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Even today, many widely used +C++ compilers have problems with advanced templates. For example, you +cannot safely rely on partial template instantiation, which is essential +for some non-trivial problem domains. Thus TQt's usage of templates has +to be rather conservative. Keep in mind that TQt is a multi-platform +toolkit, and progress on the Linux/g++ platform does not necessarily +improve the situation elsewhere. +<p> Eventually those compilers with weak template implementations will +improve. But even if all our users had access to a fully standards +compliant modern C++ compiler with excellent template support, we would +not abandon the string-based approach used by our <a href="metaobjects.html#meta-object">meta object</a> compiler. +Here are five reasons why: +<p> <h3>1. Syntax matters</h3> +<p> Syntax isn't just sugar: the syntax we use to express our algorithms can +significantly affect the readability and maintainability of our code. +The syntax used for TQt's signals and slots has proved very successful in +practice. The syntax is intuitive, simple to use and easy to read. +People learning TQt find the syntax helps them understand and utilize the +signals and slots concept -- despite its highly abstract and generic +nature. Furthermore, declaring signals in class definitions ensures that +the signals are protected in the sense of protected C++ member +functions. This helps programmers get their design right from the very +beginning, without even having to think about design patterns. +<p> <h3>2. Precompilers are good</h3> +<p> TQt's <tt><a href="moc.html#moc">moc</a></tt> (Meta Object Compiler) provides a clean way to go +beyond the compiled language's facilities. It does so by generating +additional C++ code which can be compiled by any standard C++ compiler. +The <tt>moc</tt> reads C++ source files. If it finds one or more class +declarations that contain the "Q_OBJECT" macro, it produces another C++ +source file which contains the meta object code for those classes. The +C++ source file generated by the <tt>moc</tt> must be compiled and +linked with the implementation of the class (or it can be +<tt>#included</tt> into the class's source file). Typically <tt>moc</tt> +is not called manually, but automatically by the build system, so it +retquires no additional effort by the programmer. +<p> There are other precompilers, for example, <tt>rpc</tt> and +<tt>idl</tt>, that enable programs or objects to communicate over +process or machine boundaries. The alternatives to precompilers are +hacked compilers, proprietary languages or graphical programming tools +with dialogs or wizards that generate obscure code. Rather than locking +our customers into a proprietary C++ compiler or into a particular +Integrated Development Environment, we enable them to use whatever tools +they prefer. Instead of forcing programmers to add generated code into +source repositories, we encourage them to add our tools to their build +system: cleaner, safer and more in the spirit of UNIX. +<p> <h3>3. Flexibility is king</h3> +<p> C++ is a standarized, powerful and elaborate general-purpose language. +It's the only language that is exploited on such a wide range of +software projects, spanning every kind of application from entire +operating systems, database servers and high end graphics +applications to common desktop applications. One of the keys to C++'s +success is its scalable language design that focuses on maximum +performance and minimal memory consumption whilst still maintaining +ANSI-C compatibility. +<p> For all these advantages, there are some downsides. For C++, the static +object model is a clear disadvantage over the dynamic messaging approach +of Objective C when it comes to component-based graphical user interface +programming. What's good for a high end database server or an operating +system isn't necessarily the right design choice for a GUI frontend. +With <tt>moc</tt>, we have turned this disadvantage into an advantage, +and added the flexibility retquired to meet the challenge of safe and +efficient graphical user interface programming. +<p> Our approach goes far beyond anything you can do with templates. For +example, we can have object properties. And we can have overloaded +signals and slots, which feels natural when programming in a language +where overloads are a key concept. Our signals add zero bytes to the +size of a class instance, which means we can add new signals without +breaking binary compatibility. Because we do not rely on excessive +inlining as done with templates, we can keep the code size smaller. +Adding new connections just expands to a simple function call rather +than a complex template function. +<p> Another benefit is that we can explore an object's signals and slots at +runtime. We can establish connections using type-safe call-by-name, +without having to know the exact types of the objects we are connecting. +This is impossible with a template based solution. This kind of runtime +introspection opens up new possibilities, for example GUIs that are +generated and connected from TQt Designer's XML <tt>ui</tt> files. +<p> <h3>4. Calling performance is not everything</h3> +<p> TQt's signals and slots implementation is not as fast as a template-based +solution. While emitting a signal is approximately the cost of four +ordinary function calls with common template implementations, TQt +retquires effort comparable to about ten function calls. This is not +surprising since the TQt mechanism includes a generic marshaller, +introspection and ultimately scriptability. It does not rely on +excessive inlining and code expansion and it provides unmatched runtime +safety. TQt's iterators are safe while those of faster template-based +systems are not. Even during the process of emitting a signal to several +receivers, those receivers can be deleted safely without your program +crashing. Without this safety, your application would eventually crash +with a difficult to debug free'd memory read or write error. +<p> Nonetheless, couldn't a template-based solution improve the performance +of an application using signals and slots? While it is true that TQt adds +a small overhead to the cost of calling a slot through a signal, the +cost of the call is only a small proportion of the entire cost of a +slot. Benchmarking against TQt's signals and slots system is typically +done with empty slots. As soon as you do anything useful in your slots, +for example a few simple string operations, the calling overhead becomes +negligible. TQt's system is so optimized that anything that retquires +operator new or delete (for example, string operations or +inserting/removing something from a template container) is significantly +more expensive than emitting a signal. +<p> Aside: If you have a signals and slots connection in a tight inner loop +of a performance critical task and you identify this connection as the +bottleneck, think about using the standard listener-interface pattern +rather than signals and slots. In cases where this occurs, you probably +only retquire a 1:1 connection anyway. For example, if you have an object +that downloads data from the network, it's a perfectly sensible design +to use a signal to indicate that the requested data arrived. But if you +need to send out every single byte one by one to a consumer, use a +listener interface rather than signals and slots. +<p> <h3>5. No limits</h3> +<p> Because we had the <tt>moc</tt> for signals and slots, we could add +other useful things to it that could not not be done with templates. +Among these are scoped translations via a generated <tt>tr()</tt> +function, and an advanced property system with introspection and +extended runtime type information. The property system alone is a great +advantage: a powerful and generic user interface design tool like TQt +Designer would be a lot harder to write - if not impossible - without a +powerful and introspective property system. +<p> C++ with the <tt>moc</tt> preprocessor essentially gives us the +flexibility of Objective-C or of a Java Runtime Environment, while +maintaining C++'s unique performance and scalability advantages. It is +what makes TQt the flexible and comfortable tool we have today. +<p> +<!-- eof --> +<p><address><hr><div align=center> +<table width=100% cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> +<td>Copyright © 2007 +<a href="troll.html">Trolltech</a><td align=center><a href="trademarks.html">Trademarks</a> +<td align=right><div align=right>TQt 3.3.8</div> +</table></div></address></body> +</html> |