Question

I have 2 classes

class B {
public:
    int func(int i);
};

class A {
public:
    typedef int (B::*fPtr)(int);
    void run();
    B* mB;
};

void A::run() {
    // create a pointer
    fPtr p = &(B::func);
    // invoke the function
    mB->*p(2);     <------- Compilation Error
}

What i need is to create a pointer to func() in A’s run function. I get a compilation error saying that mB is not corresponding to a function with 1 argument.

please help

Answer 1

Instance methods on a class always have a hidden first parameter for the this pointer, thus it is incompatible with your function pointer typedef. There is no way directly to obtain a pointer to a member function. The typical workaround is to use a “thunk” where you pass a static function that accepts a generic “catch all” parameter (such as void *) which can be statically cast to a pointer of your choosing on which you can invoke the member function. Example:

class B
{
public:
    static void MyThunk(void * obj)
    {
        static_cast<B *>(obj)->MyRealFunc();
    }

    void MyRealFunc()
    {
        // do something here
    }

    // . . .
};

You can get a pointer to the static function easily as it has no ‘hidden this‘, just reference it using B::MyThunk. If your function requires additional parameters, you can use something like a functor to capture the necesssary parameters and state.

You should definitely read this C++ FAQ Lite page which tells you much more about all this: Pointers to member functions