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What I am trying to do, leveraging gSOAP:

  1. Define data structures in an XML schema
  2. Use wsdl2h and soapcpp2 to generate C++ classes representing these structures
  3. Read and Write these structures in XML from C++

Note that I am not using a Web Service at this point, I am just interested in the XML data binding.

If my classes look like:

class Base { ... }

class Der1 : public Base { .. }

class Der2 : public Base { ... }

then I can serialize a Base object (which may actually be one of the derived types) using:

std::ofstream myFile;
myFile.open("output.out");
ctx.os = &myFile; 

Der1 obj; // or Der2 obj...
// ... populate obj

if (soap_write_Base(ctx, dynamic_cast<Base*>(&obj)) == SOAP_OK)
{ 
  std::cout << "message serialized" << std::endl;
} else 
{
  soap_print_fault(ctx, stderr);
}

and deserialize using:

std::ifstream myFile;
myFile.open("output.out");

ctx.is = &myFile;
Der1 obj;

if (soap_read_Der1(ctx, &obj) == SOAP_OK)
{
  std::cout << "message deserialized" << std::endl;
  printMessage(msg); //debug
} else 
{
  soap_print_fault(ctx, stderr);
}

where ctx is a pointer to the soap context, declared as:

soap* ctx = soap_new2(SOAP_XML_STRICT, SOAP_XML_INDENT);

elsewhere in the code.

Can anyone tell me how to change the deserialize code above to be able to read an object without knowing up-front if it is a Der1, Der2, or Base object?

Thank you!

Josh
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1 Answers1

1

There are a couple things you need to do.

First, build your C++ objects so they derive from xsd__anyType (the -p option on wsdl2h)

When you compile your code, define WITH_NO_IO and WITH_NO_HTTP so you don't get the default gSoap HTTP and IO calls.

Then, create a Serializer class like (pardon the rant about XML):

#pragma once
#include <memory>

namespace MyLib
{
    class SerializerImpl;
    class xsd__anyType;
    class Serializer
    {
        std::shared_ptr<SerializerImpl> ser;
    public:
        Serializer();
        Serializer(Serializer const &) = default;
        Serializer(Serializer &&o) : ser(std::forward<Serializer>(o).ser) { }
        ~Serializer() = default;

        Serializer &operator=(Serializer const& rhs) = default;
        Serializer &operator=(Serializer && rhs)
        {
            ser = std::forward<Serializer>(rhs).ser;
            return *this;
        }

        // Serialize 'value' into 'out'.
        void Serialize(xsd__anyType const &value, std::ostream &out);

        // Returns a shared pointer to the xsd_anyType that comes in 'in'.
        // The shared_ptr returned contains a custom deleter because gSoap ties
        // allocated values to the gSoap context used to deserialize it in the
        // first place. I think that was an attempt at adding some kind of
        // garbage collection so one didn't have to worry about deleting it except,
        // of course, that fails if you get rid of the context prior to the
        // end of the life of the deserialized value. Nobody does XML C++ bindings
        // right. XML sucks and C++ doesn't and it is hard to translate suck to 
        // non-suck.
        std::shared_ptr<xsd__anyType> Deserialize(std::istream &in);
    };
}

The implementation looks like:

#include "MyLibH.h"
#include "stdsoap2.h"
#include "Serializer.h"

namespace MyLib
{
    static int fsend(struct soap* ctx, char const *buf, size_t len)
    {
        if (!ctx->os)
        {
            throw std::logic_error("soap.fsend the struct soap 'os' member must be set.");
        }

        ctx->os->write(buf, len);
        return SOAP_OK;
    }

    static size_t frecv(struct soap* ctx, char* buf, size_t len)
    {
        if (!ctx->is)
        {
            throw std::logic_error("soap.fsend the struct soap 'is' member must be set.");
        }

        ctx->is->read(buf, len);
        return ctx->is->gcount();
    }

    static SOAP_SOCKET fopen(struct soap*, const char*, const char*, int)
    {
        throw std::logic_error("soap.fopen not implemented for Serializer.");
    }

    static int fclose(struct soap *ctx)
    {
        return SOAP_OK;
    }

    static int fclosesocket(struct soap*, SOAP_SOCKET)
    {
        throw std::logic_error("soap.fclosesocket not implemented for Serializer.");
    }

    static int fshutdownsocket(struct soap*, SOAP_SOCKET, int)
    {
        throw std::logic_error("soap.fshutdownsocket not implemented for Serializer.");
    }

    static SOAP_SOCKET faccept(struct soap*, SOAP_SOCKET, struct sockaddr*, int *n)
    {
        throw std::logic_error("soap.faccept not implemented for Serializer.");
    }


    class SerializerImpl
    {
        struct soap mutable soap;
    public:
        SerializerImpl();
        ~SerializerImpl();
        struct soap *ctx() const { return &soap; }
    };

    SerializerImpl::SerializerImpl()
    {
        soap_init(&soap);

        // compiled with WITH_NOIO so set these function pointers
        soap.fsend = fsend;
        soap.frecv = frecv;
        soap.fopen = fopen;
        soap.fclose = fclose;
        soap.fclosesocket = fclosesocket;
        soap.fshutdownsocket = fshutdownsocket;
        soap.fpoll = nullptr;
        soap.faccept = faccept;

        // Set input/output mode
        soap_imode(&soap, SOAP_ENC_XML);
        soap_set_omode(&soap, SOAP_XML_INDENT);
    }


    SerializerImpl::~SerializerImpl()
    {
        // remove deserialized class instances (C++ objects)
        soap_destroy(&soap);

        // clean up and remove deserialized data 
        soap_end(&soap);

        // detach context (last use and no longer in scope)
        soap_done(&soap);
    }

    Serializer::Serializer() : ser(std::make_shared<SerializerImpl>())
    {
    }

    void Serializer::Serialize(xsd__anyType const& value, std::ostream &out)
    {
        soap_begin(ser->ctx());
        ser->ctx()->is = &in;
        soap_free_temp(ser->ctx());
        int type;
        int err;
        char errbuf[200];
        if ((err = soap_begin_recv(ser->ctx())) != SOAP_OK)
        {
            _snprintf_s(
                errbuf, 
                sizeof(errbuf), 
                _TRUNCATE, 
                "Serializer::Deserialize failed soap_begin_recv: %d", 
                err);
            errbuf[sizeof(errbuf) - 1] = 0;
            throw std::exception(errbuf);
        }

        // Create a deleter for the element returned from 'soap_getelement()'
        auto serializerImpl = this->ser;
        auto deleteElement = [serializerImpl](void *toDelete)
        {
            soap_dealloc(serializerImpl->ctx(), toDelete);
        };

        // parse the XML into an element
        std::unique_ptr<void, decltype(deleteElement)>
            res(soap_getelement(ser->ctx(), &type), deleteElement);
        if (!res)
        {
            // populate ser->ctx()->msgbuf with more detailed information
            soap_set_fault(ser->ctx());
            if (ser->ctx()->msgbuf)
            {
                _snprintf_s(
                    errbuf, 
                    sizeof(errbuf), 
                    _TRUNCATE, 
                    "Serializer::Deserialize failed soap_getelement: %s",
                    ser->ctx()->msgbuf);
            }
            else
            {
                _snprintf_s(
                    errbuf, 
                    sizeof(errbuf), 
                    _TRUNCATE, 
                    "Serializer::Deserialize failed soap_getelement: %d",
                    ser->ctx()->error);
            }

            errbuf[sizeof(errbuf) - 1] = 0;
            throw std::exception(errbuf);
        }

        if ((err = soap_end_recv(ser->ctx())) != SOAP_OK)
        {
            _snprintf_s(
                errbuf, 
                sizeof(errbuf), 
                _TRUNCATE, 
                "Serializer::Deserialize failed soap_end_recv: %d", 
                err);
            errbuf[sizeof(errbuf) - 1] = 0;
            throw std::exception(errbuf);
        }
        // anything that can be cast as an xml_Any gets cast here
        switch (type)
        {
         case SOAP_TYPE_MyLib_ns1__FooType:
         case SOAP_TYPE_MyLib_ns1__BarType:
         case SOAP_TYPE_MyLib_ns1__BazType:
            // In theory, res is a subclass of xsd_anyType, so cast 
            // it here as if it was
            auto anyType = static_cast<xsd__anyType *>(res.release());

            // build a shared pointer with the custom deleter that keeps serializerImpl
            auto ret = std::shared_ptr<xsd__anyType>(anyType, deleteElement);
            return ret;
        }

        _snprintf_s(
            errbuf, 
            sizeof(errbuf), 
            _TRUNCATE, 
            "Serializer::Deserialize failed - "
            "unsupported cast of type %d to xsd__anyType", 
            type);
        errbuf[sizeof(errbuf) - 1] = 0;
        throw std::exception(errbuf);
    }
}

With this class, you can create a Serializer ser; then do ser.Serialize(myEntity, myOutputStream); or auto myEntity = ser.Deserialize(myInputStream);.

You can see the secret to polymorphic deserialization in the Deserialize() method where it calls soap_getelement() which returns a void pointer for any type it can deserialize. Then, if the type is one that is known to be based on a xsd__anyType, then it gets cast into a shared_ptr<xsd__anyType> with a custom delete method that holds onto the struct soap context so it can delete in a proper gSoap manner. The ability to cast to xsd__anyType is the reason we told wsdl2h to derive all our types from that type with the -p option.

Note, to get this to work for me, I had to create some other functions. The way I built the source with wsdl2h and soapcpp2, WITH_NOGLOBAL got defined. That caused some undefined functions. I made definitions in the following way:

#include "MyLib3.nsmap"

SOAP_FMAC3 const char ** SOAP_FMAC4 soap_faultcode(struct soap *soap)
{
    static char const *ret;
    ret = nullptr;
    return &ret;
}

SOAP_FMAC3 const char ** SOAP_FMAC4 soap_faultsubcode(struct soap *soap)
{
    static char const *ret;
    ret = nullptr;
    return &ret;
}

SOAP_FMAC3 const char ** SOAP_FMAC4 soap_faultstring(struct soap *soap)
{
    static char const *ret;
    ret = nullptr;
    return &ret;
}

SOAP_FMAC3 const char ** SOAP_FMAC4 soap_faultdetail(struct soap *soap)
{
    static char const *ret;
    ret = nullptr;
    return &ret;
}

SOAP_FMAC3 const char * SOAP_FMAC4 soap_check_faultsubcode(struct soap *soap)
{
    return nullptr;
}

SOAP_FMAC3 const char * SOAP_FMAC4 soap_check_faultdetail(struct soap *soap)
{
    return nullptr;
}

SOAP_FMAC3 void SOAP_FMAC4 soap_serializefault(struct soap *soap)
{
}

SOAP_FMAC3 void SOAP_FMAC4 soap_serializeheader(struct soap *soap)
{
}

SOAP_FMAC3 int SOAP_FMAC4 soap_putheader(struct soap *soap)
{
    return SOAP_OK;
}

SOAP_FMAC3 int SOAP_FMAC4 soap_getfault(struct soap *soap)
{
    return SOAP_OK;
}

SOAP_FMAC3 int SOAP_FMAC4 soap_putfault(struct soap *soap)
{
    return SOAP_OK;
}

SOAP_FMAC3 int SOAP_FMAC4 soap_getheader(struct soap *soap)
{
    return SOAP_OK;
}
mheyman
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