How can I use an array of function pointers?

Question

How should I use array of function pointers in C?

How can I initialize them?

Answer 1

Oh, there are tons of example. Just have a look at anything within glib or gtk. You can see the work of function pointers in work there all the way.

Here e.g the initialization of the gtk_button stuff.

static void
gtk_button_class_init (GtkButtonClass *klass)
{
  GObjectClass *gobject_class;
  GtkObjectClass *object_class;
  GtkWidgetClass *widget_class;
  GtkContainerClass *container_class;

  gobject_class = G_OBJECT_CLASS (klass);
  object_class = (GtkObjectClass*) klass;
  widget_class = (GtkWidgetClass*) klass;
  container_class = (GtkContainerClass*) klass;

  gobject_class->constructor = gtk_button_constructor;
  gobject_class->set_property = gtk_button_set_property;
  gobject_class->get_property = gtk_button_get_property;

And in gtkobject.h you find the following declarations:

struct _GtkObjectClass
{
  GInitiallyUnownedClass parent_class;

  /* Non overridable class methods to set and get per class arguments */
  void (*set_arg) (GtkObject *object,
           GtkArg    *arg,
           guint      arg_id);
  void (*get_arg) (GtkObject *object,
           GtkArg    *arg,
           guint      arg_id);

  /* Default signal handler for the ::destroy signal, which is
   *  invoked to request that references to the widget be dropped.
   *  If an object class overrides destroy() in order to perform class
   *  specific destruction then it must still invoke its superclass'
   *  implementation of the method after it is finished with its
   *  own cleanup. (See gtk_widget_real_destroy() for an example of
   *  how to do this).
   */
  void (*destroy)  (GtkObject *object);
};

The (*set_arg) stuff is a pointer to function and this can e.g be assigned another implementation in some derived class.

Often you see something like this

struct function_table {
   char *name;
   void (*some_fun)(int arg1, double arg2);
};

void function1(int  arg1, double arg2)....


struct function_table my_table [] = {
    {"function1", function1},
...

So you can reach into the table by name and call the "associated" function.

Or maybe you use a hash table in which you put the function and call it "by name".

Regards
Friedrich