Pointer to member function?

I'm working on some networking code. The first byte in a packet determines what kind of packet it is. For each kind of packet, there is a different handler function. These handler functions must be part of a certain class. For performance reasons, I don't want to use a huge switch statement, so I came up with this solution:
There is an array of function pointers. The array has 256 elements. When I recieve a packet, I use the first byte of the packet as the index on that array, and use it to call the appropriate function. This works with normal functions, but because some of the functions must change internal properties of the networking class (like the number of connected systems when a new system joins), they must be member functions.

When I try to create a pointer to a member function, I get the error " '&' : illegal operation on bound member function expression". I don't really understand what this means, could someone explain this to me in simple language?

I've tried to following ways:
internalPacketHandlers[i] = &(NetworkInterface::defaultPacketHandler);
internalPacketHandlers[i] = &(this.defaultPacketHandler);
internalPacketHandlers[i] = &defaultPacketHandler;
The last one works when defaultPacketHandler is a global function.

Thanks in advance

The &(NetworkInterface::defaultPacketHandler) one looks correct, though you can also write it as &NetworkInterface::defaultPacketHandler.

You create a pointer to a member function like so:

Code:

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int pointer = (int)&(structer.member);

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Quote:

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You create a pointer to a member function like so:

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I do not think so. Kindly provide a compilable example program.

If the types are correct, then
internalPacketHandlers[ i ] = NetworkInterface::defaultPacketHandler;
should be just fine.

Ok I've found the problem. I wasn't properly defining the pointer-to-member function type. I left it the same as the non-member function pointer. I think the correct code is:

Code:

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typedef void (NetworkInterface::*InternalPacketHandler)(unsigned char* data, unsigned int dataLength, SystemAddress sourceSystem);

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Instead of:

Code:

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typedef void (InternalPacketHandler)(unsigned char* data, unsigned int dataLength, SystemAddress sourceSystem);

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And in the class:

Code:

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private:
InternalPacketHandler internalPacketHandlers[256];

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In the constructor:

Code:

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internalPacketHandlers[i] = &NetworkInterface::defaultPacketHandler;

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However, this brings me to another problem:
The typedef of InternalPacketHandler requires that the class NetworkInterface has been defined before, while the class NetworkInterface requires that InternalPacketHandler has been defined before. How do I solve this?

EDIT:
just saw your post, Salem. Shouldn't it be "internalPacketHandlers[i] = &NetworkInterface::defaultPacketHandler;" instead of "internalPacketHandlers[ i ] = NetworkInterface::defaultPacketHandler;"?

Quote:

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If the types are correct, then
internalPacketHandlers[ i ] = NetworkInterface::defaultPacketHandler;
should be just fine.

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hmm... I had the impression that that would work for ordinary function pointers, but not for pointers to member functions. I tested with:

Code:

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class Bar
{
public:
    void foo() {}
};

int main()
{
    typedef void (Bar::*MemFun)();
    MemFun member_functions[2];
    member_functions[0] = Bar::foo;
}

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Did I get my types wrong? Modifying main() as shown below compiles:

Code:

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int main()
{
    typedef void (Bar::*MemFun)();
    MemFun member_functions[2];
    member_functions[0] = &Bar::foo;
}

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Hmpft.
http://www.newty.de/fpt/fpt.html#assign
Apparently, the & is needed :(

Quote:

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The typedef of InternalPacketHandler requires that the class NetworkInterface has been defined before, while the class NetworkInterface requires that InternalPacketHandler has been defined before. How do I solve this?

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Would a forward declaration work?

Thanks guys, I think I'll get it to work now. I solved my last problem with a forward declaration.

Regarding the '&' operator, I found this: "Some compilers (most notably MSVC 6 and 7) will let you omit the &, even though it is non-standard and confusing. More standard-compliant compilers (e.g., GNU G++ and MSVC 8 (a.k.a. VS 2005)) require it, so you should definitely put it in." here: http://www.codeproject.com/cpp/FastDelegate.asp

Thanks again! Such a wonderful forum