• psheer AT icon DOT co DOT za (22/22) Aug 22 2001 In C it is impossible to create a run-time function call. This makes
• Kent Sandvik (7/18) Aug 22 2001 Runtime binding calls style Objective-C syntax, send any message to any ...

"psheer AT icon DOT co DOT za" <nospam nospam.com> writes:

In C it is impossible to create a run-time function call. This makes
implementing signals in Gtk very awkward. Gtk defines a type list
with macros for each kind of C type. There are many situations
where libraries could be simplified if there were a way of "manually"
creating a function call with run-time specified argument ltypes.

This is because a library should be able to be passed a call-back
function whose prototype is not known at the time that the library
was compiled. The library should have a run-time facility for calling
any function prototype by building the arguments to that function
from some kind of template passed to the library. Hence the name
"Run-time function call". Interpretors use this facility to great effect.

For example:

 /* this function's prototype was not known as run time */
 void foo (char this, int that, float etc);

 apply (foo, special_arg_list_object);


I don't know what's the best way of implementing it.

-paul

-- 
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http://www.icon.co.za/~psheer . . . . http://rute.sourceforge.net
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"Kent Sandvik" <sandvik excitehome.net> writes:

"psheer AT icon DOT co DOT za" <nospam nospam.com> wrote in message
news:9m0u9i$13f2$1 digitaldaemon.com...
 This is because a library should be able to be passed a call-back
 function whose prototype is not known at the time that the library
 was compiled. The library should have a run-time facility for calling
 any function prototype by building the arguments to that function
 from some kind of template passed to the library. Hence the name
 "Run-time function call". Interpretors use this facility to great effect.

 For example:

  /* this function's prototype was not known as run time */
  void foo (char this, int that, float etc);

  apply (foo, special_arg_list_object);


 I don't know what's the best way of implementing it.

Runtime binding calls style Objective-C syntax, send any message to any ID
and if they understand the method, it's taken care of, or otherwise ignored.
I agree, if this was present the UI framework design would be far easier.
The Cocoa (NextStep) framework in MacOSX is based around this
oncept.  --Kent