defining a custom output facility

[Matt Garman]

I'd like to create a "custom output facility". In other words, I want
an object whose use is similar to std::cout/std::cerr, but offers more
flexibility. Instead of simply writing the parameter to stdout/stderr,
I'd like it to write to stdout, to a file, and/or call a logging
function.

So my output function might look something like this:

OutputFacility& OutputFacility: :put(const std::string& s) {
cout << s; // print to stdout
write_to_logfil e(s); // also calling logging function
return *this;
}

Now I can define the << operator to be an alias for put().

My question is: do I have to define put() for every type of input I
expect to print? I.e., I'd like this to work with all primitive types,
int, char, double, float, etc.

Right now I'm thinking that the OutputFacility class could have a
std::ostringstr eam as a private member; every version of
OutputFacility: :put() would just in turn call the ostringstream put()
method, THEN call the actual output functions (e.g. write_to_logfil e()).

It seems like there should be a simpler method of defining my put
method, i.e. instead of overloading it and defining it multiple times,
if I could just define it once with a "magical" parameter that means
"take anything that can be converted to a string".

Thanks for any advice!
Matt

--
Matt Garman
email at: http://raw-sewage.net/index.php?file=email

[Matt Garman]

On Tue, 13 Jan 2004 20:11:51 GMT, Matt Garman <fa**@not-real.bogus> wrote:

OutputFacility& OutputFacility: :put(const std::string& s) {
cout << s; // print to stdout
write_to_logfil e(s); // also calling logging function
return *this;
}

My question is: do I have to define put() for every type of input I
expect to print? I.e., I'd like this to work with all primitive types,
int, char, double, float, etc.

It looks like I can get away with the following:

template <class T> OutputFacility& OutputFacility: :put(const T& x) {
std::ostringstr ing os;
os << x;
cout << os.str();
write_to_logfil e(os.str());
return *this;
}

This seems to get me "close" to what I want to do. It works for
strings, c-style strings (char arrays), and integers. But it doesn't
recognize std::endl and it truncates the fraction part of a float.

Any thoughts?

Thanks again!
Matt

--
Matt Garman
email at: http://raw-sewage.net/index.php?file=email

[Jeff Schwab]

Matt Garman wrote:

I'd like to create a "custom output facility". In other words, I want
an object whose use is similar to std::cout/std::cerr, but offers more
flexibility. Instead of simply writing the parameter to stdout/stderr,
I'd like it to write to stdout, to a file, and/or call a logging
function.

So my output function might look something like this:

OutputFacility& OutputFacility: :put(const std::string& s) {
cout << s; // print to stdout
write_to_logfil e(s); // also calling logging function
return *this;
}

Now I can define the << operator to be an alias for put().

My question is: do I have to define put() for every type of input I
expect to print? I.e., I'd like this to work with all primitive types,
int, char, double, float, etc.

Right now I'm thinking that the OutputFacility class could have a
std::ostringstr eam as a private member; every version of
OutputFacility: :put() would just in turn call the ostringstream put()
method, THEN call the actual output functions (e.g. write_to_logfil e()).

It seems like there should be a simpler method of defining my put
method, i.e. instead of overloading it and defining it multiple times,
if I could just define it once with a "magical" parameter that means
"take anything that can be converted to a string".

Thanks for any advice!
Matt

template< typename T >
OutputFacility&
operator << ( OutputFacility& out, T const& out )
{
return out.put( lexical_cast< std::string >( s ) );
}

http://www.boost.org/libs/conversion...m#lexical_cast

[Andrew Taylor]

Matt Garman wrote:

This seems to get me "close" to what I want to do. It works for
strings, c-style strings (char arrays), and integers. But it doesn't
recognize std::endl and it truncates the fraction part of a float.

std::endl is specific to ostreams. It is not declared as a newline, but
rather a function that writes a newline, then flushes the ostream.
Since your OutputFacility class isn't an ostream, it won't work.

I don't see the float truncation, it works for me. Post a compilable
example.

--
Andrew

[David Harmon]

On Tue, 13 Jan 2004 20:11:51 GMT in comp.lang.c++, Matt Garman
<fa**@not-real.bogus> was alleged to have written:

I'd like to create a "custom output facility". In other words, I want
an object whose use is similar to std::cout/std::cerr, but offers more
flexibility. Instead of simply writing the parameter to stdout/stderr,
I'd like it to write to stdout, to a file, and/or call a logging
function.

C++ streams are constructed as two layers. The upper layer, derived
from iostream, is concerned with formatting objects to and from a
character representation. The lower level, derived from streambuf, is
concerned with transferring those characters to and from some
receptacle.

It is usually a mistake to try to create a customized stream class by
deriving from the stream classes. What you want instead is to derive
from streambuf, and construct a stream using your custom streambuf.

See the examples on Dietmar Kuehl's web site
http://www.informatik.uni-konstanz.d.../c++/iostream/

[Jonathan Turkanis]

"David Harmon" <so****@netcom. com> wrote in message
news:40******** ******@news.wes t.earthlink.net ...

On Tue, 13 Jan 2004 20:11:51 GMT in comp.lang.c++, Matt Garman
It is usually a mistake to try to create a customized stream class by deriving from the stream classes. What you want instead is to derive from streambuf, and construct a stream using your custom streambuf.

See the examples on Dietmar Kuehl's web site
http://www.informatik.uni-konstanz.d.../c++/iostream/

I've written a library to make defining new streambufs easy. See
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/boost/...treams_lib.zip (you have
to sign up with boost to access it, I think.)

Jonathan

[Matt Garman]

On Tue, 13 Jan 2004 20:44:47 GMT, Andrew Taylor <at*****@its.to > wrote:

std::endl is specific to ostreams. It is not declared as a newline,
but rather a function that writes a newline, then flushes the ostream.
Since your OutputFacility class isn't an ostream, it won't work.
That makes sense, I forgot that endl is actually a function.

So in the example I posted here, I could create my own endl function to
achieve similar functionality, right?
I don't see the float truncation, it works for me. Post a compilable
example.

I was mistaken; it appears to be a formatting issue. In other words, I
tried it with more floats, and found that it's only printing a certain
number of digits (regardless of the decimal location).

Thank you!
Matt

--
Matt Garman
email at: http://raw-sewage.net/index.php?file=email

[Karl Heinz Buchegger]

Matt Garman wrote:

On Tue, 13 Jan 2004 20:44:47 GMT, Andrew Taylor <at*****@its.to > wrote:

std::endl is specific to ostreams. It is not declared as a newline,
but rather a function that writes a newline, then flushes the ostream.
Since your OutputFacility class isn't an ostream, it won't work.

That makes sense, I forgot that endl is actually a function.

So in the example I posted here, I could create my own endl function to
achieve similar functionality, right?

You could.
But you are still doing the whole thing the wrong way.
The right way is to write a new stream buffer class
and make a standard stream use it.

--
Karl Heinz Buchegger
kb******@gascad .at

[Matt Garman]

On Thu, 15 Jan 2004 18:56:43 +0100, Karl Heinz Buchegger
<kb******@gasca d.at> wrote:

So in the example I posted here, I could create my own endl function
to achieve similar functionality, right?

But you are still doing the whole thing the wrong way. The right way
is to write a new stream buffer class and make a standard stream use
it.

I guess I don't really understand the underlying principle(s) behind
this method. I looked over the example on Dietmar Kuehl's website (as
suggested in another post), but didn't really "get it". I think I'm
missing some more fundamental concept(s) here :)

Or perhaps I'm looking at it too much from a "vanilla" C perspective. I
mean, if I was doing this in C, I'd probably just have a function (or
possibly even a #define macro) that had a printf() like syntax, but does
the job of printf() plus writes to a logfile, to a window, etc.

I certainly want to do it the right way, though! Does anyone happen to
have any more links that explain this in greater detail?

Thanks again!
Matt

--
Matt Garman
email at: http://raw-sewage.net/index.php?file=email

[Karl Heinz Buchegger]

Matt Garman wrote:

On Thu, 15 Jan 2004 18:56:43 +0100, Karl Heinz Buchegger
<kb******@gasca d.at> wrote:

So in the example I posted here, I could create my own endl function
to achieve similar functionality, right?
But you are still doing the whole thing the wrong way. The right way
is to write a new stream buffer class and make a standard stream use
it.

I guess I don't really understand the underlying principle(s) behind
this method. I looked over the example on Dietmar Kuehl's website (as
suggested in another post), but didn't really "get it". I think I'm
missing some more fundamental concept(s) here :)

The thing is:

The stream object itself is responsible for proper formatting.
The stream buffer object inside the stream is reponsible for bringing
the already formatted data on its way, it's the transportation layer.

You want to change a string in the behaviour of the transportation
layer, thus your approach should be to write a customized stream buffer
and make the stream use that instead of the one it was born with.
Or perhaps I'm looking at it too much from a "vanilla" C perspective. I
mean, if I was doing this in C, I'd probably just have a function (or
possibly even a #define macro) that had a printf() like syntax, but does
the job of printf() plus writes to a logfile, to a window, etc.
If the system is designed flexible (with C++ it is, with C it is not), then
there would be some sort of hook in printf, which allows you to get a grasp
at the string printf produces internally before printf sends this string to the
device. In this way you don't need to change any printf calls but just
hook into it, and do whatever you want with the printf generated string.

With printf this is not possible, with C++ streams it is. In fact it
is specifically designed to be that way.

I certainly want to do it the right way, though! Does anyone happen to
have any more links that explain this in greater detail?

http://www.google.com
"streambuf custom"

http://cpptips.hyperformix.com/cpptips/tee_strm
http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/~phoncs/on...ation/Message/
http://www.codeproject.com/vcpp/stl/zipstream.asp

--
Karl Heinz Buchegger
kb******@gascad .at