I am fairly new to both c++ and the boost library.
What I want to do is invoke a method foo from a class Bar inside a class Baz. Here is basically what I want to achieve:
Baz::doSomething() {
Bar bar;
boost::thread qux(bar.foo);
}
And the foo function could be something like:
// bar.cpp
void foo() {
const int leet = 1337; // Very useful
}
However, when I try to compile it tells me that:
error: no matching function for call to ‘boost::thread::thread(<unresolved overloaded function type>)’
/usr/local/include/boost/thread/detail/thread.hpp:215:9: note: candidates are: boost::thread::thread(boost::detail::thread_move_t<boost::thread>)
/usr/local/include/boost/thread/detail/thread.hpp:201:18: note: boost::thread::thread(F, typename boost::disable_if<boost::is_convertible<T&, boost::detail::thread_move_t<T> >, boost::thread::dummy*>::type) [with F = void (Snake::*)(), typename boost::disable_if<boost::is_convertible<T&, boost::detail::thread_move_t<T> >, boost::thread::dummy*>::type = boost::thread::dummy*]
/usr/local/include/boost/thread/detail/thread.hpp:154:9: note: boost::thread::thread()
/usr/local/include/boost/thread/detail/thread.hpp:122:18: note: boost::thread::thread(boost::detail::thread_data_ptr)
/usr/local/include/boost/thread/detail/thread.hpp:113:9: note: boost::thread::thread(boost::thread&)
What am I missing here?
Member functions are different from free functions.
You need to use std::mem_fun_ref to get a functor and boost::bind (or std::bind should your compiler support it) to bind the object on which the function should be called on to use them.
The end result should look something like this:
boost::thread qux(boost::bind(&Foo::bar, bar)); // makes a copy of bar
boost::thread qux(boost::bind(&Foo::bar, &bar)); // make no copy of bar and calls the original instance
Or don't use bind and let thread do the binding:
boost::thread qux(&Foo::bar, &bar);
Edit:
I remembered wrong: You don't need mem_fun, boost::bind supports pointers to members out of the box.
Thanks for the comments addressing the issue.
boost::thread qux(boost::bind(
&Bar::foo, // the method to invoke
&bar // the instance of the class
));
Related
I have a member function which I cannot unit test easily (it listens to sockets etc):
void MyClass::func()
{
listen();
send();
}
So I want to template it and then I can pass a mock object in my test:
template<class OBJECT>
void func(OBJECT& obj)
{
obj.listen();
obj.send();
}
and then I'd do:
func(*this);
The above compiles when I do a normal function call. However, when I spawn a thread and call it:
std::thread t1(&MyClass::func, this, *this);
I get compiler errors (see below) referring to decltype. Is there a way I can still achieve this?
/opt/gcc-8.2.0/lib/gcc/x86_64-unknown-linux/8.2.0/../../../../include/c++/8.2.0/thread:127:8: note: in instantiation of template class 'std::thread::_Invoker<std::tuple<void (MyClass::*)(MyClass &),
MyClass *, MyClass> >' requested here
__make_invoker(std::forward<_Callable>(__f),
However, the following works:
void MyClass::x()
{
func(*this);
}
std::thread t1(&MyClass::x, this);
There are two issue in your code:
First, you cannot pass function templates to the std::thread constructor. You must explicitly specify what specialisation of the function template to use, which in this case, would be &MyClass::func<MyClass>.
Second you are trying to pass a reference as an argument to the constructor of std::thread. When the std::thread constructor is called, the first argument is the function to run concurrently, and the others are the argument to the function. The other arguments are moved and then passed as argument to the function. This is fine if the argument is a pointer or a variable, but causes an issue if the function expects a non-const lvalue as an argument.
You can solve both issues by constructing std::thread with lambdas:
std::thread t1([=]{
this->func(*this);
});
Conversely, you could use std::ref, a reference wrapper, in the std::thread constructor, and explicitly specify the function template specialisation:
#include<functional>
std::thread t1(&MyClass::func<MyClass>, this, std::ref(*this));
Personally, I much prefer constructing std::threads with lambdas, as it is cleaner and less error prone.
I have the following code which used std::bind :
EventListenerCustom* _createNewObjectlistener =
eventDispatcher->addCustomEventListener(Constants::MY_EVENT,
std::bind(&MyClass::MyFunction, this, std::placeholders::_1));
It seems I create many different kinds of object listeners, where the only difference is the event, and the function being called. If I wanted to encapsulate the above code into a function:
How would I pass MyClass::MyFunction as an argument to the function ?
What would the function signature and parameters look like ?
I imagine the function would look something like this:
EventListenerCustom* MyFunc(<What Goes Here> functionToBeBound,<What goes here> object,std::string EVENT){
EventListenerCustom* eventListener = eventDispatcher->addCustomEventListener(EVENT, std::bind(functionToBeBound, object, std::placeholders::_1));
return eventListener;
}
What should the function look like ? And How do I call it? What would the calling code look like?
EDIT: Concrete details:
I have many listener objects which are created in identical ways:
auto eventDispatcher = _dragNode->getEventDispatcher();
_createNewObjectlistener = eventDispatcher->addCustomEventListener(Constants::MY_EVENT, std::bind(&MyClass::myOtherFunction, this, std::placeholders::_1));
_moveNewObjectlistener = eventDispatcher->addCustomEventListener(Constants::MY_EVENT2 std::bind(&MyClass::myFunction, this, std::placeholders::_1));
Constants::MY_EVENT etc are just const char* .
The only difference is the Function being called, and the string constant used as an event name. How can I encapsulate this into a function ? I have tried John Zwinck's solution below, but for some reason I can't get it to compile because the compiler complains:
: No viable conversion from '__bind<void (*&)(cocos2d::EventCustom *), MyNameSpace::MyClass *, const std::__1::placeholders::__ph<1> &>' to 'const std::function<void (EventCustom *)>'
To make it simpler, create a typedef for a pointer to any member function in MyClass which has the appropriate signature:
typedef void (MyClass::*MyMemberFn)(int); // replace int and void as needed
Then:
EventListenerCustom* MyFunc(MyMemberFn functionToBeBound, MyClass* object, std::string EVENT){
return eventDispatcher->addCustomEventListener(EVENT, std::bind(functionToBeBound, object, std::placeholders::_1));
}
What you're really looking for is std::function. The documentation for such is here: https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/utility/functional/function
Their example is really good at explaining how it's used, but for your case (or related) try this:
std::function<void(int)> func1 = std::bind(MyClass::MyFunction, this, std::placeholders::_1));
What this will do is create an object which can be called, and the first argument is forwarded on to the first argument of the member function, both of which should be int type, and it returns nothing. You don't actually need address-of operator for the function name.
The cool part here is that the object returned by std::bind can be passed into the constructor of std::function and all its information is preserved. So when you need a concrete type that can be copied and all that cool stuff (passed into a function NOT by reference for example) then use a std::function as it will do the job, as long as it's not trying to copy a non-copyable type or something. std::function can also be initialized with a function pointer. It's generally just "better" than function pointers for C++, especially combined with std::bind to handle classes.
I could write out more examples, but check out the link above, and check out std::bind on that same website. Both should help.
I have my own thread implementation which allows me to manage various ways of communicating with my threads. It is based on the C++ std::thread class.
I create the thread to run a function named run() which calls the user function. What I'd like to be able to do is call the user function including my thread object pointer.
There is where I have a problem in the constructor. I want to pass the Args as specified on the constructor and prepend this to that list:
class safe_thread
{
public:
typedef std::shared_ptr<safe_thread> pointer_t;
typedef std::vector<pointer_t> vector_t;
template<class Function, class... Args>
safe_thread(Function&& f, Args&&... args)
: f_function([this, f, args...]{ std::bind(f, this, args...)(); })
{
[...snip...]
private:
std::function<void()> f_function;
};
// I use that constructor with two different types of signatures:
//
// 1. member function
//
safe_thread listen(&my_other_class::some_function, this);
// 2. static function
//
safe_thread worker(&my_static_function);
std::bind() does not understand my current syntax. It expects a function (f) and args.... So, how do I change args... to include this?
For those interested, I actually found a solution which is to move the this parameter to the end of the list. This way my std::invoke() to a member function or a standard static function work alike:
f_function([this, f, args...]{ std::invoke(f, args..., this)(); })
Without that, as mentioned by Miles Budnek, a load of SFINAE would be required to know whether f is a member function or a plain function.
The problem was that in some cases I would create a thread in a member function and in other cases I would create a tread out of a static function.
In case of the member function, the first argument in the args... list is the caller's this and obviously that this can't be moved over as the next parameter.
In effect, my first attempt was generating this:
std::invoke(
&my_other_class::some_func, // correct
safe_thread::this, // wrong 'this' (i.e. safe_thread)
my_other_class::this, // 'this' for function, wrong location
...); // other parameters
By changing the order in my call, I now get the correct 'this' at the correct location:
std::invoke(
&my_other_class::some_func, // correct
my_other_class::this, // 'this' for function, correct location
..., // other parameters
safe_thread::this); // 'this' to safe_thread
Obviously this means I have to fix the signature of the called functions, but I'm fine with that.
As mentioned by tkausl, std::bind() is not required. See comments for details about that. That being said, std::invoke() is C++17, so if you're still on an older version, you'll probably have to stick to std::bind().
So I have done some research, and have found you can create a boost::thread object and have it start with a non-static class function by using "this" and boost::bind etc. It really doesn't make much sense to me and all the examples I could find had the boost::thread object launched within the same class as the function it was starting with so this could be used. I however, am launching the thread in a different class so I'm afraid by using "this", I will be saying the "this" is from the class I am creating the thread from, rather than the one the function is in (I'm probably wrong, I need to learn more about this "this" guy). Here is an example of my source I am having the problem with.
ANNGUI.h
class ANNGUI
{
private:
boost::thread *GUIThread;
Main *GUIMain;
public:
// Creates the entire GUI and all sub-parts.
int CreateGUI();
}
ANNGUI.cpp
int ANNGUI::CreateGUI()
{
GUIMain = new Main();
GUIThread = new boost::thread(GUIMain->MainThreadFunc);
};
This isn't all the source, but I think my problem is in here somewhere, I know I have to deal with the "this" somehow, but I'm unsure how. I Could use a static function, but I didn't really want to make my variables static either.
Thanks.
Also, Is there any very good resource for using any boost libraries? Their web site documentation seems good, but over my head.
The this keyword is used with boost::bind when the function object you're creating is bound to a object member function. Member functions can't exist apart from instances, so when creating a functor object out of a member function with boost::bind, you need a pointer to an instance. That's exactly what the this keyword actually is. If you use the this keyword within a member function of a class, what you get is a pointer to the current instance of that class.
If you were to call bind from outside a class member function, you might say something like:
int main()
{
Foo f;
boost::thread* thr = new boost::thread(boost::bind(&Foo::some_function, &f));
}
Here, we're using Foo::some_function as our thread function. But we can't use this because we're calling bind from main. But the same thing could be achieved using this if we called bind from within a member function of Foo, like so:
void Foo::func1()
{
boost::thread* thr = new boost::thread(boost::bind(&Foo::some_function, this));
}
If a member function is static, or is simply a regular (non-member) function, then you don't need an instance pointer at all. You would just do:
boost::thread* thr = new boost::thread(some_regular_function);
As others mentioned, when you want to call an object method in a new thread, you have to supply the address of that object. But you don't need to call boost::bind, you can use the overloaded boost::thread constructor like this:
GUIThread = new boost::thread(&Main::MainThreadFunc, GUIMain);
If the method is in the same class you use this to get the address of the current instance, e.g.:
t = new boost::thread(&myclass::compute, this);
If the method has parameters, you can specify them after the second argument, e.g.:
t = new boost::thread(&myclass::compute, this, p1, p2);
boost::bind is your friend (it can sometimes have a rough way of showing it though)!
use GUIThread = new boost::thread(boost::bind(&Main::MainThreadFunc, GUIMain));
and then make your MainThreadFunc a regular member. That means that you can use the instance variables directly like you would normally do.
Something like this:
class GUIMain {
public:
GUIMain() : m_Member(42) {}
void MainThreadFunc() {
// use all members as you would normally do
std::cout << m_Member << std::endl;
}
private:
int m_Member;
};
In cases like this it is useful to think of non-static member functions as free functions that take the this as first parameter, for example in your case void MainThreadFunc(Main* this).
boost::thread accepts a nullary functor, so you have to pass it a nullary functor which contains a reference to the instance GUIMain and calls GUIMain->MainThreadFunc which, seen as I explained above, would be something like MainThreadFunc(GUIMain).
Boost (and now also C++ with TR1) provides helpers to create such functors, namely boost::bind (or alternatively boost::lambda::bind). The expression boost::bind(f, arg1, arg2, ...) means "return a nullary functor which calls f(arg1, arg2, ...)".
That said, you can use the following expression to create the thread:
GUIThread = new boost::thread(boost::bind(&Main::MainThreadFunc, GUIMain))
If your object is a functor, i.e. has an operator(), you can pass an instance of it to boost::thread. The operator() does not need to be static. For example:
#include <boost/thread.hpp>
struct th {
void operator()();
};
void th::operator()()
{
for (;;) {
// stuff
}
}
int main()
{
th t;
boost::thread my_thread( t ); // takes a copy of t !
my_thread.join(); // blocks
return 0;
}
So I have done some research, and have found you can create a boost::thread object and have it start with a non-static class function by using "this" and boost::bind etc. It really doesn't make much sense to me and all the examples I could find had the boost::thread object launched within the same class as the function it was starting with so this could be used. I however, am launching the thread in a different class so I'm afraid by using "this", I will be saying the "this" is from the class I am creating the thread from, rather than the one the function is in (I'm probably wrong, I need to learn more about this "this" guy). Here is an example of my source I am having the problem with.
ANNGUI.h
class ANNGUI
{
private:
boost::thread *GUIThread;
Main *GUIMain;
public:
// Creates the entire GUI and all sub-parts.
int CreateGUI();
}
ANNGUI.cpp
int ANNGUI::CreateGUI()
{
GUIMain = new Main();
GUIThread = new boost::thread(GUIMain->MainThreadFunc);
};
This isn't all the source, but I think my problem is in here somewhere, I know I have to deal with the "this" somehow, but I'm unsure how. I Could use a static function, but I didn't really want to make my variables static either.
Thanks.
Also, Is there any very good resource for using any boost libraries? Their web site documentation seems good, but over my head.
The this keyword is used with boost::bind when the function object you're creating is bound to a object member function. Member functions can't exist apart from instances, so when creating a functor object out of a member function with boost::bind, you need a pointer to an instance. That's exactly what the this keyword actually is. If you use the this keyword within a member function of a class, what you get is a pointer to the current instance of that class.
If you were to call bind from outside a class member function, you might say something like:
int main()
{
Foo f;
boost::thread* thr = new boost::thread(boost::bind(&Foo::some_function, &f));
}
Here, we're using Foo::some_function as our thread function. But we can't use this because we're calling bind from main. But the same thing could be achieved using this if we called bind from within a member function of Foo, like so:
void Foo::func1()
{
boost::thread* thr = new boost::thread(boost::bind(&Foo::some_function, this));
}
If a member function is static, or is simply a regular (non-member) function, then you don't need an instance pointer at all. You would just do:
boost::thread* thr = new boost::thread(some_regular_function);
As others mentioned, when you want to call an object method in a new thread, you have to supply the address of that object. But you don't need to call boost::bind, you can use the overloaded boost::thread constructor like this:
GUIThread = new boost::thread(&Main::MainThreadFunc, GUIMain);
If the method is in the same class you use this to get the address of the current instance, e.g.:
t = new boost::thread(&myclass::compute, this);
If the method has parameters, you can specify them after the second argument, e.g.:
t = new boost::thread(&myclass::compute, this, p1, p2);
boost::bind is your friend (it can sometimes have a rough way of showing it though)!
use GUIThread = new boost::thread(boost::bind(&Main::MainThreadFunc, GUIMain));
and then make your MainThreadFunc a regular member. That means that you can use the instance variables directly like you would normally do.
Something like this:
class GUIMain {
public:
GUIMain() : m_Member(42) {}
void MainThreadFunc() {
// use all members as you would normally do
std::cout << m_Member << std::endl;
}
private:
int m_Member;
};
In cases like this it is useful to think of non-static member functions as free functions that take the this as first parameter, for example in your case void MainThreadFunc(Main* this).
boost::thread accepts a nullary functor, so you have to pass it a nullary functor which contains a reference to the instance GUIMain and calls GUIMain->MainThreadFunc which, seen as I explained above, would be something like MainThreadFunc(GUIMain).
Boost (and now also C++ with TR1) provides helpers to create such functors, namely boost::bind (or alternatively boost::lambda::bind). The expression boost::bind(f, arg1, arg2, ...) means "return a nullary functor which calls f(arg1, arg2, ...)".
That said, you can use the following expression to create the thread:
GUIThread = new boost::thread(boost::bind(&Main::MainThreadFunc, GUIMain))
If your object is a functor, i.e. has an operator(), you can pass an instance of it to boost::thread. The operator() does not need to be static. For example:
#include <boost/thread.hpp>
struct th {
void operator()();
};
void th::operator()()
{
for (;;) {
// stuff
}
}
int main()
{
th t;
boost::thread my_thread( t ); // takes a copy of t !
my_thread.join(); // blocks
return 0;
}