c++ How Can I Achieve This Class Structure?

Question

I'm racking my brain trying to find out how to write cross platform classes while avoiding the cost of virtual functions and any kind of ugliness in the platform specific versions of classes. Here is what I have tried.

PlatformIndependantClass.hpp

class PlatformIndependantClass {
    public:
        PlatformIndependantClass();
        std::string GetPlatformName();
    private:
        PlatformIndependantClass* mImplementation;

};

LinuxClass.hpp

#include "PlatformIndependantClass.hpp"
class LinuxClass : public PlatformIndependantClass{
    public:
        std::string GetPlatformName();
};

WindowsClass.hpp

#include "PlatformIndependantClass.hpp"
class WindowsClass : public PlatformIndependantClass {
    public:
        std::string GetPlatformName();
};

PlatformIndependantClass.cpp

#include "PlatformIndependantClass.hpp"
#include "LinuxClass.hpp"
#include "WindowsClass.hpp"
PlatformIndependantClass::PlatformIndependantClass() {
    #ifdef TARGET_LINUX
        mImplementation = new LinuxClass();
    #endif
    #ifdef TARGET_WINDOWS
        mImplementation = new WindowsClass();
    #endif
}
std::string PlatformIndependantClass::GetPlatformName() {
    return mImplementation->GetPlatformName();
}

LinuxClass.cpp

#include "LinuxClass.hpp"
std::string LinuxClass::GetPlatformName() {
    return std::string("This was compiled on linux!");
}

WindowsClass.cpp

#include "WindowsClass.hpp"
std::string WindowsClass::GetPlatformName() {
    return std::string("This was compiled on windows!");
}

main.cpp

#include <iostream>
#include "PlatformIndependantClass.hpp"

using namespace std;

int main()
{
    PlatformIndependantClass* cl = new PlatformIndependantClass();
    cout << "Hello world!" << endl;
    cout << "Operating system name is: " << cl->GetPlatformName() << endl;
    cout << "Bye!" << endl;
    return 0;
}

Now, this compiles fine but I get a segmentation fault. I believe this is because the platform specific classes inherit from PlatformIndependantClass, which on construction, creates an instance of the platform specific class, so I get infinite recursion. Every time I try, I just get extremely confused!

How can I achieve a design like this properly? Or is this just a horrible idea. I have been trying to find out how to write cross platform classes but I just get a load of results about cross platform libraries, any help will be gratefully accepted :)

Answer 1

I think what you are trying to accomplish can be accomplished much easier...

Object.h:

#include <normal includes>

#if WINDOWS
#include <windows includes>
#endif

#if LINUX
#include <linux includes>
#endif

class Object
{
private:

#if WINDOWS
//Windows Specific Fields...
#endif

#if LINUX
//Linux Specific Fields...
#endif

public:
    //Function that performs platform specific functionality
    void DoPlatformSpecificStuff();

    //Nothing platform specific here
    void DoStuff();      
};

Object.cpp

#include "Object.h"

void Object::DoStuff() { ... }

ObjectWin32.cpp

#if WINDOWS

#include "Object.h"

void Object::DoPlatformSpecificStuff() 
{ 
    //Windows specific stuff... 
}

#endif

ObjectLinux.cpp

#if LINUX

#include "Object.h"

void Object::DoPlatformSpecificStuff() 
{ 
    //Linux specific stuff... 
}

#endif

And so on. I think this could accomplish what you are trying in a bit easier fashion. Also, no virtual functions needed.

Answer 2

Starting from the end, yes, truly a horrible idea, as are most ideas that start with "I want to avoid the cost of virtual functions".

As to why you're getting the segmentation fault (stack overflow specifically), it's because you aren't using virtual functions, but static linking. The compiler doesn't know that mImplementation is anything but a PlatformIndependantClass, so when you try to call return mImplementation->GetPlatformName() you're calling the same function over and over.

What you achieved is called shadowing, you're using compile-time function resolution. The compiler will call the GetPlatformName function of the actual type of the variable you're calling it from, since there's no virtual table to overwrite the pointers to the actual functions. Since mImplementation is PlatformIndependantClass, mImplementation->GetPlatformName will always be PlatformIndependantClass::GetPlatformName.

Edit: Of course the question of why you need to create both a Windows and a Linux copy of your engine at the same time comes to mind. You'll never use both of them at the same time, right?

So why not just have two different libraries, one for each system, and link the right one from your makefile. You get the best of all worlds!

Answer 3

Instead of using the constructor to build the platform-specific instance, I would create a static factory method to create the instances:

PlatformIndependantClass* PlatformIndependantClass::getPlatformIndependantClass() {
    #ifdef TARGET_LINUX
        return new LinuxClass();
    #endif
    #ifdef TARGET_WINDOWS
        return new WindowsClass();
    #endif
}

This way you avoid the recursion, and you also don't need your mImplementation pointer.

I would also try to avoid platform-specific classes, but that's another story :)

Answer 4

When you want to have polymorphic behavior without any run-time overhead, you can try the curiously recurring template pattern (CRTP). The base class is a template, and the derived class uses itself as the template parameter for the base. This requires your classes to be defined as templates, which further restricts them to be implemented completely in the header (.hpp) files.

I'm not sure how to apply the pattern in your particular case.