Best way to interop C# System.String with C++ std::string&

[Edson Manoel]

I have some C++ unmanaged code that takes std::string& arguments (as
reference), and fills them (possibly growing the string).

I want to call this code through PInvoke (DllImport), possibly using
wrapper layers in unmanaged C++ and C#.

I've thought about two approaches:

1) To pass a StringBuilder, this is converted to a char* in C++, the
wrapper code converts the char* to a std::string (copy), and in the
end, copies the std::string content back to the char*. The problem is
that the StringBuilder cannot grow in C++ code (or maybe it can? with
callbacks?), it must be initialized in C# with a size that is not
known beforehand; this also seems insecure.

2) To pass a "ref String", this is converted to a "char** arg". The
wrapper code converts *arg to a string, and in the end, should set
*arg to a new value. I don't know if the *arg pointer can really be
changed... if I create a new char[] block in the C++ heap and pass it
back (setting it to *arg), it results in a heap error (although the
string returned is correct).

All of these approaches involves copying the data (sometimes more than
twice), but, by now, I just want to make it work. Are there better
ways to accomplish this?

Thanks,
Edson

 

[Pixel.to.life]

I have some C++ unmanaged code that takes std::string& arguments (as
reference), and fills them (possibly growing the string).

I want to call this code through PInvoke (DllImport), possibly using
wrapper layers in unmanaged C++ and C#.

I've thought about two approaches:

1) To pass a StringBuilder, this is converted to a char* in C++, the
wrapper code converts the char* to a std::string (copy), and in the
end, copies the std::string content back to the char*. The problem is
that the StringBuilder cannot grow in C++ code (or maybe it can? with
callbacks?), it must be initialized in C# with a size that is not
known beforehand; this also seems insecure.

2) To pass a "ref String", this is converted to a "char** arg". The
wrapper code converts *arg to a string, and in the end, should set
*arg to a new value. I don't know if the *arg pointer can really be
changed... if I create a new char[] block in the C++ heap and pass it
back (setting it to *arg), it results in a heap error (although the
string returned is correct).

All of these approaches involves copying the data (sometimes more than
twice), but, by now, I just want to make it work. Are there better
ways to accomplish this?

  Thanks,
Edson

Not sure if this would help, but here it is:

System::Void ManagedToBasicString(String^ iSourceStr,
std::string &oTargetStr)
{
oTargetStr = std::string((char*)
(void*)Marshal::StringToHGlobalAnsi(iSourceStr));
return;
}

Good luck

 

[Pixel.to.life]

I have some C++ unmanaged code that takes std::string& arguments (as
reference), and fills them (possibly growing the string).

I want to call this code through PInvoke (DllImport), possibly using
wrapper layers in unmanaged C++ and C#.

I've thought about two approaches:

1) To pass a StringBuilder, this is converted to a char* in C++, the
wrapper code converts the char* to a std::string (copy), and in the
end, copies the std::string content back to the char*. The problem is
that the StringBuilder cannot grow in C++ code (or maybe it can? with
callbacks?), it must be initialized in C# with a size that is not
known beforehand; this also seems insecure.

2) To pass a "ref String", this is converted to a "char** arg". The
wrapper code converts *arg to a string, and in the end, should set
*arg to a new value. I don't know if the *arg pointer can really be
changed... if I create a new char[] block in the C++ heap and pass it
back (setting it to *arg), it results in a heap error (although the
string returned is correct).

All of these approaches involves copying the data (sometimes more than
twice), but, by now, I just want to make it work. Are there better
ways to accomplish this?

  Thanks,
Edson

How about

- you write a mixed (managed/native) wrapper
- you pass a System::String by reference to the wrapper
- in the wrapper scope, you fetch the std::string from unmanaged code,
and assign to the referenced System::String?

I dont see why that wont work.

 

[Jeff Louie]

Edson... Is it possible that your code could take a managed string as an
in
parameter, convert the managed string to char*, call the C++ code, and
then
RETURN a new managed string on method exit? The following code was a
quick hack taking a std::string and returning a managed string. I
readily
admit I only dabble in STL/CLI.

using namespace System;
using namespace cliext; // STL/CLR
using namespace System::Runtime::InteropServices; // Marshal

class Util {
public:
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// ** ConvertSS2MS ** //
// Converts std::string to managed String^ //
// Parameters constant std::string in by ref //
// Returns String^ out //
// Static Public Class method //
// Internally converts to most common denominator //
// char* on heap using new and delete //
// std::string ref in cannot be null, but may be empty //
// Returns empty string on exception //
// JAL 12/04/08 //
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

static String^ ConvertSS2MS(const std::string& in) {
String^ out= L""; // L wchar_t typedef unsigned short
char* str=0;
size_t size= strlen(in.c_str()) +1; // +1 for null terminator

try {
//const char *p= in.c_str(); // use p immediately
//out= Marshal:trToStringAnsi(static_cast<IntPtr>(p)); //
error on const char *
str= new char[size]; // null terminated
strcpy_s(str,size,in.c_str()); // create longer lived copy in
non const char array
// strcpy_s has new security enhancements over strcpy,
size includes null char
out= Marshal:trToStringAnsi(static_cast<IntPtr>(str)); //
or safe_cast?
}
catch(...) { // eat the exception
out= L""; // returns empty string on exception
}
finally { // clean up memory
if(str) {
delete [] str; // release char[] on unmanaged heap,
delete [] calls destructors
}
}
return out;
} // end ConvertSS2MS
}; // end class Util

Regards,
Jeff

 

[Chris Nahr]

All of these approaches involves copying the data (sometimes more than
twice), but, by now, I just want to make it work. Are there better
ways to accomplish this?

You always will have to copy the data because .NET strings are
internally encoded in Unicode UTF-16 which uses two bytes per
character, whereas C++ std::string uses an implementation-specific
ASCII superset with one byte per character. So there's no way to just
share a common buffer if you were thinking of that.

 

[Edson Manoel]

You always will have to copy the data because .NET strings are
internally encoded in Unicode UTF-16 which uses two bytes per
character, whereas C++ std::string uses an implementation-specific
ASCII superset with one byte per character. So there's no way to just
share a common buffer if you were thinking of that.
--http://www.kynosarges.de

Thanks for all the answers!

I solved it passing a ref string; this is marshaled to a char**.
Dereferencing it in C++, I get a char*, then I build a std::string
from it and pass it to my C++ method. After the call to the method, I
use CoTaskMemFree to free the original char*, and then I allocate a
new char* buffer with CoTaskMemAlloc, with the returned std::string
size().

So, in the end, to just pass one string and get it returned, there are
at least 4 copies being made (C# string to char* conversion; char* to
std::string / input and output), 3 allocations (char*, std::string and
my own CoTaskMemAlloc) and 3 deallocations. Well, at least, It Just
Works® . I wish that it were faster, but it seems that C# (and CLR
in general) weren't made to speak with *unmanaged* C++ code... (only
C).

I guess this does not leak memory, am I right?

I've learned that .Net uses CoTaskMemAlloc/CoTaskMemFree through some
websites (Msdn, etc.). I couldn't debug inside the Microsoft code that
does the marshaling (/interop)... is there any way to do this, or am I
not allowed to see the magic trickery that is going on besides the
curtain?

Thanks,
Edson

 

[Ben Voigt [C++ MVP]]

So, in the end, to just pass one string and get it returned, there are

at least 4 copies being made (C# string to char* conversion; char* to
std::string / input and output), 3 allocations (char*, std::string and
my own CoTaskMemAlloc) and 3 deallocations. Well, at least, It Just
Works® . I wish that it were faster, but it seems that C# (and CLR
in general) weren't made to speak with *unmanaged* C++ code... (only
C).

Well, this is only partly true. There is no support in the CLR for C++
interop other than what is needed to make the C++/CLI compiler work. You
are expected to use C++/CLI for tasks like this.

Here is how you would avoid the extra copies (still need Unicode conversion
of course):

void LetsNativeCodeOperateOnManagedString(System::String^% managedString)
{
int len = managedString->Length;
std::string nativeString;
nativeString.reserve(len + 1);
WideCharToMultiByte(..., PtrToStringChars(managedString), len,
&(nativeString[0]), len, ...);

callNativeFunction(nativeString);

managedString = gcnew String^(nativeString, nativeString.length());
}

 

[Ben Voigt [C++ MVP]]

So, in the end, to just pass one string and get it returned, there
are at least 4 copies being made (C# string to char* conversion;
char* to std::string / input and output), 3 allocations (char*,
std::string and my own CoTaskMemAlloc) and 3 deallocations. Well, at
least, It Just Works® . I wish that it were faster, but it seems
that C# (and CLR in general) weren't made to speak with *unmanaged*
C++ code... (only C).

Well, this is only partly true. There is no support in the CLR for
C++ interop other than what is needed to make the C++/CLI compiler
work. You are expected to use C++/CLI for tasks like this.

Here is how you would avoid the extra copies (still need Unicode
conversion of course):

void LetsNativeCodeOperateOnManagedString(System::String^%
managedString) {
int len = managedString->Length;
std::string nativeString;
nativeString.reserve(len + 1);
WideCharToMultiByte(..., PtrToStringChars(managedString), len,
&(nativeString[0]), len, ...);

callNativeFunction(nativeString);

managedString = gcnew String^(nativeString, nativeString.length());

oops, should be gcnew String, not gcnew String^

 

[Ben Voigt [C++ MVP]]

Well, this is only partly true. There is no support in the CLR for
C++ interop other than what is needed to make the C++/CLI compiler
work. You are expected to use C++/CLI for tasks like this.

Here is how you would avoid the extra copies (still need Unicode
conversion of course):

Of course 2008 gives you all of this in the Microsoft-provided marshal_as
function.

void LetsNativeCodeOperateOnManagedString(System::String^%
managedString) {
int len = managedString->Length;
std::string nativeString;
nativeString.reserve(len + 1);
WideCharToMultiByte(..., PtrToStringChars(managedString), len,
&(nativeString[0]), len, ...);

callNativeFunction(nativeString);

managedString = gcnew String^(nativeString, nativeString.length());
}