Question

Hey so I’m making a serialization function that takes a base class pointer 'Joint', extracts the 'type' of joint descendent it is, and then want to instantiate the correct type of ‘definition’ based on whatever kind of ‘joint’ the pointer is really pointing too.

• However i’m still getting errors about the base class joint not
  containing functions that a descendent class does have, even though i
  static_cast the pointer to the correct type. How do i make the
  complier realize the pointer is being casted too a new type that does
  have the function?

• I also am getting errors about the ‘typedef’, which can be different
  based on what ‘type’ the joint* is, with the compile saying it’s
  undefined. How do i tell the compiler that no matter what, one of the if statements will be true? (Jointdef is declared inside the if
  statements)

Here’s the source:

template<class Archive>
b2Joint* const preSave(Archive & ar, b2Joint* Joint) 
{
    int Type = Joint->GetType();
    ar & Type; // pulled out first so we know what kind of JointDef to instantiate

    if(Type == b2JointType::e_distanceJoint){
        b2DistanceJointDef JointDef;
        static_cast<b2DistanceJoint *>(Joint);
            JointDef.localAnchorA=      Joint->GetAnchorA();
            JointDef.localAnchorB=      Joint->GetAnchorB();
            JointDef.length=            Joint->GetLength();
            JointDef.frequencyHz=       Joint->GetFrequency();
    }
    if(Type == b2JointType::e_weldJoint){
        b2WeldJointDef JointDef;
        static_cast<b2WeldJoint *>(Joint);
            JointDef.localAnchorA=      Joint->GetAnchorA();
            JointDef.localAnchorB=      Joint->GetAnchorB();
            JointDef.referenceAngle=    Joint->GetReferenceAngle();     // function added
    }
    if(Type == b2JointType::e_gearJoint){ //TODO / NOTE: this must be loaded last since to be linked joints must first be made
        b2GearJointDef JointDef;          //             unless joints are in order of when they were created.......
        static_cast<b2GearJoint *>(Joint);
            JointDef.joint1=                Joint->GetJoint1;           //function added
            JointDef.joint2=                Joint->GetJoint2;           //function added
            JointDef.ratio=                 Joint->GetRatio();
    }
    if(Type == b2JointType::e_lineJoint){
        b2LineJointDef JointDef;
        static_cast<b2LineJoint *>(Joint);
            JointDef.localAnchorA=      Joint->GetAnchorA();
            JointDef.localAnchorB=      Joint->GetAnchorB();
            JointDef.enableLimit;       Joint->IsLimitEnabled();
            JointDef.localAxisA=        Joint->GetLocalAxisA()          //function made
            JointDef.lowerTranslation=  Joint->GetLowerLimit();
            JointDef.upperTranslation=  Joint->GetUpperLimit();
            JointDef.enableMotor=       Joint->IsMotorEnabled();
            JointDef.maxMotorForce=     Joint->GetMaxMotorForce();
            JointDef.motorSpeed=        Joint->GetMotorSpeed();
    }

    if(Type == b2JointType::e_mouseJoint){
        b2MouseJointDef JointDef;
        static_cast<b2MouseJoint *>(Joint);
            JointDef.target=            Joint->GetTarget();
            JointDef.maxForce=          Joint->GetMaxForce();
            JointDef.frequencyHz=       Joint->GetFrequency();
            JointDef.dampingRatio=      Joint->GetDampingRatio();
    }
    if(Type == b2JointType::e_prismaticJoint){
        b2PrismaticJointDef JointDef;
        static_cast<b2PrismaticJoint *>(Joint);
            JointDef.localAnchorA=      Joint->GetAnchorA();
            JointDef.localAnchorB=      Joint->GetAnchorB();
            JointDef.enableLimit;       Joint->IsLimitEnabled();
            JointDef.referenceAngle=    Joint->GetReferenceAngle();     //added function
            JointDef.localAxis1=        Joint->GetLocalAxis1();         //added function
            JointDef.maxMotorForce=     Joint->GetMaxMotorForce();      //added function
            JointDef.lowerTranslation=  Joint->GetLowerLimit();
            JointDef.upperTranslation=  Joint->GetUpperLimit();
            JointDef.enableMotor=       Joint->IsMotorEnabled();
            JointDef.motorSpeed=        Joint->GetMotorSpeed();
    }
    if(Type == b2JointType::e_pulleyJoint){
        b2PulleyJointDef JointDef;
        static_cast<b2PulleyJoint *>(Joint);
            JointDef.localAnchorA=      Joint->GetAnchorA();
            JointDef.localAnchorB=      Joint->GetAnchorB();
            JointDef.groundAnchorA=     Joint->GetGroundAnchorA();
            JointDef.groundAnchorB=     Joint->GetGroundAnchorB();
            JointDef.lengthA=           Joint->GetLength1();
            JointDef.lengthB=           Joint->GetLength2();
            JointDef.maxLengthA=        Joint->GetMaxPulleyLengthA(); //added function
            JointDef.maxLengthB=        Joint->GetMaxPulleyLengthB(); //added function
            JointDef.ratio=             Joint->GetRatio();
    }
    if(Type == b2JointType::e_revoluteJoint){
        b2RevoluteJointDef JointDef;
        static_cast<b2RevoluteJoint *>(Joint);
            JointDef.localAnchorA=      Joint->GetAnchorA();
            JointDef.localAnchorB=      Joint->GetAnchorB();
            JointDef.enableLimit;       Joint->IsLimitEnabled();
            JointDef.enableMotor=       Joint->IsMotorEnabled();
            JointDef.motorSpeed=        Joint->GetMotorSpeed();
            JointDef.maxMotorTorque=    Joint->GetMaxMotorTorque()  //added function
            JointDef.referenceAngle     Joint->GetReferenceAngle()  //added function
            JointDef.lowerAngle=        Joint->GetLowerLimit();
            JointDef.upperAngle=        Joint->GetUpperLimit();
    }
    else{ b2JointDef

    //if(Type == b2JointType::e_frictionJoint){         QUESTION: what is this... not in box2d guide...
    // base class JointDef data:
    JointDef.type=              Joint->GetType();
    JointDef.userData=          Joint->GetUserData();
    JointDef.bodyA=             Joint->GetBodyA();
    JointDef.bodyB=             Joint->GetBodyB();
    JointDef.collideConnected=  Joint->IsCollideConnected();        //added function

    ar & JointDef;
    return Joint;
}

Answer 1

Your use of static_cast is the problem. static_cast does not redefine the type of a variable: instead, it returns the value casted into the type you’ve asked for.

Type* variable = static_cast<Type*>(variableToCast);

Also, if your classes make use of polymorphism, consider using dynamic_cast instead, which makes use of the (not very powerful) run-time type information system of C++.

if (b2DistanceJointDef* def = dynamic_cast<b2JointTypeDef*>(Joint))
{
    // if you reach this block, this means Joint is actually a pointer to
    // a b2JointTypeDef object; and you may use the `def` variable to access
    // its members
}

Better yet, if you’re into that kind of thing, and if it makes sense in your design, you might consider a polymorphic method to eliminate this type switch. There is broad discussion about why it’s better on this site and almost everywhere to avoid explicit type switches.

---

For the typedef statement, you have to make the distinction between compile-time information and runtime information. C++ is a statically typed language: this means it needs to know everything about the type of a variable during the compilation stage. A type definition cannot vary based on a runtime condition: it needs to be resolved during the compilation stage.

Besides, symbols (basically, anything that has an identifier is a symbol) cannot be used outside their scope. So if you declare anything under an if block, you won’t be able to access it from outside that if block.

Since typedefs make symbols using a typedef inside a scope makes the defined type available until the end of the scope, and no further. For instance:

if (foo)
{
    typedef int myInt;
    myInt var = 4; // works
}
myInt baz = 4; // fails