How to Safely Export Classes Containing std:: Objects from a DLL?

Exporting Classes Containing std:: Objects from a DLL

DLL Interface for Exported Classes

When exporting classes that contain complex types like std::vector or std::map, it's essential to provide a DLL interface to ensure that clients can access these members. This means declaring the class as DLL_EXPORT and marking member functions and objects as DLL_EXPORT to allow external access.

Warning Regarding Complex Types

The warning C4251 indicates that a complex type member doesn't have a DLL interface. This can occur when using std:: container types because the compiler cannot fully determine which methods will be accessed by clients.

Safe Approach: Template Class Declaration with DLL_EXPORT

Although forward declaring template classes with DLL_EXPORT may seem to suppress the warning, it doesn't actually inject DLL_EXPORT for member functions during compilation. It merely triggers its instantiation within the current compilation unit.

Forward Declaration: Does it Solve the Problem?

Forward declaration with DLL_EXPORT does not completely address the warning. For members that must be accessed by clients, such indirection can be problematic, potentially preventing inline optimization.

Disabling Warning for Standard Containers

In certain scenarios, it may be reasonable to disable the warning for standard containers if they are available through shared library headers to both clients and the DLL. However, this requires careful consideration of potential issues with assignment operators and copy constructors.

Designing a DLL Interface with Standard Containers

Using standard containers in a DLL interface can be problematic due to the need for DLL interfaces for every potential client-accessible method. As an alternative, it may be better to encapsulate container usage within non-exported helper classes or consider using a static library instead.

The above is the detailed content of How to Safely Export Classes Containing std:: Objects from a DLL?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!