Macros and Visual C++

Question

I'm trying to get a better understanding of what place (if any) Macros have in modern C++ and Visual C++, also with reference to Windows programming libraries: What problem (if any) do Macros solve in these situations that cannot be solved without using them?

I remember reading about Google Chrome's use of WTL for Macros (amonst other things) from this blog post, and they are also used in MFC - here is an example of a Macro from that blog post I'd like explained in a superb amount of detail if possible:

// CWindowImpl
BEGIN_MSG_MAP(Edit)
  MSG_WM_CHAR(OnChar)
  MSG_WM_CONTEXTMENU(OnContextMenu)
  MSG_WM_COPY(OnCopy)
  MSG_WM_CUT(OnCut)
  MESSAGE_HANDLER_EX(WM_IME_COMPOSITION, OnImeComposition)
  MSG_WM_KEYDOWN(OnKeyDown)
  MSG_WM_LBUTTONDBLCLK(OnLButtonDblClk)
  MSG_WM_LBUTTONDOWN(OnLButtonDown)
  MSG_WM_LBUTTONUP(OnLButtonUp)
  MSG_WM_MBUTTONDOWN(OnNonLButtonDown)
  MSG_WM_MOUSEMOVE(OnMouseMove)
  MSG_WM_MOUSELEAVE(OnMouseLeave)
  MSG_WM_NCCALCSIZE(OnNCCalcSize)
  MSG_WM_NCPAINT(OnNCPaint)
  MSG_WM_RBUTTONDOWN(OnNonLButtonDown)
  MSG_WM_PASTE(OnPaste)
  MSG_WM_SYSCHAR(OnSysChar)  // WM_SYSxxx == WM_xxx with ALT down
  MSG_WM_SYSKEYDOWN(OnKeyDown)
END_MSG_MAP()

I've read these articles to do with Macros on MSDN but am trying to also pick up best practices for writing or avoiding Macros and where/when to use them.

Answer 1

All of those Macros are defined in public sdk header files, so you can go read what they do yourself if you want. Basically what is happening here is you're generating a WndProc function using Macros. Each MSG_WM_* entry is a case statement that handles the given window message by translating its arguments from wParam and lParam into their original types and calling a helper function (which you then get to go implement) that takes those types as arguments (if appropriate—some window messages have 0 or 1 arguments).

In my opinion all this is crap. You're trading off having to write a bunch of boiler-plate up front but in exchange you make it much harder to debug later. Macros don't have much of a place in my modern programming world, other than to check if they are defined or not. Macros that do flow control, or assume specific local variables are always defined, etc, make me quite unhappy. Especially when I have to debug them.

Answer 2

(The question is kind of fragmented, but ignoring the Windows part):

X-Macros use the preprocessor to avoid code duplication.

Answer 3

Peter, you might as well ask if vi or EMACS is the better editor. (EMACS, by the way.) There are a lot of people who think the C preprocessor is a horrible idea; Stroustrup and Jim Gosling among them. That's why Java has no preprocessor, and there are innumerable things Stroustrup put into C++, from const to templates, to avoid using the preprocessor.

There are other people who find it convenient to be able to add a new language, as in that code.

If you read the original Bourne shell code, you'll find it looks like

IF a == b THEN
   do_something();
   do_more();
ELSE
   do_less();
FI

Steve Bourne basically used macros to give it an Algol68-like look (that being the Really Cool Language then.) It could be very difficult to work with for anyone but Steve Bourne.

Then have a look at the Obfuscated C contest, where some of the most amazing obfuscations take advantage of the #define.

Personally, I don't mind too much, although that example is a little daunting (how do you debug that?) But doing that kind of thing is working without a net; there aren't many Wallendas out there.