C++ std::function bind callback between libraries without exposing method API

Question

I have looked at quite a few links before asking this question and read quite a lot around std::function, std:bind and callbacks in C++. As I understand, the concept is mostly for event handlers to notify listeners after a certain event has happened. I am struggling to find the right implementation when it applies across library boundaries as I am a newbie into this style of programming.

Here is the situation or the design I need to implement:

I have a library A which has a private function in a class which accepts certain data in and does some processing. There is a libraryB which provides the same data which the function in library A needs, but libraryB exposes a std::function to receive that data. Other library needs to bind its function to its callback to receive the data. So, I need to bind libraryA's func to libraryB's std::function in my Application class.

Inside libraryA {

Class A {

private:
    AA objAA;
}

Class AA {

private:
    void func(int x) {
        //this is the function I want to tie to calback in library libB without exposing the method api
        //How can I expose a public api to return the address of this function so that the app can bind it to libraryB's callback ?
    }
}

}

Inside libraryB {

Class B {
public:
    void registerCallback(std::function<void (int)> callmePls) {
        m_callback = callmePls;
    }
private:
    typedef std::function<void (int)> theCallback;
    theCallback m_callback;
}

}


Inside my Application which uses both libraryA & libraryB {
//How can I bind/assign “func” in libraryA to the callback in libraryB ?
}

How can I expose a public api from libraryA to return the address of the interested function so that the app can bind it to libraryB's callback ? How can I bind/assign “func” in libraryA to the callback in libraryB ?

Yakk - Adam Nevraumont Yakk - Adam Nevraumont · Accepted Answer · 2016-07-22T17:52:14

with the bodies implemented in a .cpp file (not in the header):

 class A {
 public:
   void listen(int x) {
     objAA.func(x);
   }

or

   std::function<void(int)> get_listener() {
     return [this](int x){ x.objAA.func(x); };
   }

or

   void listen_to( std::function< void( std::function< void(int) > ) > f ) {
     f( [this](int x){ x.objAA.func(x); } );
   }

here, you have to do some gymnastics to get registerCallback into listen_to.

Really, the later ones are more abstract, but they don't actually prevent you from calling func.

C++ std::function bind callback between libraries without exposing method API

1 Answers