[boost] [dataflow][review] loading Dataflow.Signals components from shared libraries

Subject: [boost] [dataflow][review] loading Dataflow.Signals components from shared libraries
From: Stjepan Rajko (stipe_at_[hidden])
Date: 2008-09-08 20:04:59

In the Dataflow library / Dataflow.Signals layer review discussions, a
few people have mentioned the potential usefulness of loading
components at runtime (e.g., from a shared library).  I put together a
small example of how this could be done for Dataflow.Signals
components using the (prototype) Dataflow.Blueprint layer and the
Extension library:

http://svn.boost.org/svn/boost/sandbox/SOC/2007/signals/libs/dataflow/example/extension/

The component_add.cpp file contains the implementation of a component
(that adds two numbers and outputs the result), and the code required
to access it through an Extension factory_map. The
extension_example.cpp file loads the shared library created from
component_add.cpp, instantiates the provided component, and uses it to
complete a network.

The Blueprint layer is still under development (and has somewhat ugly
syntax), but I hope this example can still demonstrate some future
possibilities of the Dataflow library with regards to loading
components at run-time.  It has been tested to work with MSVC 2005.

Regards,

Stjepan