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[Rcpp-devel] Question about custom as and wrap functions

7 messages · Finlay Scott, JJ Allaire, Dirk Eddelbuettel

#
Hi
First of all I want to say how impressed I am with Rcpp. I think it is
going to be very useful for some of the packages I am developing. Thank you
very much for developing it.

I have a question regarding writing custom as and wrap functions for my own
classes. Following the example in:

http://gallery.rcpp.org/articles/custom-as-and-wrap-example/

I can get my own minimal example to work with a very simple class, and
using the sourceCpp() function.

The cpp code saved as a *.cpp file:

    #include <RcppCommon.h>

    class DummyClass {
        public:
            double value;
    };

    namespace Rcpp {
        // non-intrusive extension via template specialisation
        template <> DummyClass as(SEXP dt);
        // non-intrusive extension via template specialisation
        template <> SEXP wrap(const DummyClass &d);
    }

    #include <Rcpp.h>

    // define template specialisations for as and wrap
    namespace Rcpp {
        template <> DummyClass as(SEXP dtsexp) {
        S4 dc_s4 = Rcpp::as<S4>(dtsexp);
        DummyClass dc;
        dc.value = dc_s4.slot("value");
        return dc;
        }

        template <> SEXP wrap(const DummyClass &d) {
        Rcpp::S4 dc_s4("DummyClass");
        dc_s4.slot("value") = d.value;
        return Rcpp::wrap(dc_s4);
        }
    }

    // [[Rcpp::export]]
    DummyClass test_as_wrap(DummyClass dc, double multiplier){
        DummyClass dc_out;
        dc_out.value = dc.value * multiplier;
        return dc_out;
    }


And the following R code compiles and calls the function:

    library(Rcpp)
    sourceCpp("DummyClass_example.cpp")
    setClass("DummyClass", representation(value = "numeric"))
    dc <- new("DummyClass")
    dc at value <- 23
    test_as_wrap(dc, 4)

This works just fine (like magic!) and the test_as_wrap() function is
happily called from R and returns an object of type DummyClass. I want to
use a similar approach in a package, so I made a minimal package using:

Rcpp.package.skeleton("asWrapExample",attributes=TRUE)

I then split my original cpp file above into header and source code files.
In the /inst/include directory I placed a file 'DummyClass_example.h' which
has:

    #include <RcppCommon.h>

    class DummyClass {
        public:
            double value;
    };

    namespace Rcpp {
        // non-intrusive extension via template specialisation
        template <> DummyClass as(SEXP dt);
        // non-intrusive extension via template specialisation
        template <> SEXP wrap(const DummyClass &d);
    }

In the /src directory I placed a file 'DummyClass_example.cpp' which has:

    #include "../inst/include/DummyClass_example.h"
    #include <Rcpp.h>

    // define template specialisations for as and wrap
    namespace Rcpp {
        template <> DummyClass as(SEXP dtsexp) {
        S4 dc_s4 = Rcpp::as<S4>(dtsexp);
        DummyClass dc;
        dc.value = dc_s4.slot("value");
        return dc;
        }

        template <> SEXP wrap(const DummyClass &d) {
        Rcpp::S4 dc_s4("DummyClass");
        dc_s4.slot("value") = d.value;
        return Rcpp::wrap(dc_s4);
        }
    }

    // [[Rcpp::export]]
    DummyClass test_as_wrap(DummyClass dc, double multiplier){
        DummyClass dc_out;
        dc_out.value = dc.value * multiplier;
        return dc_out;
    }

When I try to compile the package I get this error message:

    RcppExports.cpp:9:1: error: 'DummyClass' does not name a type

This is probably caused by the RcppExports.cpp not having an #include for
my DummyClass_example.h.
I understand the RcppExports.cpp file is automatically generated by the
magic of Rcpp so there is no point in adding it there by hand.
I've looked at the documentation but it is not clear to me how I can tell
RcppExports to also include my header file (if this is the source of the
problem).
Have I missed something in the documentation, or is there an example I can
follow?
Any help is appreciated.

Yours

Finlay
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#
Hi Finlay,

If you name your include file the same name as your package then it will be
included automatically in RcppExports.cpp. The convention at work here is
that any custom as/wrap handlers should be accumulated (or referenced from)
that single file. This mirrors the existing convention used by Rcpp,
RcppArmadillo, RcppEigen, etc. to have a single global header file for
their C++ API.

J.J.
On Wed, Apr 24, 2013 at 8:22 AM, Finlay Scott <drfinlayscott at gmail.com>wrote:

            
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#
Thanks for the reply. I followed your suggestion and changed the name of
the header file in /inst/include to 'asWrapExample.h' (the name of the
package). I then changed the #include in the 'DummyClass_example.cpp' file
to reflect that change. I also added:

PKG_CXXFLAGS=-I../inst/include

To the top of the Makevars file. However, I still get the same error. I
have the feeling I'm missing something obvious. Thanks for the help so far.

Yours

Finlay
On Wed, Apr 24, 2013 at 5:41 PM, JJ Allaire <jj.allaire at gmail.com> wrote:

            
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#
Finlay,

Are you running Rcpp 0.10.3 (that version is required for the behavior I
mentioned to work).

If you could provide a fully self-contained reproducible example then it
will be pretty easy for us to track down the source of the troubles
(perhaps create a simple test package then upload it to a gist?)

J.J.
On Thu, Apr 25, 2013 at 4:47 AM, Finlay Scott <drfinlayscott at gmail.com>wrote:

            
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#
On 25 April 2013 at 10:47, Finlay Scott wrote:
| Thanks for the reply. I followed your suggestion and changed the name of the
| header file in /inst/include to 'asWrapExample.h' (the name of the package). I
| then changed the #include in the 'DummyClass_example.cpp' file to reflect that
| change. I also added:
| 
| PKG_CXXFLAGS=-I../inst/include
| 
| To the top of the Makevars file. However, I still get the same error. I have
| the feeling I'm missing something obvious. Thanks for the help so far.

Seems you are "just" having issues with package mechanics. 

You could try to look at an existing package as eg out RcppGSL which has had
this working for several years.  Try comparing all the relevant files
mentioned in the corresponding vignette Rcpp-extending.

Dirk
 
| Yours
| 
| Finlay
| 
| 
|
| On Wed, Apr 24, 2013 at 5:41 PM, JJ Allaire <jj.allaire at gmail.com> wrote:
| 
|     Hi Finlay,
| 
|     If you name your include file the same name as your package then it will be
|     included automatically in RcppExports.cpp. The convention at work here is
|     that any custom as/wrap handlers should be accumulated (or referenced from)
|     that single file. This mirrors the existing convention used by Rcpp,
|     RcppArmadillo, RcppEigen, etc. to have a single global header file for
|     their C++ API.
| 
|     J.J.
| 
| 
|     On Wed, Apr 24, 2013 at 8:22 AM, Finlay Scott <drfinlayscott at gmail.com>
| wrote:
| 
|         Hi
|         First of all I want to say how impressed I am with Rcpp. I think it is
|         going to be very useful for some of the packages I am developing. Thank
|         you very much for developing it.
| 
|         I have a question regarding writing custom as and wrap functions for my
|         own classes. Following the example in:
| 
|         http://gallery.rcpp.org/articles/custom-as-and-wrap-example/
| 
|         I can get my own minimal example to work with a very simple class, and
|         using the sourceCpp() function.
| 
|         The cpp code saved as a *.cpp file:
| 
|         ??? #include <RcppCommon.h>
| 
|         ??? class DummyClass {
|         ??? ??? public:
|         ??? ??? ??? double value;
|         ??? };
| 
|         ??? namespace Rcpp {
|         ??? ??? // non-intrusive extension via template specialisation
|         ??? ??? template <> DummyClass as(SEXP dt);
|         ??? ??? // non-intrusive extension via template specialisation
|         ??? ??? template <> SEXP wrap(const DummyClass &d);
|         ??? }
| 
|         ??? #include <Rcpp.h>
| 
|         ??? // define template specialisations for as and wrap
|         ??? namespace Rcpp {
|         ??? ??? template <> DummyClass as(SEXP dtsexp) {
|         ??? ??? S4 dc_s4 = Rcpp::as<S4>(dtsexp);
|         ??? ??? DummyClass dc;
|         ??? ??? dc.value = dc_s4.slot("value");
|         ??? ??? return dc;
|         ??? ??? }
| 
|         ??? ??? template <> SEXP wrap(const DummyClass &d) {
|         ??? ??? Rcpp::S4 dc_s4("DummyClass");
|         ??? ??? dc_s4.slot("value") = d.value;
|         ??? ??? return Rcpp::wrap(dc_s4);
|         ??? ??? }
|         ??? }
| 
|         ??? // [[Rcpp::export]]
|         ??? DummyClass test_as_wrap(DummyClass dc, double multiplier){
|         ??? ??? DummyClass dc_out;
|         ??? ??? dc_out.value = dc.value * multiplier;
|         ??? ??? return dc_out;
|         ??? }
| 
| 
|         And the following R code compiles and calls the function:
| 
|         ??? library(Rcpp)
|         ??? sourceCpp("DummyClass_example.cpp")
|         ??? setClass("DummyClass", representation(value = "numeric"))
|         ??? dc <- new("DummyClass")
|         ??? dc at value <- 23
|         ??? test_as_wrap(dc, 4)
| 
|         This works just fine (like magic!) and the test_as_wrap() function is
|         happily called from R and returns an object of type DummyClass. I want
|         to use a similar approach in a package, so I made a minimal package
|         using:
| 
|         Rcpp.package.skeleton("asWrapExample",attributes=TRUE)
| 
|         I then split my original cpp file above into header and source code
|         files. In the /inst/include directory I placed a file
|         'DummyClass_example.h' which has:
| 
|         ??? #include <RcppCommon.h>
| 
|         ??? class DummyClass {
|         ??? ??? public:
|         ??? ??? ??? double value;
|         ??? };
| 
|         ??? namespace Rcpp {
|         ??? ??? // non-intrusive extension via template specialisation
|         ??? ??? template <> DummyClass as(SEXP dt);
|         ??? ??? // non-intrusive extension via template specialisation
|         ??? ??? template <> SEXP wrap(const DummyClass &d);
|         ??? }
| 
|         In the /src directory I placed a file 'DummyClass_example.cpp' which
|         has:
| 
|         ??? #include "../inst/include/DummyClass_example.h"
|         ??? #include <Rcpp.h>
| 
|         ??? // define template specialisations for as and wrap
|         ??? namespace Rcpp {
|         ??? ??? template <> DummyClass as(SEXP dtsexp) {
|         ??? ??? S4 dc_s4 = Rcpp::as<S4>(dtsexp);
|         ??? ??? DummyClass dc;
|         ??? ??? dc.value = dc_s4.slot("value");
|         ??? ??? return dc;
|         ??? ??? }
| 
|         ??? ??? template <> SEXP wrap(const DummyClass &d) {
|         ??? ??? Rcpp::S4 dc_s4("DummyClass");
|         ??? ??? dc_s4.slot("value") = d.value;
|         ??? ??? return Rcpp::wrap(dc_s4);
|         ??? ??? }
|         ??? }
| 
|         ??? // [[Rcpp::export]]
|         ??? DummyClass test_as_wrap(DummyClass dc, double multiplier){
|         ??? ??? DummyClass dc_out;
|         ??? ??? dc_out.value = dc.value * multiplier;
|         ??? ??? return dc_out;
|         ??? }
| 
|         When I try to compile the package I get this error message:
| 
|         ??? RcppExports.cpp:9:1: error: 'DummyClass' does not name a type
| 
|         This is probably caused by the RcppExports.cpp not having an #include
|         for my DummyClass_example.h.
|         I understand the RcppExports.cpp file is automatically generated by the
|         magic of Rcpp so there is no point in adding it there by hand.
|         I've looked at the documentation but it is not clear to me how I can
|         tell RcppExports to also include my header file (if this is the source
|         of the problem).
|         Have I missed something in the documentation, or is there an example I
|         can follow?
|         Any help is appreciated.
| 
|         Yours
| 
|         Finlay
| 
| 
| 
| 
|        
|         _______________________________________________
|         Rcpp-devel mailing list
|         Rcpp-devel at lists.r-forge.r-project.org
|         https://lists.r-forge.r-project.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/rcpp-devel
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------
| _______________________________________________
| Rcpp-devel mailing list
| Rcpp-devel at lists.r-forge.r-project.org
| https://lists.r-forge.r-project.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/rcpp-devel
#
Fixed it.
It was me making a stupid mistake. I had:

PKG_CXXFLAGS=-I../inst/include

in the Makevars when I should have had

PKG_CPPFLAGS=-I../inst/include

After using J.J.'s suggestion of renaming the header files, the package now
compiles and my minimal test now works.

Thanks to everyone for responding quickly.

Finlay
On Thu, Apr 25, 2013 at 12:28 PM, Dirk Eddelbuettel <edd at debian.org> wrote:

            
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Okay, very glad to hear you've got things working!

J.J.
On Fri, Apr 26, 2013 at 3:35 AM, Finlay Scott <drfinlayscott at gmail.com>wrote:

            
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