You can mix C++ with Objective-C if you do it carefully. There are a few caveats but generally speaking they can be mixed. If you want to keep them separate, you can set up a standard C wrapper function that gives the Objective-C object a usable C-style interface from non-Objective-C code (pick better names for your files, I have picked these names for verbosity):
MyObject-C-Interface.h
#ifndef __MYOBJECT_C_INTERFACE_H__
#define __MYOBJECT_C_INTERFACE_H__
// This is the C "trampoline" function that will be used
// to invoke a specific Objective-C method FROM C++
int MyObjectDoSomethingWith (void *myObjectInstance, void *parameter);
#endif
MyObject.h
#import "MyObject-C-Interface.h"
// An Objective-C class that needs to be accessed from C++
@interface MyObject : NSObject
{
int someVar;
}
// The Objective-C member function you want to call from C++
- (int) doSomethingWith:(void *) aParameter;
@end
MyObject.mm
#import "MyObject.h"
@implementation MyObject
// C "trampoline" function to invoke Objective-C method
int MyObjectDoSomethingWith (void *self, void *aParameter)
{
// Call the Objective-C method using Objective-C syntax
return [(id) self doSomethingWith:aParameter];
}
- (int) doSomethingWith:(void *) aParameter
{
// The Objective-C function you wanted to call from C++.
// do work here..
return 21 ; // half of 42
}
@end
MyCPPClass.cpp
#include "MyCPPClass.h"
#include "MyObject-C-Interface.h"
int MyCPPClass::someMethod (void *objectiveCObject, void *aParameter)
{
// To invoke an Objective-C method from C++, use
// the C trampoline function
return MyObjectDoSomethingWith (objectiveCObject, aParameter);
}
The wrapper function does not need to be in the same .m file as the Objective-C class, but the file that it does exist in needs to be compiled as Objective-C code. The header that declares the wrapper function needs to be included in both CPP and Objective-C code.
(NOTE: if the Objective-C implementation file is given the extension ".m" it will not link under Xcode. The ".mm" extension tells Xcode to expect a combination of Objective-C and C++, i.e., Objective-C++.)
You can implement the above in an Object-Orientented manner by using the PIMPL idiom. The implementation is only slightly different. In short, you place the wrapper functions (declared in "MyObject-C-Interface.h") inside a class with a (private) void pointer to an instance of MyClass.
MyObject-C-Interface.h (PIMPL)
#ifndef __MYOBJECT_C_INTERFACE_H__
#define __MYOBJECT_C_INTERFACE_H__
class MyClassImpl
{
public:
MyClassImpl ( void );
~MyClassImpl( void );
void init( void );
int doSomethingWith( void * aParameter );
void logMyMessage( char * aCStr );
private:
void * self;
};
#endif
Notice the wrapper methods no longer require the void pointer to an instance of MyClass; it is now a private member of MyClassImpl. The init method is used to instantiate a MyClass instance;
MyObject.h (PIMPL)
#import "MyObject-C-Interface.h"
@interface MyObject : NSObject
{
int someVar;
}
- (int) doSomethingWith:(void *) aParameter;
- (void) logMyMessage:(char *) aCStr;
@end
MyObject.mm (PIMPL)
#import "MyObject.h"
@implementation MyObject
MyClassImpl::MyClassImpl( void )
: self( NULL )
{ }
MyClassImpl::~MyClassImpl( void )
{
[(id)self dealloc];
}
void MyClassImpl::init( void )
{
self = [[MyObject alloc] init];
}
int MyClassImpl::doSomethingWith( void *aParameter )
{
return [(id)self doSomethingWith:aParameter];
}
void MyClassImpl::logMyMessage( char *aCStr )
{
[(id)self doLogMessage:aCStr];
}
- (int) doSomethingWith:(void *) aParameter
{
int result;
// ... some code to calculate the result
return result;
}
- (void) logMyMessage:(char *) aCStr
{
NSLog( aCStr );
}
@end
Notice that MyClass is instantiated with a call to MyClassImpl::init. You could instantiate MyClass in MyClassImpl's constructor, but that generally isn't a good idea. The MyClass instance is destructed from MyClassImpl's destructor. As with the C-style implementation, the wrapper methods simply defer to the respective methods of MyClass.
MyCPPClass.h (PIMPL)
#ifndef __MYCPP_CLASS_H__
#define __MYCPP_CLASS_H__
class MyClassImpl;
class MyCPPClass
{
enum { cANSWER_TO_LIFE_THE_UNIVERSE_AND_EVERYTHING = 42 };
public:
MyCPPClass ( void );
~MyCPPClass( void );
void init( void );
void doSomethingWithMyClass( void );
private:
MyClassImpl * _impl;
int _myValue;
};
#endif
MyCPPClass.cpp (PIMPL)
#include "MyCPPClass.h"
#include "MyObject-C-Interface.h"
MyCPPClass::MyCPPClass( void )
: _impl ( NULL )
{ }
void MyCPPClass::init( void )
{
_impl = new MyClassImpl();
}
MyCPPClass::~MyCPPClass( void )
{
if ( _impl ) { delete _impl; _impl = NULL; }
}
void MyCPPClass::doSomethingWithMyClass( void )
{
int result = _impl->doSomethingWith( _myValue );
if ( result == cANSWER_TO_LIFE_THE_UNIVERSE_AND_EVERYTHING )
{
_impl->logMyMessage( "Hello, Arthur!" );
}
else
{
_impl->logMyMessage( "Don't worry." );
}
}
You now access calls to MyClass through a private implementation of MyClassImpl. This approach can be advantageous if you were developing a portable application; you could simply swap out the implementation of MyClass with one specific to the other platform ... but honestly, whether this is a better implementation is more a matter of taste and needs.
