Re: A silly macro technique

From:
Alan Woodland <ajw@aberystwyth.ac.uk>
Newsgroups:
comp.lang.c++
Date:
Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:40:16 +0000
Message-ID:
<bgod57xjep.ln2@news.aber.ac.uk>
Noah Roberts wrote:

In article <hm0d4f$a0k$1@news.eternal-september.org>, alfps@start.no
says...

Replace "debugger api" with "whatever" in this

<code>
#define USE_DEBUGGER_API // Or not

extern void useDebuggerApi();

#define CALL_IF_EXPANDED( doIt, f ) \
     struct S_##f { \
         struct Size2 { char x[2]; }; \
         char foo( ... ) { return 0; } \
         Size2 foo##doIt( int ) { return Size2(); } \
     }; \
     (sizeof( S_##f().foo(0) ) > 1 ? f() : (void)0)

#define CALL_IF( doIt, f ) CALL_IF_EXPANDED( doIt, f )

int main()
{
     CALL_IF( USE_DEBUGGER_API, useDebuggerApi );
}
</code>

And why is it silly?

Well, if only routine is called in any particular build, then there could just
be a macro FUNCNAME, say, defined as the name of the routine to call.

But hey!

Actually I found a use for it.


Neat trick but I'd be interested to see anything that couldn't be done
in an easier way.


Similar idea, different approach. I wanted to be able to pass things to
the function in question too if it got called. Doing anything sane with
a return value is impossible of course given that one may/may not even
call it in the end.

Mostly just an excuse to try the variadic template arguments out really.

I wanted the function pointers to be template arguments themselves, but
couldn't see a way to make that work and keep the type deduction going.

Totally pointless learning exercise for me, probably wouldn't ever
deploy this in production :)

Alan

#include <cstdlib>
#include <ctime>
#include <iostream>

template <int test>
class CallIfTrue {
  template <typename Ret, typename... Args>
  struct dispatcher {
     typedef Ret (*F_ptr)(Args...);
     const F_ptr f;
     dispatcher(const F_ptr& f) : f(f) {}
     Ret operator()(const Args&... args) const {
        return f(args...);
     }
  };
public:
  // Figure out how to use the dispatcher if we need args
  template<typename T, typename... Args>
  static dispatcher<T,Args...> dispatch(T(*F)(Args...)) {
     return dispatcher<T,Args...>(F);
  }

  // Simple if no function args
  template<typename T>
  static T dispatch( T(F)()) {
     return F();
  }
};

template<>
class CallIfTrue<0> {
  // Lets this work for both param and non-param cases
  struct eater {
     void operator()(...) const {
     }
  };
public:
  // Don't care about anything if we don't call it
  static eater dispatch(...) {
     return eater();
  }
};

#define CALL_IF_TRUE(x,y) CallIfTrue<(x)>::dispatch(y)

void foo(const int& a) { std::cout << "Foo(" << a << ")" << std::endl; }
void bar() { std::cout << "Bar()" << std::endl; }

int main() {
  std::cout << "Should get called:" << std::endl;
  CallIfTrue<1>::dispatch(foo)(1);
  std::cout << "Shouldn't get called:" << std::endl;
  CALL_IF_TRUE(0,foo)(1);
  std::cout << "Should get called:" << std::endl;
  CallIfTrue<1>::dispatch(bar);
  std::cout << "Shouldn't get called:" << std::endl;
  CALL_IF_TRUE(0,bar);
  std::cout << "Should get called:" << std::endl;
  CALL_IF_TRUE(1,foo)(100);
  // This will fail to compile if we tried to use the retun value when
  // it wasn't true
  std::cout << "Time is: " << CALL_IF_TRUE(-1,time)(NULL) << std::endl;

  return 0;
}

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