[C++-sig] Re: smart pointers, polymorphism

David Abrahams dave at boost-consulting.com
Thu Jul 10 00:09:01 CEST 2003


Can you post a small, compilable example which illustrates your
problem, along with Python test code?

"Dusty Leary" <dleary at ttlc.net> writes:

> Hello,
>
> I am converting a semi-large api over to boost.python.
>
> We have been using boost::intrusive_ptr for some time now.  (I can't
> remember exactly why).  I tried switching before mailing the list.  With
> both intrusive_ptr and shared_ptr, I am running into "conversion to base"
> problems.
>
> I have quite a few abstract interfaces.  Each one defines an overloaded
> templated static "cast" function, to make it easy to cast references.  (e.g.
> foo::bar::MyInterface::cast(someReference)), which handles using
> dynamic_cast or boost::shared_dynamic_cast, etc...
>
> With my previous home-grown python interfaces (stubs generated from an idl),
> the binding for the cast function would just extract the anonymous pointer
> from the PyObject (after verifying that the PyObject's type was one of our
> interfaces), static_cast it to IObject* (even though it might not implement
> IObject), then dynamic_cast it to the interface type (in this case,
> foo::bar::MyInterface).
>
> I am not sure if static_casting it to some possibly unrelated polymorphic
> type, and then dynamic_casting it to our type is valid.  (Although I was
> sure it would always be a polymorphic type).  It worked, at least for my
> current environment.
>
> Anyway, I can't get the casting to work properly.
> I am always getting "TypeError: bad argument for built-in operation."...
> presumably, boost.python can't find a valid overload.
>
> I have tried forcing all interfaces in the system to extend a common base
> interface (IObject), with no luck.  (so, I define "static shared_ptr<T>
> cast_iobject(IObject*)" in each interface class.  Even though I have "IFoo :
> public IObject", a shared_ptr<IFoo> can't be passed into my cast function)
>
> Either, I need to special case this function, accepting PyObjects directly
> and doing the static_cast -> dynamic_cast thing like I did in my previous
> bindings, or I need to somehow make the compiler and/or boost.python infer
> the proper behaviour.  With all of the boost::python::(converter, holder,
> pointee) stuff, that might be possible, but I can't make heads or tails of
> it.
>
> What is the proper way?

-- 
Dave Abrahams
Boost Consulting
www.boost-consulting.com





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