Help me write my first QML wrapper for a C++ class

[Aras]

I need to access a C++ API to work with CAN bus. Looks like the best solution is to write a QML wrapper to expose all the functionality I need. I have never done this before and I expect lots of errors, so I thought I post my code here and modify with your help until it works. :)

Here is my canservice.cpp so far:

#include "canservice.h"
#include <QCanBus>
#include <QDebug>
#include <QCanBusFrame>
#include <QTimer>

#include <QtCore/qbytearray.h>
#include <QtCore/qvariant.h>
#include <QtCore/qdebug.h>

CANService::CANService(QObject *parent) :
    QObject(parent),
    m_canDevice(nullptr)
{
    QString status = "";

    initializeSettings();


    // TODO" disable sending messages until connection is stablished
}

CANService::~CANService()
{
    delete m_canDevice;
}

void CANService::receiveError(QCanBusDevice::CanBusError error) const
{
    switch (error) {
        case QCanBusDevice::ReadError:
        case QCanBusDevice::WriteError:
        case QCanBusDevice::ConnectionError:
        case QCanBusDevice::ConfigurationError:
        case QCanBusDevice::UnknownError:
            qWarning() << m_canDevice->errorString();
    default:
        break;
    }
}

void CANService::initializeSettings()
{
    foreach (const QByteArray &backend, QCanBus::instance()->plugins()) {
        qInfo() << "found: " + backend;
        if (backend == "socketcan") {
            // found socketcan
            m_currentSettings.backendName = "socketcan";
            break;
        }
    }

    if(m_currentSettings.backendName.length() < 1) {
        qWarning() << "did not find a backend";
    }

    m_currentSettings.backendName = "socketcan";
    m_currentSettings.deviceInterfaceName = QStringLiteral("vcan0");
}

void CANService::connectDevice()
{
    m_canDevice = QCanBus::instance()->createDevice(m_currentSettings.backendName.toLocal8Bit(), m_currentSettings.deviceInterfaceName);
    if (!m_canDevice) {
        showStatusMessage(tr("Connection error"));
        return;
    }
    connect(m_canDevice, &QCanBusDevice::errorOccurred,
            this, &MainWindow::receiveError);
    connect(m_canDevice, &QCanBusDevice::framesReceived,
            this, &MainWindow::checkMessages);
    connect(m_canDevice, &QCanBusDevice::framesWritten,
            this, &MainWindow::framesWritten);

    if (p.useConfigurationEnabled) {
        foreach (const ConnectDialog::ConfigurationItem &item, p.configurations)
            m_canDevice->setConfigurationParameter(item.first, item.second);
    }

    if (!m_canDevice->connectDevice()) {
        delete m_canDevice;
        m_canDevice = nullptr;
        qInfo() << "Connection error";
    } else {
        qInfo() << m_currentSettings.backendName << "is connected";
    }
}

void CANService::sendMessage() const
{
    if (!m_canDevice)
        return;

    // TODO: replace test message with input
    QByteArray writings = dataFromHex("1122334455667788");

    QCanBusFrame frame;
    const int maxPayload = 8; // 64 : 8;
    int size = writings.size();
    if (size > maxPayload)
        size = maxPayload;
    writings = writings.left(size);
    frame.setPayload(writings);

    //TODO: get from UI
    qint32 id = 100;
    if (id > 2047) {
        //11 bits
        id = 2047;
    }

    frame.setFrameId(id);
    frame.setExtendedFrameFormat(true);

    // frame.setFrameType(QCanBusFrame::RemoteRequestFrame);
    // frame.setFrameType(QCanBusFrame::ErrorFrame);
    frame.setFrameType(QCanBusFrame::DataFrame);

    m_canDevice->writeFrame(frame);
}

void CANService::checkMessages()
{
    if (!m_canDevice)
        return;

    const QCanBusFrame frame = m_canDevice->readFrame();

    const qint8 dataLength = frame.payload().size();

    const qint32 id = frame.frameId();

    QString view;
    if (frame.frameType() == QCanBusFrame::ErrorFrame) {
        interpretError(view, frame);
    } else {
        view += QLatin1String("Id: ");
        view += QString::number(id, 16).toUpper();
        view += QLatin1String(" bytes: ");
        view += QString::number(dataLength, 10);
        view += QLatin1String(" data: ");
        view += dataToHex(frame.payload());
    }

    if (frame.frameType() == QCanBusFrame::RemoteRequestFrame) {
        qInfo() << "got remote request message" << view;
    } else if (frame.frameType() == QCanBusFrame::ErrorFrame) {
        qWarning() << "got can error frame: " << view;
    } else {
        qInfo() << "got can frame: " << view;
    }
}

void CANService::interpretError(QString &view, const QCanBusFrame &frame)
{
    if (!m_canDevice)
        return;

    view = m_canDevice->interpretErrorFrame(frame);
}

static QByteArray dataToHex(const QByteArray &data)
{
    QByteArray result = data.toHex().toUpper();

    for (int i = 0; i < result.size(); i += 3)
        result.insert(i, ' ');

    return result;
}

static QByteArray dataFromHex(const QString &hex)
{
    QByteArray line = hex.toLatin1();
    line.replace(' ', QByteArray());
    return QByteArray::fromHex(line);
}

In the canservice.h I have:

#ifndef CANSERVICE_H
#define CANSERVICE_H

#include <QObject>
#include <QQuickItem>
#include <QCanBusDevice>


class CANService : public QObject
{
    Q_OBJECT
public:
    explicit CANService(QObject *parent = 0);
    typedef QPair<QCanBusDevice::ConfigurationKey, QVariant> ConfigurationItem;

    struct Settings {
        QString backendName;
        QString deviceInterfaceName;
        QList<ConfigurationItem> configurations;
        bool useConfigurationEnabled;
    };


    void connectDevice();

    Q_INVOKABLE void connect(const QString &query) {
        qDebug() << "invoking connect with " << query;


    }

    explicit ConnectDialog(QWidget *parent = nullptr);
    ~ConnectDialog();

    Settings settings() const;

private:
    Settings m_currentSettings;
    void initializeSettings();


signals:

public slots:

};

qmlRegisterType<MyObject>("can.myapp", 1, 0, "CANService");

#endif // CANSERVICE_H

In my QML file I first attempt to import the newly defined service: import can.myapp 1.0 and then I declare an instance of it:

    CANService {
        id: "myCanService"
    }

cc @SGaist

[Aras]

Forgot to mention my first error. When I try to run this application and load the QML file that makes the call to CANService, it does not load and I get the following error in application console:

 component not ready:
 "file:///home/aras/Projects/myapp/apps/com.myapp.diagnostics/Diagnostics.qml:5 module \"can.myapp\" is not installed\n"                                                                                                         

[jeremy_k]

@Aras said in Help me write my first QML wrapper for a C++ class:

qmlRegisterType<MyObject>("can.myapp", 1, 0, "CANService");

Perhaps it's a formatting error, but this doesn't look like this is a valid function call from within a function body or initializing a global static variable. Have you verified that the registration function is executing?

[VRonin]

qmlRegisterType<MyObject>("can.myapp", 1, 0, "CANService"); this should go in main. it's not a macro, it's code that needs to be executed before you load your QML

Q_INVOKABLE void connect(const QString &query) make it a public slot instead of using Q_INVOKABLE

explicit ConnectDialog(QWidget *parent = nullptr);
    ~ConnectDialog();

I'm not sure what's going on here but having QWidget inside what is intended to be a QML wrapper doesn't sound right

[Aras]

Have you verified that the registration function is executing?

@jeremy_k no i have not! I can not get the debugger to work for my project but that is another story.

qmlRegisterType<MyObject>("can.myapp", 1, 0, "CANService"); this should go in main. it's not a macro, it's code that needs to be executed before you load your QML

I think you are right about this and the problem is that the line above is not executed. There is a problem though: I am using application manager, so my application does not have the conventional main function. I have am declaring ApplicationManagerWindow in QML and starting my application using appman command. I looked at the application manager docs but I could not find anything there. Do you know how I could make this C++ call if I am using appman?

I'm not sure what's going on here but having QWidget inside what is intended to be a QML wrapper doesn't sound right

Ok you are right. I am still very new to Qt and figuring out what libraries I can mix is sometimes confusing me. I will strip out the QWidget then.

Thanks for you help! Anything else you could add regarding appman and calling qmlRegisterType?

[jeremy_k]

@Aras said in Help me write my first QML wrapper for a C++ class:

I think you are right about this and the problem is that the line above is not executed. There is a problem though: I am using application manager, so my application does not have the conventional main function. I have am declaring ApplicationManagerWindow in QML and starting my application using appman command. I looked at the application manager docs but I could not find anything there. Do you know how I could make this C++ call if I am using appman?

In that case, the registration needs to be done in a plugin.
http://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qtqml-modules-cppplugins.html covers the process.