Using C++ library in C code
Yes, this is certainly possible. You will need to write an interface layer in C++ that declares functions with extern "C":
extern "C" int foo(char *bar){ return realFoo(std::string(bar));}Then, you will call foo() from your C module, which will pass the call on to the realFoo() function which is implemented in C++.
If you need to expose a full C++ class with data members and methods, then you may need to do more work than this simple function example.
C++ FAQ Lite: "How to mix C and C++ code".
Some gotchas are described in answers to these questions:
- [32.8] How can I pass an object of a C++ class to/from a C function?
- [32.9] Can my C function directly access data in an object of a C++ class?
Main gotcha: exceptions can not be caught in C. If there is the possibility of an exception rising in the C++ code, either write your C code or your C++ wrappers very carefully. Conversely, exception like mechanisms (i.e., longjump) in the C code (as found in various scripting languages) are not required to invoke destructors for C++ objects on the stack.