static const int size = 5;
#interface Foo { char bar[size]; }
But the compiler complains that “instance variables must have constant size”. Do I really have to #define the size, or is there a way to get it work with a regular constant? (I’d like the memory to be allocated statically, no malloc.)
It is likely that your Objective-C compiler uses a C compiler as a backend. C (up to C98) only permits constant expressions as array sizes. This is what your compiler is complaining about. So you don't get to use an identifier as an array size. (In short, if the preprocessor can't compute the number, it's not going to work.) So, yes, you're going to get to use a #define.
Note to readers like me: remember to put parens around anything in a #define beyond a simple numerical value.
#define SMALL_ONE 10
#define BIG_ONE SMALL_ONE + 10 /* can cause problems */
#define BETTER_BIG (SMALL_ONE + 10) /* recommended */
The problem arises because #define is handled by the preprocessor, which does essentially a string substitution. (If you do web search for 'putting parens around a #define constant' or similar I'm sure you'll find examples and style guides that show explanatory examples.)
Related
This question already has answers here:
Closed 10 years ago.
Possible Duplicate:
“static const” vs “#define” in C
In Objective-C what is the difference between the following two lines:
#define myInteger 5
static const NSInteger myInteger = 5;
Assume they're in MyClass.m above the implementation directive.
#define myInteger 5
is a preprocessor macro. The preprocessor will replace every occurrence of myInteger with 5 before the compiler is started. It's not a variable, it's just sort of an automatic find-and-replace mechanism.
static const NSInteger myInteger = 5;
This is a "real" variable that is constant (can't be changed after declaration). Static means that it will be a shared variable across multiple calls to that block.
When using #define the identifier gets replaced by the specified value by the compiler, before the code is turned into binary. This means that the compiler makes the substitution when you compile the application.
When you use const and the application runs, memory is allocated for the constant and the value gets replaced when the applicaton is ran.
Please refer this link:- Difference between static const and #define
There are differences:
Define is textual substitution:
Define is preprocessor textual substitution made before compilation. You will achieve the same effect when you textually replace 5 in every occurrence of define.
Static const is a variable in memory
Static const however is an instance of NSInteger type that resides in program memory. You cannot change it during runtime, but it is a value which is present in the memory and its own address as a variable.
#define myInteger 5 is a macro that declares a constant.
So wherever you use myInteger macro it gets replaced with 5 by the preprocessor engine.
const NSInteger myInteger = 5; declares a variable myInteger that holds the value 5.
But their usage is the same, that is they are constants that can be used to prevent hard coding.
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Closed 11 years ago.
Possible Duplicate:
Constants in Objective C
I'm designing a controller and I'm gonna need some constants inside it (locally, just for that controller). Looking at some sample code provided by Apple, I can see these lines:
#import "Constants.h"
#define kTextFieldWidth 260.0
static NSString *kSectionTitleKey = #"sectionTitleKey";
static NSString *kSourceKey = #"sourceKey";
static NSString *kViewKey = #"viewKey";
const NSInteger kViewTag = 1;
Can anyone explain to me what the difference between them is? Which style should I use? Are they dependent on the type of object/value you assign to them? Meaning use: static NSString * for strings, #define for floats and NSInteger for integers? How do you make the choice?
The #define keyword is a compile time directive that causes the define'd value to be directly injected into your code. It is global across the entire program and all linked libraries. So you can strike that off the list, based on your desire to create a constant for the controller only.
The main difference between static and const is that static variables can be changed after initialization, const ones cannot. If you want to be able to modify your variable after initialization then you should use the static keyword.
Hope that helps.
As Scott and benzado pointed out that is the best way to define your constant values. However as far as defines go it is harder to debug using defines as you can usually not easily see the expanded value in a debugger. You will only need to add an extern declaration to the header file of your class if your intentions are to expose the variable globally. And the next thing to remember is to put the const declaration after the pointer (*) or else you will get warnings of discard qualifiers from pointer in most uses.
I am a little confused as to when it's best to use:
static NSString *AppQuitGracefullyKey = #"AppQuitGracefully";
instead of
#define AppQuitGracefullyKey #"AppQuitGracefully"
I've seen questions like this for C or C++, and I think what's different here is that this is specifically for Objective C, utilizing an object, and on a device like the iPhone, there may be stack, code space or memory issues that I don't yet grasp.
One usage would be:
appQuitGracefully = [[NSUserDefaults standardUserDefaults] integerForKey: AppQuitGracefullyKey];
Or it is just a matter of style?
Thanks.
If you use a static, the compiler will embed exactly one copy of the string in your binary and just pass pointers to that string around, resulting in more compact binaries. If you use a #define, there will be a separate copy of the string stored in the source on each use. Constant string coalescing will handle many of the dups but you're making the linker work harder for no reason.
See "static const" vs "#define" vs "enum". The main advantage of static is type safety.
Other than that, the #define approach introduces a flexibility of inline string concatenation which cannot be done with static variables, e.g.
#define ROOT_PATH #"/System/Library/Frameworks"
[[NSBundle bundleWithPath:ROOT_PATH#"/UIKit.framework"] load];
but this is probably not a good style :).
I actually would recommend neither, you should use extern instead. Objective-c already defines FOUNDATION_EXPORT which is more portable than extern, so a global NSString instance would look something like this:
.h
FOUNDATION_EXPORT NSString * const AppQuitGracefullyKey;
.m
NSString * const AppQuitGracefullyKey = #"AppQuitGracefully";
I usually put these in declaration files (such as MyProjectDecl.h) and import whenever I need.
There are a few differences to these approaches:
#define has several downsides, such as not being type safe. It is true that there are workarounds for that (such as #define ((int)1)) but what's the point? And besides, there are debugging disadvantages to that approach. Compilers prefer constants. See this discussion.
static globals are visible in the file they are declared.
extern makes the variable visible to all files. That contrasts with static.
Static and extern differ in visibility. It's also notable that neither of these approaches duplicates the string (not even #define) as the compiler uses String Interning to prevent that. In this NSHipster post they show proof:
NSString *a = #"Hello";
NSString *b = #"Hello";
BOOL wtf = (a == b); // YES
The operator == returns YES only if the two variables point at the same instance. And as you can see, it does.
The conclusion is: use FOUNDATION_EXPORT for global constants. It's debug friendly and will be visible allover your project.
After doing some search (this question/answer among other things) I think it is important to say that anytime when you are using string literal #"AppQuitGracefully" constant string is created, and no matter how many times you use it it will point to the same object.
So I think (and I apologize me if I'm wrong) that this sentence in above answer is wrong: If you use a #define, there will be a separate copy of the string stored in the source on each use.
I use static when I need to export NSString symbols from a library or a framework. I use #define when I need a string in many places that I can change easily. Anyway, the compiler and the linker will take care of optimizations.
USING #define :
you can't debug the value of identifier
work with #define and other macros is a job of Pre-Processor,
When you hit Build/Run first it will preprocess the source code, it will work with all the macros(starting with symbol #),
Suppose, you have created,
#define LanguageTypeEnglish #"en"
and used this at 2 places in your code.
NSString *language = LanguageTypeEnglish;
NSString *languageCode = LanguageTypeEnglish;
it will replace "LanguageTypeEnglish" with #"en", at all places.
So 2 copies of #"en" will be generated.
i.e
NSString *language = #"en";
NSString *languageCode = #"en";
Remember, till this process, compiler is not in picture.
After preprocessing all the macros, complier comes in picture, and it will get input code like this,
NSString *language = #"en";
NSString *languageCode = #"en";
and compile it.
USING static :
it respects scope and is type-safe.
you can debug the value of identifier
During compilation process if compiler found,
static NSString *LanguageTypeRussian = #"ru";
then it will check if the variable with the same name stored previously,
if yes, it will only pass the pointer of that variable,
if no, it will create that variable and pass it's pointer, next time onwards it will only pass the pointer of the same.
So using static, only one copy of variable is generated within the scope.
I've reading in several post and in Apple's code guidelines that in Objective-C String constants should be defined as extern NSString *const MY_CONSTANT; and that the #define directive should be avoided. Why is that? I know that #define is run at precompile time but all string will share the same memory address. The only advantage I read was that if the constant must be updated or changed you don't have to recompile your entire project. So that i s the reason why #define should be avoided?
Thanks
UPDATE: In this case is good to use a #define or there is a better approach?
/* Constants Definition */
#define SERVER_URL #"http://subdomain.domain.edu.ar/Folder/"
NSString *const ServerURL = SERVER_URL;
NSString *const LoginURL = SERVER_URL#"welcome.asp";
NSString *const CommandURL = SERVER_URL#"com.asp";
A practical reason to use the constant as opposed to the definition is that you can do direct comparisons (using ==) instead of using isEqual:. Consider:
NSString * const kSomeStringConstant = #"LongStringConstantIsLong";
...
[someArray addObject:kSomeStringConstant];
if ([someArray lastObject] == kSomeStringConstant)
{
...
}
This would work, since the == comparison would be comparing identical const pointers to a single NSString object. Using #define, however:
#define STRING_CONSTANT #"MacrosCanBeEvil";
...
[SomeArray addObject:STRING_CONSTANT]; // a new const `NSString` is created
if ([someArray lastObject] == STRING_CONSTANT) // and another one, here.
{
...
}
This would not work out, since the two strings would have unique pointers. To compare them effectively, you would have to do a character-by-character comparison using isEqual:
if ([[someArray lastObject] isEqual:STRING_CONSTANT])
{
...
}
This can be far more costly in terms of execution time than the simple == comparison.
Another motivation could be the size of the executable itself. The #defined constant would actually appear, in place, wherever it was used in the code. This could mean that the string appears many times in your executable. In contrast, the constant should (with modern compilers) be defined only once, and all further usages would make reference to the pointer to that one definition.
Now, before anyone yells at me for premature optimization, consider that the two approaches are almost identical in terms of implementation, but the const pointer method is far superior in terms of code size and execution time.
It's not necessarily guaranteed that there will only be one NXConstantString object for a given string literal in an entire application. It seems pretty likely that different compilation units might have different objects for the same constant string. For example, if somebody writes a plugin, one constant string will be generated for occurrences of that NSString literal in the plugin and one will be generated for occurrences in the host application, and these will not be pointer-equal.
The best argument I have heard is that const strings show up in the debugger, whereas macros do not.
static NSString * const SERVER_URL = #"http://subdomain.domain.edu.ar/Folder/";
As far as I know, #define only lets you define C-style string constants. To create a constant NSString object, you have to declare it in the header, and then give it a value in one of your .m files.
Header file:
extern NSString *MyConstantString;
Main file:
NSString *MyConstantString = #"String value";
According to Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X, 3rd Edition, on page 202 (chapter 13):
You will be registering, reading, and
setting defaults in several classes in
your application. To make sure that
you always use the same name, you
should declare those strings in a
single file and then simply #import
that file into any file in which you
use the names. There are several ways
to do this. For example, you could use
the C preprocessor’s #define command,
but most Cocoa programmers use global
variables for this purpose.
Is this really the correct best practice? Global variables? That seems insane to me – counter to everything I’ve ever been taught.
Would a better design be a simple Singleton class with these defined? Or is it really the correct best practice to go global? Is there a better pattern than either, given that many people consider Singletons to be globals in a pretty dress?
Just to be clear, the recommendation is to create immutable global variables instead of in-line string constants (hard to refactor and no compile-time checking) or #defines (no compile-time checking). Here's how you might do so...
in MyConstants.h:
extern NSString * const MyStringConstant;
in MyConstants.m:
NSString * const MyStringConstant = #"MyString";
then in any other .m file:
#import "MyConstants.h"
...
[someObject someMethodTakingAString:MyStringConstant];
...
This way, you gain compile-time checking that you haven't mis-spelled a string constant, you can check for pointer equality rather than string equality[1] in comparing your constants, and debugging is easier, since the constants have a run-time string value.
[1] In this use, you are essentially using the pointer values as the constants. It just so happens that those particular integers also point to strings that can be used in the debugger
Global variables or a singleton will accomplish the same thing here. Both can be used to turn 'key' names in Cocoa that won't throw a compiler error if it's misspelled into a compiler error. That's the main purpose. Global variables are a bit easier though seeing as it requires less typing.
Instead of doing this:
[myArray setObject:theObject forKey:MyGlobalVariableKeyName];
You'd have to do something along the lines of:
[myArray setObject:theObject
forKey:[[MySingletonVariableClass getInstance] myVariableKeyName];
Global variables are essentially less typing for the same effect.
Calling it a global variable is technically correct but misleading.
It is a global constant -- global in scope but constant and therefore not bad in the sense that global variables are bad.
To show how global constants are common, safe and numerous, consider these examples of global constants:
Every class in your program
Every #define
Every enum
Almost every name declared by Cocoa (excluding rare global variables like NSApp).
The only time you should worry about global constants is when their names are too generic (they may pollute the global namespace). So don't use names that are likely to conflict with anything (always use a prefix and always make the name task-specific like NSKeyValueObservingOptionNew).
Constant globals that are set at compile time and never change are acceptable to me. If you hard code a string, it's the same thing, just hidden by the compiler. I'll avoid mutable globals like the plague.
Remember, Apple itself uses the same technique. Many of the constants I expected to be defines are actually constants. You'll get link errors if the headers are reachable but the framework is not.
building on #Barry Wark's and #Matt Gallagher's excellent answers, and my initial response (see end of this answer) there is a third approach, and that is to use a macro/include combination that ensures you only type the variable name once, and therefore it is included in both the .h and .m files simultaneously.
< EDIT >
"there is always another way..."
After thinking about how to make it even simpler, without involving an additional header file, here is a more concise approach using nested macros.
in .h file
#define defineKeysIn_h_File(key) extern NSString * const key;
#define defineKeysIn_m_File(key) NSString * const key = ##key;
#define myKeyDefineKeys(defineKey) \
/**start of key list*/\
defineKey(myKeyABC);\
defineKey(myKeyXYZ);\
defineKey(myKey123);\
/*end of key list*/
myKeyDefineKeys(defineKeysIn_h_File);
in .m file
myKeyDefineKeys(defineKeysIn_m_File);
implementation note
You can use this more than once in multiple headers, however you need to change the
name of "myKeyDefineKeys" to be unique, I suggest giving it the same prefix as the keys you are defining - for the sake of an example I have used "myKey" throughout.
In another file I might use "myOtherKeyDefineKeys".
Also don't mess with the defineKeysIn_h_File and defineKeysIn_m_File macros or you will get a warning the definition has changed.
< END EDIT >
ORIGINAL ANSWER, STILL VALID, BUT WITHOUT REFINEMENTS
First, make a vanilla.h file and remove the default #ifdef etc,and enter your keys as below:
(This is a cut and paste from a category I wrote to extend AVAudioPlayer)
// playFromConsts.h
define_key(AVAudioPlayer_key_player);
define_key(AVAudioPlayer_key_duration);
define_key(AVAudioPlayer_key_filename);
define_key(AVAudioPlayer_key_filepath);
define_key(AVAudioPlayer_key_fileurl);
define_key(AVAudioPlayer_key_urlString);
define_key(AVAudioPlayer_key_envelope);
define_key(AVAudioPlayer_key_startDate);
define_key(AVAudioPlayer_key_linkToPlayer);
define_key(AVAudioPlayer_key_linkFromPlayer);
define_key(AVAudioPlayer_key_linkToPlayerEnvelope);
define_key(AVAudioPlayer_key_linkFromPlayerEnvelope);
define_key(AVAudioPlayer_key_deviceStartTime);
define_key(AVAudioPlayer_key_currentVolume);
define_key(AVAudioPlayer_key_fadeFromVolume);
define_key(AVAudioPlayer_key_fadeToVolume);
define_key(AVAudioPlayer_key_fadeTime);
define_key(AVAudioPlayer_key_segueTime);
Then in your normal.h file (where your #interface, #protocol etc is declared) place these 3 lines (substituting your header file of course)
#define define_key(x) extern NSString * const x;
#include "playFromConsts.h"
#undef define_key
finally in your .m file, that is paired with your "#interface .h" file, place these 3 lines:
#define define_key(x) NSString * const x = ##x;
#include "playFromConsts.h"
#undef define_key
note the "#include" and not "#import" - we actually do want to include this file more than once.
this will do all the dirty work, and ensure the keys are NSString * const.
the trailing ; is optional, as it's included in the macro, however i personally prefer it.
So after all. I came up with 3 files.
Constants.h
#define def_key(name) extern NSString *const name
#define def_int(name, value) extern int const name
#define def_type(type, name, value) extern type const name
#include "ConstantsDefs.h"
Constants.m
#import "Constants.h"
#undef def_key
#define def_key(name) NSString *const name = ##name
#undef def_int
#define def_int(name, value) int const name = value
#undef def_type
#define def_type(type, name, value) type const name = value
#include "ConstantsDefs.h"
ConstantsDefs.h
def_key(kStringConstant);
def_int(kIntConstant, 313373);
def_type(float, kFloatConstant, 313373.0f);
It depends on the design of your software. Suppose you have a job management software and one of your "defaults" is a list of directories in which various items can be saved.
For each Job you can have a storagefile member that is a singleton that load up the user preferred locations at startup.
Or you could have a Storagefile member of a global variable called User Preferences. Still could be a singleton but doesn't really matter in this case.
For me complex defaults (dozens of different types of classes) should reside in their own "space" accessible to model.
However there may be preferences that are important to how a Job is setup so those preference need to be stored in the Job Object so when you open it in another user's application it works as intended.
Again it depends on your design.