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How to write better game libraries

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Re: How to write better game libraries

#61

Post by pjmlp »

jstimpfle wrote: post #52
pjmlp wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because if someone else happens to use that library, it might blow up on their face, e.g. WhatsApp dependency on android-gif-drawable. https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2019-1193...

Are you looking for a safe way to use your computer? Turn it off. Other than that, I'm not surprised the file in question is C. Even ignoring the fact that it was you to get the link. And even ignoring that it's about a security problem... Other than that, from a user perspective, software written in C is among the most reliable software I'm using. I'm looking at Linux, vim, xterm and so much of the infrastructure th…

The guys attending the Linux Kernel Security Summit seem to think otherwise, plenty of stuff there to entertain yourself.

Re: How to write better game libraries

#62

Post by LucaSas »

jandeboevrie wrote: post #8

This is bad advice on the c++ part. If you don't use RAII, then you could've just not done the c++ lib (and have just a c lib). Exceptions, raii and smart pointers are what makes modern c++ so pleasant, next to templates.

Hi, I am the author of the article. Regarding RAII, what I mention in the article is that it is ok to provide RAII wrappers as long as you also provide C++ wrappers for the non-RAII plain structs and functions from C. I think this is the best way to satisfy everyone.

When it comes to exceptions and rtti the sad reality is that about 50% of the C++ community doesn't use (for one reason or another), so if you do use them in a library it can have an impact.

Re: How to write better game libraries

#64

Post by orbifold »

kd5bjo wrote: post #30
Const-me wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> but nobody has yet stated why they hold hat opinion. I did, in my first comment. C++ namespaces lead to much more readable code, compared to these prefixed names. C++/11 scoped enums eliminate a class of bugs: when you have many different constants on the API surface, multiple functions accepting them, and erroneously use the constant of a wrong function. Example: enum Lod { Low, High }; enum SomethingElse { Other…

Especially with this expanded commentary, you do show some advantages of C++ over C, but you have only addressed the advice for how to proceed once you’ve chosen C and not the author’s reasons for preferring C to C++ (or any other language): — Every language out there has a way to call into C — If your code is slower than C, someone will rewrite it in C. — If your library is written in C it means it can be used on an…

It actually extremely easy to write C++ wrappers for other languages. Examples I‘m familiar with are pybind11 (similar to boost python) and the node C++ API. That other languages don’t have similarly convenient libraries is entirely their own fault.

Re: How to write better game libraries

#65

Post by LucaSas »

Const-me wrote: post #15

Some of these recommendations are awesome, others aren’t good, IMO. > Always prefix your names to avoid name collisions Solved by C++ namespaces. > Use header guards instead of #pragma once. #pragma once is supported by all mayor compilers, header guards can introduce bugs, also #pragma once builds measurably faster: https://github.com/electronicarts/EASTL/blob/3.15.00/include... > Expose constants to the user using…

Hi, thanks for your feedback. I am the original author.

Regarding prefixes, I advice that you start by writing the library in C and then wrap it in C++ for a variety of reasons that you might want to consider. In C++ you should indeed always use namespace.

Header guards have the advantage over pragma once that they are standard and you can also use them to check if a library is included. I might remove that since maybe it's not that important and people might different views.

Regarding constants, I was referring to things such as numeric constants for which you would constexpr in C++. Maybe I can be more explicit there. Thanks for the feedback.

Re: How to write better game libraries

#67

Post by wokwokwok »

jandeboevrie wrote: post #8

This is bad advice on the c++ part. If you don't use RAII, then you could've just not done the c++ lib (and have just a c lib). Exceptions, raii and smart pointers are what makes modern c++ so pleasant, next to templates.

> Exceptions, raii and smart pointers are what makes modern c++ so pleasant

Point in case for lack of portability, UE4 doesn't support exceptions unless you do a custom build.

Re: How to write better game libraries

#68

Post by LucaSas »

fortran90 wrote: post #6

Since this article lays so much emphasis on C, I have an honest question to everyone. What is a good way for a beginner to learn C in the current time? The minefield of undefined behavior is really overwhelming to a beginner. Are there any good resources that teach C the right way with good advice and best practices to navigate the UB minefield?

As a good resource for learning C I would recommend Casey Muratori's tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3ntGDm6hOs&list=PLEMXAbCVnm...

If you are interested in learning more about writing complex software in C consider checking out HandmadeHero.

Sadly there need to be more good resources on learning how to write good C and low level software. I am hoping my article can be a starting point for people who wish to learn about library design for example.

Re: How to write better game libraries

#70

Post by LucaSas »

yoz-y wrote: post #69

> Not everyone wants to use C++ (some prefer C). This could be very well flipped over. If I have the source available, I'd much rather deal with C++ bindings.

Hi, I mention in the article that "It is easier in general for a C++ user to use a C library than it is for a C user to use a C++ library." which is where the advice comes from.
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