Introduction
I know about Q_DECLARE_PRIVATE, Q_D and other macros
You know about them, but have you actually used them and understand their purpose, and - for the most part - their inevitability? Those macros weren't added to make stuff verbose. They are there because you end up needing them.
There are no differences in Qt PIMPL implementation between Qt versions, but you are depending on Qt's implementation details when you inherit from QClassPrivate, should you do so. The PIMPL macros have nothing to do with moc. You can use them in plain C++ code that doesn't use any Qt classes at all.
Alas, there's no escaping what you want for as long as you implement the PIMPLs the usual way (which is also Qt way).
Pimpl-pointer vs this
First of all, let's observe that impl stands for this, but the language lets you skip using this-> in most cases. Thus, it's nothing too foreign.
class MyClassNoPimpl {
int foo;
public:
void setFoo(int s) { this->foo = s; }
};
class MyClass {
struct MyClassPrivate;
QScopedPointer<MyClassPrivate> const d;
public:
void setFoo(int s);
...
virtual ~MyClass();
};
void MyClass::setFoo(int s) { d->foo = s; }
Inheritance demands...
Things become generally outlandish when you have inheritance, though:
class MyDerived : public MyClass {
class MyDerivedPrivate;
QScopedPointer<MyDerivedPrivate> const d;
public:
void SetBar(int s);
};
void MyDerived::setFooBar(int f, int b) {
MyClass::d->foo = f;
d->bar = b;
}
You'll want to re-use a single d-pointer in the base class, but it will have the wrong type in all derived classes. Thus you might think of casting it - that's even more boilerplate! Instead, you use a private function that returns a correctly-cast d-pointer. Now you need to derive both public and private classes, and you need private headers for the private classes, so that the derived classes can use them. Oh, and you need to pass the pointer to the derived pimpl to the base class - because that's the only way you can initialize the d_ptr while keeping it const, as it must be. See - Qt's PIMPL implementation is verbose because you do actually need all of it to write safe, composable, maintainable code. No way around it.
MyClass1.h
class MyClass1 {
protected:
struct Private;
QScopedPointer<Private> const d_ptr;
MyClass1(Private &); // a signature that won't clash with anything else
private:
inline Private *d() { return (Private*)d_ptr; }
inline const Private *d() const { return (const Private*)d_ptr; }
public:
MyClass1();
virtual ~MyClass1();
void setFoo(int);
};
MyClass1_p.h
struct MyClass1::Private {
int foo;
};
MyClass1.cpp
#include "MyClass1.h"
#include "MyClass1_p.h"
MyClass1::MyClass1(Private &p) : d_ptr(&p) {}
MyClass1::MyClass1() : d_ptr(new Private) {}
MyClass1::~MyClass1() {} // compiler-generated
void MyClass1::setFoo(int f) {
d()->foo = f;
}
MyClass2.h
#include "MyClass1.h"
class MyClass2 : public MyClass1 {
protected:
struct Private;
private:
inline Private *d() { return (Private*)d_ptr; }
inline const Private *d() { return (const Private*)d_ptr; }
public:
MyClass2();
~MyClass2() override; // Override ensures that the base had a virtual destructor.
// The virtual keyword is not used per DRY: override implies it.
void setFooBar(int, int);
};
MyClass2_p.h
#include "MyClass1_p.h"
struct MyClass2::Private : MyClass1::Private {
int bar;
};
MyClass2.cpp
MyClass2::MyClass2() : MyClass1(*new Private) {}
MyClass2::~MyClass2() {}
void MyClass2::setFooBar(int f, int b) {
d()->foo = f;
d()->bar = b;
}
Inheritance, Qt way
Qt's PIMPL macros take care of implementing d() functions. Well, they implement d_func() and then you use the Q_D macro to obtain a local variable that is simply d. Rewriting the above:
MyClass1.h
class MyClass1Private;
class MyClass1 {
Q_DECLARE_PRIVATE(MyClass1)
protected:
QScopedPointer<Private> d_ptr;
MyClass1(MyClass1Private &);
public:
MyClass1();
virtual ~MyClass1();
void setFoo(int);
};
MyClass1_p.h
struct MyClass1Private {
int foo;
};
MyClass1.cpp
#include "MyClass1.h"
#include "MyClass1_p.h"
MyClass1::MyClass1(MyClass1Private &d) : d_ptr(*d) {}
MyClass1::MyClass1() : d_ptr(new MyClass1Private) {}
MyClass1::MyClass1() {}
void MyClass1::setFoo(int f) {
Q_D(MyClass1);
d->foo = f;
}
MyClass2.h
#include "MyClass1.h"
class MyClass2Private;
class MyClass2 : public MyClass1 {
Q_DECLARE_PRIVATE(MyClass2)
public:
MyClass2();
~MyClass2() override;
void setFooBar(int, int);
};
MyClass2_p.h
#include "MyClass1_p.h"
struct MyClass2Private : MyClass1Private {
int bar;
};
MyClass2.cpp
MyClass2() : MyClass1(*new MyClass2Private) {}
MyClass2::~MyClass2() {}
void MyClass2::setFooBar(int f, int b) {
Q_D(MyClass2);
d->foo = f;
d->bar = b;
}
Factories simplify pimpl
For class hierarchies that are sealed (i.e. where the user doesn't derive), the interface can be sanitized from any private details whatsoever by the use of factories:
Interfaces
class MyClass1 {
public:
static MyClass1 *make();
virtual ~MyClass1() {}
void setFoo(int);
};
class MyClass2 : public MyClass1 {
public:
static MyClass2 *make();
void setFooBar(int, int);
};
class MyClass3 : public MyClass2 {
public:
static MyClass3 *make();
void setFooBarBaz(int, int, int);
};
Implementations
template <class R, class C1, class C2, class ...Args, class ...Args2>
R impl(C1 *c, R (C2::*m)(Args...args), Args2 &&...args) {
return (*static_cast<C2*>(c).*m)(std::forward<Args2>(args)...);
}
struct MyClass1Impl {
int foo;
};
struct MyClass2Impl : MyClass1Impl {
int bar;
};
struct MyClass3Impl : MyClass2Impl {
int baz;
};
struct MyClass1X : MyClass1, MyClass1Impl {
void setFoo(int f) { foo = f; }
};
struct MyClass2X : MyClass2, MyClass2Impl {
void setFooBar(int f, int b) { foo = f; bar = b; }
};
struct MyClass3X : MyClass3, MyClass3Impl {
void setFooBarBaz(int f, int b, int z) { foo = f; bar = b; baz = z;}
};
MyClass1 *MyClass1::make() { return new MyClass1X; }
MyClass2 *MyClass2::make() { return new MyClass2X; }
MyClass3 *MyClass3::make() { return new MyClass3X; }
void MyClass1::setFoo(int f) { impl(this, &MyClass1X::setFoo, f); }
void MyClass2::setFooBar(int f, int b) { impl(this, &MyClass2X::setFooBar, f, b); }
void MyClass3::setFooBarBaz(int f, int b, int z) { impl(this, &MyClass3X::setFooBarBaz, f, b, z); }
This is very basic sketch that should be further refined.
