Re: [Boost-users] [Serialization] Serializing to a void * and a size?

From: Robert Ramey (ramey_at_[hidden])
Date: 2006-10-11 16:20:30

Baranowski, Daniel wrote:
> I've been tasked with creating a set of objects that will need to be
> passed off to some other function as raw data in the form of a void *
> and a size. Eventually, this goes through some networking code and
> through the process of magic, shows up on another computer and has to
> be
> reassembled.
>
> So, to avoid being limited to simple structs where I could just cast
> it
> to a void * and get the sizeof(), I was thinking about using the
> serialization library.

Look inthe documenation Reference/Serializable Concept/Serialzation 
Wrappers/ Binary Objects

> Here's a test program that compiles, but obviously doesn't work:
> #include <sstream>
> #include <boost/archive/binary_oarchive.hpp>
> #include <boost/archive/binary_iarchive.hpp>
>
> // A very simple test class with some data in it
> class A
> {
> private:
>    friend class boost::serialization::access;
>    template<class Archive>
>    void serialize(Archive & ar, const unsigned int /* file_version
>        */){ ar & x;
>    }
> public:
>    A::A(){ x = 0; }    // default constructor
>    int x;
>    virtual A::~A(){}   // default destructor
> };
>
>
> int main(int argc, char *argv[])
> {
>   // Create an object on the heap
>   A * pA = new A;
>   pA->x = 1234567890;
>
>   // serialize it
>   std::ostringstream sTestBinary1;
>   boost::archive::binary_oarchive oa(sTestBinary1);
     oa << binary_object(sizeof(A), pA);

>   //oa << *pA;

>   // .. Magic occurs here (gets sent across the network as the raw
> data)
>
>   // Create a stream to read from
>   std::istringstream sTestBinary2;
>   sTestBinary2.read((char *)pVoid, iSize);
>
>   // open the archive
>   boost::archive::binary_iarchive ia(sTestBinary2);
>
>   // restore the object from the archive
>   A * pB = new A;   // pB->x equals 0 now
    ia >> binary_object(sizeof(A), pB)
>   //ia >> *pB;
>
>   // Make sure the objects contain the same data
>   assert(pA->x == pB->x);
>   return 0;
> }
>