4. Compiling the datamodel with the GPB compiler

Once you’ve defined your messages, you run the protocol buffer compiler for your application’s language on your .proto file to generate data access classes. These provide simple accessors for each field so, for instance, if your chosen language is ISO-C++, running the compiler on the above example will generate a class called Person. You can then use this class in your application to populate, serialize, and retrieve Person protocol buffer messages.

4.1. DDS-specific GPB-compiler plugin to generate code.

The GPB compiler can be extended to support new languages via so-called plugins. The compiler invokes the plugin while providing the GPB type definition to it in the form of a GPB message. For DDS support the OpenSplice GPB-compiler is delivered with Vortex OpenSplice.

The Vortex OpenSplice IDL compiler is invoked by the OpenSplice GPB-compiler plugin to generate the DDS type including typed DataWriter and DataReader code. Additionally, code is generated to convert an instance of the DDS type to the GPB type and vice versa, which hides the DDS type from the application entirely.

4.2. Java 5 example

In this example we assume that a correct OpenSplice environment is set (release.bat has been run).

For creating the DDS-specific code by the GPB compiler the option --ddsjava_out must be given to the compiler. Also the path to the OpenSplice GPB-compiler must be supplied.

Example:

protoc --java_out    =outputPath
       --ddsjava_out =outputPath
       --proto_path  =PathToProtoFile
       --proto_path  =PathToProtoSelf
       --proto_path  =PathToOpenSpliceProtoCompiler
       protoFileToCompile

• --java_out gives the path where the GDP generated code will be stored.

• --ddsjava_out gives the path where the DDS-specific generated code will be stored.

• first --proto_path: the protoc compiler needs the path where the .proto file is located.

• second --proto_path: the path where the GPB environment is installed on your local machine.

• third --proto_path: specifies the path to the OpenSplice proto descriptor. This is normally $OSPL_HOME/include/protobuf.

• protoFileToCompile the last option is the .proto file.

Assuming that we need the generated code in the ./generated directory and the previous address.proto example is in the current directory, the command will be:

protoc --java_out=./generated
       --ddsjava_out=./generated
       --proto_path=./
       --proto_path=$PROTOBUF_HOME/src
       --proto_path=$OSPL_HOME/include/protobuf
       ./address.proto

The generated code, in the ./generated directory, can be compiled normally with the Java compiler together with your own written applications.

The only pre-requisite is that $OSPL_HOME/jar/dcpssaj5.jar and $OSPL_HOME/jar/dcpsprotobuf.jar are in the classpath so that the Java compiler can find the included OpenSplice jar files.

This example is delivered with OpenSplice, and is located in examples/protobuf/java5.

If the generated .idl file is needed by other applications, this file will also be generated in the --ddsjava_out path if the environment variable OSPL_PROTOBUF_INCLUDE_IDL is set to true.

4.3. C++ example

In this example we assume that a correct OpenSplice environment is set (so release.bat has been run) For creating the DDS specific code by the GPB compiler the option –ddscpp_out must be given to the compiler. Also the path to the OpenSplice GPB-compiler must be given. Example:

protoc --cpp_out     =outputPath
       --ddscpp_out  =outputPath
       --proto_path  =PathToProtoFile
       --proto_path  =PathToProtoSelf
       --proto_path  =PathToOpenSpliceProtoCompiler
       protoFileToCompile

• --cpp_out gives the path where the GDP generated code will be stored.

• --ddscpp_out gives the path where the DDS-specific generated code will be stored.

• first --proto_path: the protoc compiler needs the path where the .proto file is located.

• second --proto_path: the path where the GPB environment is installed on your local machine.

• third --proto_path: specifies the path to the OpenSplice proto descriptor. This is normally $OSPL_HOME/include/protobuf.

• protoFileToCompile the last option is the .proto file.

Assuming that we need the generated code in the ./generated directory and the previous address.proto example is in the current directory, the command will be:

protoc --cpp_out=./generated
       --ddscpp_out=./generated
       --proto_path=./
       --proto_path=$PROTOBUF_HOME/src
       --proto_path=$OSPL_HOME/include/protobuf
       ./address.proto

The generated code, in the ./generated directory, can be compiled normally with the C++ compiler together with your own written applications.

This example is delivered with OpenSplice, and is located in examples/protobuf/isocpp2.

If the generated .idl file is needed by other applications, this file will also be generated in the --ddscpp_out path if the environment variable OSPL_PROTOBUF_INCLUDE_IDL is set to true.

4.4. Tempory IDL file created by the GPB data-model

The IDL file created for the previous example will contain:

module org {
   module omg {
      module dds {
         module protobuf {
            typedef sequence<octet> gpb_payload_t;
         };
      };
   };
};

module address {
    module dds {
        struct Person {
            string name;
            long age;
            string worksFor_name;
            string worksFor_address;
            ::org::omg::dds::protobuf::gpb_payload_t ospl_protobuf_data;
        };
        #pragma keylist Person name worksFor_name
    };
};

This idl file is deleted after the idl-pp compiler is finished. If the temporary idl file is needed in other DDS applications (it also usable for other DDS vendors), then the environment variable OSPL_PROTOBUF_INCLUDE_IDL must be set to true to prevent the idl file from being deleted.