Template argument and deduction of std::function parameters - c++

Assume there is a template function foo() which accepts an arbitrary number of arguments. Given the last argument is always an std::function, how do I implement a foo() template shown below in a way that CbArgs would contain this std::function's parameters?
template<typename... InArgs, typename... CbArgs = ???>
// ^^^^^^^^^^^^
void foo(InArgs... args) { ... }
For example, CbArgs should be {int,int} if invoked like this:
std::function<void(int,int)> cb;
foo(5, "hello", cb);
My first idea was:
template<typename... InArgs, typename... CbArgs>
void foo(InArgs... args, std::function<void(CbArgs...)>) { ... }
But this does not compile:
note: template argument deduction/substitution failed:
note: mismatched types ‘std::function<void(CbArgs ...)>’ and ‘int’
foo(5, "hello", cb);
Question One:
Why doesn't this compile? Why does the template argument deduction fail?
Eventually, I came up this solution:
template<typename... InArgs, typename... CbArgs>
void fooImpl(std::function<void(CbArgs...)>, InArgs... args) { ... }
template<typename... InArgs,
typename CbType = typename std::tuple_element_t<sizeof...(InArgs)-1, std::tuple<InArgs...>>>
void foo(InArgs... args)
{
fooImpl(CbType{}, args...);
}
Here CbType is the last type in InArgs which is std::function. Then a temporary of CbType is passed to fooImpl() where CbArgs are deduced. This works, but looks ugly to me.
Question Two:
I wonder if there is a better solution without having two functions and a temporary instance of CbType?

Why doesn't this compile? Why does the template argument deduction fail?
When a parameter pack is not the last parameter, it cannot be deduced. Telling the compiler the contents of InArgs... will make your foo definition work:
template<typename... InArgs, typename... CbArgs>
void foo(InArgs..., std::function<void(CbArgs...)>) { }
int main()
{
std::function<void(int,int)> cb;
foo<int, const char*>(5, "hello", cb);
}
Alternatively, as you discovered in your workaround, simply put InArgs... at the end and update your foo invocation:
template<typename... InArgs, typename... CbArgs>
void foo(std::function<void(CbArgs...)>, InArgs...) { }
int main()
{
std::function<void(int,int)> cb;
foo(cb, 5, "hello");
}
I wonder if there is a better solution without having two functions and a temporary instance of CbType?
Here's a possible way of avoiding the unnecessary temporary instance but using your same mechanism for the deduction of CbArgs...: simply wrap CbType in an empty wrapper, and pass that to fooImpl instead.
template <typename T>
struct type_wrapper
{
using type = T;
};
template<typename... InArgs, typename... CbArgs>
void fooImpl(type_wrapper<std::function<void(CbArgs...)>>, InArgs&&...) { }
template<typename... InArgs,
typename CbType =
std::tuple_element_t<sizeof...(InArgs)-1,
std::tuple<std::remove_reference_t<InArgs>...>>>
void foo(InArgs&&... args)
{
fooImpl(type_wrapper<CbType>{}, std::forward<InArgs>(args)...);
}
Additional improvements:
The typename after typename CbType = was unnecessary - it was removed.
args... should be perfectly-forwarded to fooImpl to retain its value category. Both foo and fooImpl should take args... as a forwarding-reference.
wandbox example
Note that there is a proposal that would make dealing with non-terminal parameter packs way easier: P0478R0 - "Template argument deduction for non-terminal
function parameter packs". That would make your original implementation work as intended.

Related

Lambda is deduced to std::function if template has no variadic arguments

template<typename ReturnT, typename... ParamT>
void foo(std::function<ReturnT(ParamT...)> callback)
{}
template<typename ReturnT, typename ParamT>
void bar(std::function<ReturnT(ParamT)> callback)
{}
main()
{
foo<int, int>([](int x){ return x; }); // no instance of function
// template matches argument list
bar<int, int>([](int x){ return x; }); // OK
}
The only difference between foo and bar is that foo has variadic arguments. Somehow the compiler is able to convert the lambda to a std::function in bar.
To my understanding, template type deduction doesn't consider type conversions. So shouldn't both fail?
You don't have any deduction for the type parameters of bar, they are fully specified.
You still have the tail of the pack to deduce in foo, and that fails because the lambda isn't a std::function.
template<typename ReturnT, typename... ParamT>
void foo(std::function<ReturnT(ParamT...)> callback)
{}
now, foo<int,int> is foo<ReturnT=int, ParamsT starts with {int}>.
It does not fully specify ParamT. In fact, there is no way to fully specify ParamT.
As an incompletely specified template, deduction occurs, and fails. It doesn't try "what if I just assume the pack doesn't go any further".
You can fix this with:
template<typename ReturnT, typename... ParamT>
void foo(block_deduction<std::function<ReturnT(ParamT...)>> callback)
{}
where block_deduction looks like:
template<class T>
struct block_deduction_helper { using type=T; }:
template<class T>
using block_deduction = typename block_deduction_helper<T>::type;
now deduction is blocked on foo's first argument.
And your code works.
Of course, if you pass in a std::function it will no longer auto-deduce arguments.
Note that deducing the type of a a type erasure type like std::function is usually code smell.
Replace both with:
template<class F>
void bar(F callback)
{}
if you must get arguments, use function traits helpers (there are many on SO). If you just need return value, there are std traits that already work that out.
In c++17 you can do this:
tempate<class R, class...Args>
void bar( std::function<R(Args...)> f ) {}
template<class F>
void bar( F f ) {
std::function std_f = std::move(f);
bar(std_f);
}
using the c++17 deduction guides feature.

Member function pointer wrapper using variadic template (gcc, clang)

Why does the following code not compile under either gcc or clang:
class Foo {
public:
void bar(int) {}
};
template< class T, typename ...Args, void(T::*Member)(Args...) >
void member_dispatch(Args&&... args, void* userdata)
{
T* obj = static_cast<T*>(userdata);
(obj->*Member)(std::forward<Args>(args)...);
}
int main()
{
Foo foo;
member_dispatch<Foo, int, &Foo::bar>(1, &foo);
return 0;
}
See e.g. here.
This question can possibly be merged with this one, though here I get unclear compilation errors from gcc and clang (instead of VS).
When you explicitly specify the types, a parameter pack is greedy. &Foo::bar will be parsed as part of typename ...Args, which causes the error.
The correct way to write this is to put it in the function parameter list, instead of a non-type template parameter.
template< class T, typename ...Args>
void member_dispatch(Args&&... args, void(T::*Member)(Args...), void* userdata)
{
T* obj = static_cast<T*>(userdata);
(obj->*Member)(std::forward<Args>(args)...);
}
int main()
{
Foo foo;
member_dispatch<Foo, int>(1, &Foo::bar, &foo);
return 0;
}
A Better Way:
It would be better to take advantage of C++'s template argument deduction. But here you doesn't put the parameter pact at the end of a function parameter list, which is a non-deduced context. So I suggest you re-order it, so that you don't need to specify the template argument:
template<class T, class K, typename ...Args>
void member_dispatch(K T::*ptr, void* userdata, Args&&... args)
{
T* obj = static_cast<T*>(userdata);
(obj->*ptr)(std::forward<Args>(args)...);
}
int main()
{
Foo foo;
member_dispatch(&Foo::bar, &foo, 1);
return 0;
}
Try using a class template instead of a function template.
There has also been a std syntax proposal "template << auto x >> " for none-type template parameters. Proper implementation will simplify your library syntax.

std::bind and perfect forwarding

The following code does not compile:
#include <functional>
template<class ...Args>
void invoke(Args&&... args)
{
}
template<class ...Args>
void bind_and_forward(Args&&... args)
{
auto binder = std::bind(&invoke<Args...>, std::forward<Args>(args)...);
binder();
}
int main()
{
int a = 1;
bind_and_forward(a, 2);
}
If I understand correctly, the reason is as follows: std::bind copies its arguments, and when the binder's operator() is called, it passes all the bound arguments as lvalues - even those ones that entered bind as rvalues. But invoke was instantiated for the original arguments, and it can't accept what the binder attempts to pass it.
Is there any solution for this problem?
Your understanding is correct - bind copies its arguments. So you have to provide the correct overload of invoke() that would be called on the lvalues:
template<class ...Args>
void bind_and_forward(Args&&... args)
{
auto binder = std::bind(&invoke<Args&...>, std::forward<Args>(args)...);
^^^^^^^^
binder();
}
This works on most types. There are a few exceptions enumerated in [func.bind.bind] for operator(), where Arg& is insufficient. One such, as you point out, is std::reference_wrapper<T>. We can get around that by replacing the Args&usage above with a type trait. Typically, we'd just add an lvalue reference, but for reference_wrapper<T>, we just want T&:
template <typename Arg>
struct invoke_type
: std::add_lvalue_reference<Arg> { };
template <typename T>
struct invoke_type<std::reference_wrapper<T>> {
using type = T&;
};
template <typename T>
using invoke_type_t = typename invoke_type<T>::type;
Plug that back into the original solution, and we get something that works for reference_wrapper too:
template<class ...Args>
void bind_and_forward(Args&&... args)
{
auto binder = std::bind(&invoke<invoke_type_t<Args>...>,
// ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
std::forward<Args>(args)...);
binder();
}
Of course, if one of Arg is a placeholder this won't work anyway. And if it's a bind expression, you'll have to write something else too.

C++ universal function caller

I'd want to implement a function caller that works just like the thread constructor. For example
std::thread second (bar,0);
will start a thread which calls bar with the single argument 0. I would like to do the same thing, but I do not know how.
For example, given:
void myFunc(int a){
cout << a << endl;
}
I would like:
int main() {
caller(myFunc,12);
}
to call myFunc with the parameter 12.
std::bind will make a callable object from any callable object with an arbitrary set of parameters, just as the thread constructor does. So just wrap that in a function that calls it:
template <typename... Args>
auto caller(Args &&... args) {
return std::bind(std::forward<Args>(args)...)();
}
Note that the auto return type requires C++14 or later. For C++11, you'll have to either return void, or specify the type:
auto caller(Args &&... args)
-> decltype(std::bind(std::forward<Args>(args)...)())
If all you want to do is call an arbitrary function with an arbitrary argument, that's just a template on both types:
template <typename Function, typename Arg>
void call_with_one(Function&& f, Arg&& arg) {
f(std::forward<Arg>(arg));
}
which you can expand to call with any number of args by making it variadic:
template <typename Function, typename... Arg>
void call_with_any(Function f, Arg&&... args) {
f(std::forward<Arg>(args)...);
}
Or really f should be a forwarding reference as well:
template <typename Function, typename... Arg>
void call_with_any(Function&& f, Arg&&... args) {
std::forward<Function>(f)(std::forward<Arg>(args)...);
}
Note that this will only work with functions and objects that implement operator(). If f is a pointer-to-member, this will fail - you will have to instead use std::bind as Mike Seymour suggests.

Can someone explain how to use result_of within template?

I'm trying to create a delayable call object. Something along the lines of (pseudo-code):
template <class FN>
struct delayable_call
{
return-type-of-FN call(); // <-- I'd like to use result_of here.
template<class ArgTypes...>
delayable_call(FN* pFn, ArgTypes... args);
FN* fn;
args-saving-struct;
};
I tried using result_of::type for the return type of call, but get errors during instantiation of the template because apparently the argument types need to be specified separately.
Instantiation:
int foo(bool, double); // function prototype.
delayable_call<int(bool, double)> delayable_foo(foo, false, 3.14); // instantiation
The error messages and documentation I've read about result_of seem to indicate that the argument types must also be specified. So instead of result_of<FN>::type, I'd need to specify result_of<FN(bool, double)>::type. This does actually fix the compilation problem I'm having, but breaks the generality of the template.
So, how can I use result_of with a template parameter when the template parameter represents the function signature?
template <class FN> struct delayable_call;
template<class R, class...Args> delayable_call<R(Args...)>{
typedef R(*)(Args...) pFN;
replace your delayable_call with a specialization, and you will extrace both R and Args.... You need Args... anyhow to store the parameters.
However, a library-strength delayable call will end up using type erasure. The easiest way is a simple std::function<R()> where you shove a lambda into it:
int foo(double);
double x = 7;
std::function<int()> delayed_foo = [x]{ return foo(x); }
and capture by value unless you really, really mean it to capture by reference.
You could deduce R via:
template<typename Fn, typename... Args>
std::function< typename std::result_of<Fn(Args...)>::type()>
make_delayed_call( Fn&& fn, Args&&... args ) {
return [=]{ return fn(std::move(args)...); }
}
which should deduce your R from the callable object and the arguments. This captures everything by copy -- capture by move requires either more boilerplate, or C++14.