libraries/Test/Test.cpp:16:34: error: 'String' was not declared in this scope
void Test::setLogging (void (*f)(String) ) {
^
exit status 1
Error compiling for board NodeMCU 1.0 (ESP-12E Module).
Suggestions?
Additional info, maybe important: I'm using the Arduino IDE and compile for ESP8266.

Answer 1

You are using the Arduino-provided String class, but didn't include the Arduino.h header in your test.h header file. That causes it to not find the String class and compilation fails.
The following works:
main.cpp:
#include <Arduino.h>
#include <test.hpp>
void writeLog (char* message);
void writeLog (String message);
void setup() {
Serial.begin(115200);
Test t;
t.setLogging(writeLog);
writeLog("Test message!" + String(" .... "));
t.doSomething("This is useful.");
t.doSomething("This as well.\n");
t.doSomething("This is even more useful.\n");
bool b = true;
}
void loop() {
}
void writeLog (char* message) {
Serial.print("char function: ");
Serial.print(message);
}
void writeLog (String message) {
Serial.print("String function: ");
Serial.println(message);
}
test.hpp:
#ifndef TEST_h
#define TEST_h
#include <Arduino.h> //for "String" class
//Typdef for the log function. Takes a String, returns nothing
typedef void (*LogFunction)(String);
class Test
{
public:
Test(); // The constructor.
// void setLogging(void (*)(char*)); // Takes function setting where to log.
void setLogging(LogFunction); //use the typedef here
void doSomething(char*);
};
#endif
test.cpp:
#include <test.hpp>
LogFunction writeLog;
Test::Test () {
}
void Test::doSomething (char* s) {
// Do something useful and log the result.
writeLog(s);
}
//void Test::setLogging (void (*f)(char*) ) {
void Test::setLogging (LogFunction f) { //also use typedef here
writeLog = f;
return;
}

Answer 2

Among other things that may arise, the compiler tells you that it cannot resolve identifier String.
This can have several reasons: First, you write String, and not string (note the capital letter in your writing). Second, if you write string and not std::string, it cannot be resolved unless you have either declared using namespace std (which is not the preferred variant for several reasons) or using std::string. Third, class std::string is declared in header <string>, which is something different than <string.h>.
So I'd write #include <string> and use then std::string.