assign std::unique_ptr to std::function - c++11

Question

There is a custom defined map, with an element std::function()>.
The lambda code is working, but I don't know how to expand it to a normal formation. The code is following.
class TestA{
public:
TestA() {}
~TestA() {}
TestA(const TestA &) {}
static void print()
{
cout << __FUNCTION__ << endl;
return;
}
};
void testComplexMap1()
{
typedef map<string, std::function<std::unique_ptr<TestA>()>> TempMap;
TempMap m;
// the lambda format code, it works
//m.insert({ "TestA", []() {return std::unique_ptr<TestA>(new TestA());}});
// I want to expand it, but failed.
TestA *t = new TestA();
//function<unique_ptr<TestA>()> fp(unique_ptr<TestA>(t));
function<unique_ptr<TestA>()> fp(unique_ptr<TestA>(t)()); //warning here
//m.emplace("TestA", fp); // compile error here
}
Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

fp is not initialized with a function so compilation fails.
You can expand it like this:
TestA *t = new TestA();
std::unique_ptr<TestA> UT(t);
auto func = [&]() { return move(UT);};
std::function<std::unique_ptr<TestA>()> fp(func);
m.emplace("TestA", fp);
See DEMO.

Answer 2

In C++ everything that looks like it could be a declaration is treated as such.
This means the line
function<unique_ptr<TestA>()> fp(unique_ptr<TestA>(t)());
is interpreted as:
fp is the declaration of a function returning an std::function<unique_ptr<TestA>()> and expecting a parameter called t which is a function pointer to a function returning a std::unique_ptr<TestA> and getting no parameter. (Which is not what you intended.)
This also means that the t in this line is not the same t as in the previous line.
You have to pass fp something that is actually callable like this:
std::unique_ptr<TestA> f() {
return std::make_unique<TestA>();
}
void testComplexMap1() {
// ...
function<unique_ptr<TestA>()> fp(f);
m.emplace("TestA1", fp);
}
If you want to add a function to the map that wraps an existing pointer into a unique_ptr you would need either a functor:
class Functor {
public:
Functor(TestA * a) : m_a(a) {}
~Functor() { delete m_a; }
std::unique_ptr<TestA> operator()(){
auto x = std::unique_ptr<TestA>(m_a);
m_a = nullptr;
return std::move(x);
}
private:
TestA * m_a;
};
void testComplexMap1() {
//...
TestA * t = new TestA();
m.emplace("TestA", Functor(t));
}
Or a lambda with capture:
void testComplexMap1() {
//...
TestA * t = new TestA();
m.emplace("TestA", [t](){ return std::unique_ptr<TestA>(t); });
}
The lamda is translated more or less to something like the Functor class. However in each case you have to be really careful: The functions in the map that encapsulate an existing pointer into a std::unique_ptr can and should only be called once.
If you don't call them, memory allocated for t won't be freed. If you call them more than once you get either a std::unique_ptr to nullptr (in my Functor class variant) or a more than one std::unique_ptr tries to manage the same memory region (in the lambda with capture variant), which will crash as soon as the second std::unique_ptr is deleted.
In short: I would advice against writing code like this and only put functions in the map that are callable multiple times.