C++ custom stream

Question

How do I implement my own custom stream in C++?

Why?

I want to send data from one micro-controller to another using a wired connection and I think a custom stream is the most intuitive way.

Example:

#include "myStream.h" int main() { myStream << "Hello world!"; return 0; }

EDIT:

Solution:

class Stream { private: // members public: Stream() {} friend Stream& operator<<(Stream& stream, const Whatever& other); }; Stream& operator<<(Stream& stream, const Whatever& other) { // do something return stream; }

If you want it to be std-compatible (to allow tricks like endl), start here: stackoverflow.com/questions/772355/… — IWonderWhatThisAPIDoes
– IWonderWhatThisAPIDoes, Commented Mar 19, 2021 at 17:55
@szatmary It's actually not, not if you want to use all the existing operator<< overloads that work for ostream and ofstream and ostringstream. — Stack Exchange Broke The Law
– Stack Exchange Broke The Law, Commented Mar 19, 2021 at 18:32
What is a "Wired connection"? Is it a lan wire, is it a usb wire, is it pio wiring? — Ingo Mi
– Ingo Mi, Commented Mar 19, 2021 at 19:13
@Ivanovic "one microcontroller to another" probably means SPI/I2C — Stack Exchange Broke The Law
– Stack Exchange Broke The Law, Commented Mar 19, 2021 at 23:19

tadman · Accepted Answer · 2021-03-19 17:48:44Z

2

If you look at how streams work, it's just a case of overloading operator<< for both your stream object, and the various things you want to send to it. There's nothing special about <<, it just reads nicely, but you could use + or whatever else you want.

answered Mar 19, 2021 at 17:48

tadman

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4 Comments

M Qwadezo Over a year ago

When I try to overload operator<<, I get the error error: invalid operands of types ‘Stream()’ and ‘int’ to binary ‘operator<<’

tadman Over a year ago

It's worth opening up a new question with code that can reproduce that problem. You will likely need to have a few other questions answered before you've wrapped this up.

Stack Exchange Broke The Law Over a year ago

@tadman Actually your idea does not allow all of the standard library's existing stream functionality to work. It is possible to make your own stream that automagically works like ofstream/ostringstream/etc, so you can write ints to it as decimal, set formatting options, etc.

tadman Over a year ago

@user253751 You can make your own entirely independent "stream" system, or you can leverage the existing one and make a stream-compatible one. Both approaches have their utility. I interpreted "custom stream" as not compatible, but independent.

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