Question

Basically i just want to do an arbitrary operation using given arguments of arbitrary types.

Argument type base class is Var, and Operation is base class of the operation that will executed for given arguments.

I have Evaluator class, that hold a collection of operators which mapped using opId. Evaluator will do operation based on opId argument given in evaluate() member function, then evaluate() function will do search for supported operator that will accept argument type and opId.

what I want to ask is, is there any efficient pattern or algorithm that will do this without dynamic_cast<> and/or looping through operator collection.

`

class Var {
public:
    bool isValidVar();
    static Var invalidVar();
}

template<typename T> class VarT : public Var {
public:
    virtual const T getValue() const;   
}

class Operator {
public:
    virtual Var evaluate(const Var& a, const Var& b) = 0;
}

template<typename T> class AddOperator : public Operator {
public:
    virtual Var evaluate(const Var& a, const Var& b)
    {                             //dynamic_cast is slow!
        const VarT<T>* varA = dynamic_cast<const VarT<T>*>(&a);
        const VarT<T>* varB = dynamic_cast<const VarT<T>*>(&b);
        if(varA && varB)          //operation supported
        {
            return VarT<T>(varA->getValue() + varA->getValue());
        }
        return Var::invalidVar(); //operation for this type is not supported
    }
}

class Evaluator {
private:
    std::map<int,std::vector<Operator>> operatorMap;
public:
    virtual Var evaluate(const Var& a, const Var& b,int opId)
    {
        std::map<int,std::vector<Operator>>::iterator it = this->operatorMap.find(opId);
        if(it != this->operatorMap.end())
        {
            for(size_t i=0 ; i<it->second.size() ; i++)
            {
                Var result = it->second.at(i).evaluate(a,b);
                if(result.isValidVar())
                {
                    return result;
                }
            }
        }
        //no operator mapped, or no operator support the type
        return Var::invalidVar();
    }
}

`

Answer 1

if you do not want to use dynamic_cast, consider adding type traits into your design.

Added 05/03/10 : The following sample will demonstrate how runtime-traits works

CommonHeader.h

#ifndef GENERIC_HEADER_INCLUDED
#define GENERIC_HEADER_INCLUDED

#include <map>
#include <vector>
#include <iostream>

// Default template
template <class T>
struct type_traits
{
    static const int typeId = 0;
    static const int getId() { return typeId; }
};

class Var 
{
public:
    virtual ~Var() {}
    virtual int     getType() const = 0;
    virtual void    print() const = 0;
};

template<typename T> 
class VarT  : public Var
{
    T value;
public:
    VarT(const T& v): value(v) {}
    virtual int     getType() const { return type_traits<T>::getId();   };
    virtual void    print() const { std::cout << value << std::endl;    };
    const T& getValue() const { return value; }
};

class Operator 
{
public:
    virtual ~Operator() {}
    virtual Var* evaluate(const Var& a, const Var& b) const = 0;
};

template<typename T> 
class AddOperator : public Operator
{
public:

    virtual Var* evaluate(const Var& a, const Var& b) const
    {   
        // Very basic condition guarding
        // Allow operation within similar type only
        // else have to create additional compatibility checker 
        // ie. AddOperator<Matrix> for Matrix & int
        // it will also requires complicated value retrieving mechanism
        // as static_cast no longer can be used due to unknown type.
        if ( (a.getType() == b.getType())                   &&
             (a.getType() == type_traits<T>::getId())       &&
             (b.getType() != type_traits<void>::getId())  )
        {
            const VarT<T>* varA = static_cast<const VarT<T>*>(&a);
            const VarT<T>* varB = static_cast<const VarT<T>*>(&b);

            return new VarT<T>(varA->getValue() + varB->getValue());
        }
        return 0;
    }
};


class Evaluator {
private:
    std::map<int, std::vector<Operator*>> operatorMap;
public:
    void registerOperator(Operator* pOperator, int iCategory)
    {
        operatorMap[iCategory].push_back( pOperator );
    }

    virtual Var* evaluate(const Var& a, const Var& b, int opId)
    {
        Var* pResult = 0;
        std::vector<Operator*>& opList = operatorMap.find(opId)->second;
        for (   std::vector<Operator*>::const_iterator opIter = opList.begin();
                opIter != opList.end();
                opIter++    )
        {
            pResult = (*opIter)->evaluate( a, b );
            if (pResult)
                break;
        }

        return pResult;
    }
};

#endif

DataProvider header

#ifdef OBJECTA_EXPORTS
#define OBJECTA_API __declspec(dllexport)
#else
#define OBJECTA_API __declspec(dllimport)
#endif

// This is the "common" header
#include "CommonHeader.h"

class CFraction 
{
public:
    CFraction(void);
    CFraction(int iNum, int iDenom);
    CFraction(const CFraction& src);

    int m_iNum;
    int m_iDenom;
};

extern "C" OBJECTA_API Operator*    createOperator();
extern "C" OBJECTA_API Var*         createVar();

DataProvider implementation

#include "Fraction.h"

// user-type specialization
template<>
struct type_traits<CFraction>
{
    static const int typeId = 10;
    static const int getId() { return typeId; }
};

std::ostream&   operator<<(std::ostream& os, const CFraction& data)
{
    return os << "Numerator : " << data.m_iNum << " @ Denominator : " << data.m_iDenom << std::endl;
}

CFraction   operator+(const CFraction& lhs, const CFraction& rhs)
{
    CFraction   obj;
    obj.m_iNum = (lhs.m_iNum * rhs.m_iDenom) + (rhs.m_iNum * lhs.m_iDenom);
    obj.m_iDenom = lhs.m_iDenom * rhs.m_iDenom;
    return obj;
}

OBJECTA_API Operator* createOperator(void)
{
    return new AddOperator<CFraction>;
}
OBJECTA_API Var* createVar(void)
{
    return new VarT<CFraction>( CFraction(1,4) );
}

CFraction::CFraction() :
m_iNum (0),
m_iDenom (0)
{
}
CFraction::CFraction(int iNum, int iDenom) :
m_iNum (iNum),
m_iDenom (iDenom)
{
}
CFraction::CFraction(const CFraction& src) :
m_iNum (src.m_iNum),
m_iDenom (src.m_iDenom)
{
}

DataConsumer

#include "CommonHeader.h"
#include "windows.h"

// user-type specialization
template<>
struct type_traits<int>
{
    static const int typeId = 1;
    static const int getId() { return typeId; }
};

int main()
{
    Evaluator e;

    HMODULE hModuleA = LoadLibrary( "ObjectA.dll" );

    if (hModuleA)
    {
        FARPROC pnProcOp = GetProcAddress(hModuleA, "createOperator");
        FARPROC pnProcVar = GetProcAddress(hModuleA, "createVar");

        // Prepare function pointer
        typedef Operator*   (*FACTORYOP)();
        typedef Var*        (*FACTORYVAR)();

        FACTORYOP fnCreateOp = reinterpret_cast<FACTORYOP>(pnProcOp);
        FACTORYVAR fnCreateVar = reinterpret_cast<FACTORYVAR>(pnProcVar);

        // Create object
        Operator*   pOp = fnCreateOp();
        Var*        pVar = fnCreateVar();

        AddOperator<int> intOp;
        AddOperator<double> doubleOp;
        e.registerOperator( &intOp, 0 );
        e.registerOperator( &doubleOp, 0 );
        e.registerOperator( pOp, 0 );

        VarT<int> i1(10);
        VarT<double> d1(2.5);
        VarT<float> f1(1.0f);

        std::cout << "Int Obj id : " << i1.getType() << std::endl;
        std::cout << "Double Obj id : " << d1.getType() << std::endl;
        std::cout << "Float Obj id : " << f1.getType() << std::endl;
        std::cout << "Import Obj id : " << pVar->getType() << std::endl;

        Var* i_result = e.evaluate(i1, i1, 0); // result = 20
        Var* d_result = e.evaluate(d1, d1, 0); // no result
        Var* f_result = e.evaluate(f1, f1, 0); // no result
        Var* obj_result = e.evaluate(*pVar, *pVar, 0); // result depend on data provider
        Var* mixed_result1 = e.evaluate(f1, d1, 0); // no result
        Var* mixed_result2 = e.evaluate(*pVar, i1, 0); // no result

        obj_result->print();
        FreeLibrary( hModuleA );
    }
    return 0;
}