V8pp: Header-only library to expose C++ classes and functions into V8 | Hacker News Reader

V8pp: Header-only library to expose C++ classes and functions into V8

github.com

34 pointsluu8 comments

I wish all of these C++ template metaprogramming-based javascript binding generators would standardize into a single API. Embind is another one for use on the client side: http://kripken.github.io/emscripten-site/docs/porting/connec...

I'm the author of v8pp. Thanks for the link, didn't know about Embind.

Interesting to me as a native node.js addon author (nanomsg), but I'm more concerned with the upgrade cost; NaN seems to suit me well in this regard.

BTW, contrary to popular believe in certain C++ circles 'header-only' isn't a hallmark of good design. Header-only means implementation-only programming without separation of interface and implementation (the implementation is the interface) using the built-in macro language called templates. Not surprisingly, this style of C++ programming has been successful in academic rather than real-world programming.

It is a consequence of how templates work and compatibility with C toolchain as a way to get C++ adopted in the early days.

As such you also get into header only libraries for anything template related in the real-world programming.

Maybe if C++17 does get modules, eventually header-only and pimpl might be a thing of legacy code only.

However even if it does happen, it depends on the final design of modules and developers willing to wait around 4 more years for it[0], instead of switching to something else.

[0] No typo, time for approval plus compiler adoption

> t is a consequence of how templates work and compatibility with C toolchain as a way to get C++ adopted in the early days.

Not at all! It's a programming style, nothing else. Compare this "Header-only library to expose C++ classes and functions into V8" to the real V8. The latter doesn't use 'header-only', template-only C++. Why? Because Google cannot do it? No, because it makes no sense for real-world programming.

I didn't bother to read the contents of the library and was just stating the fact that in the real world header only libraries are usually a consequence of heavy template use, e.g. boost.

Header-only often is just a consequence of templates using. There is no other way in C++ yet.

Sure, you can use v8 (as described in its Embedder's Guide) without any binding library. But amount of boilerplate code may become unacceptable for a real-world application.

Here is a diff for Node.js addons using node wrapper and v8pp: https://github.com/pmed/v8pp/commit/34c6344bdb1bdf7f0b46db6e...

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