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Dart/Flutter ffi (Foreign Function Interface) native callbacks eg: sqlite3_exec


Hello I am using dart:ffi to build an interface with my native c/c++ library. and I needed a way to get a callback from c to dart as an example in sqlite:

int sqlite3_exec(
    sqlite3*,                                  /* An open database */
    const char *sql,                           /* SQL to be evaluated */
    int (*callback)(void*,int,char**,char**),  /* Callback function */
    void *,                                    /* 1st argument to callback */
    char **errmsg                              /* Error msg written here */
);

the third parameter in sqlite3_exec is function pointer to a callback. so if I called this function in dart using ffi I need to pass a function pointer: and in dart:ffi Pointer class there is a function named fromFunction witch accepts a dart static function and an exceptionalReturn; but just by calling this function to get the function pointer of a dart managed function: a (sigterm) is raised and the dart code no long work in the process.

So My Question: Is there any way to get a native callback in dart, as in Python, c#, ..

Extra: Is there any way to include dartino in a flutter project, since this ForeignDartFunction covers what I need.


Solution

  • I got an example to work. Hopefully you can adapt this to your case.

    Example C function

    EXTERNC int32_t foo(
                        int32_t bar,
                        int32_t (*callback)(void*, int32_t)
                        ) {
        return callback(nullptr, bar);
    }
    

    Dart code

    First the typedefs. We need two for the native function foo and one for the Dart callback.

    typedef example_foo = Int32 Function(
        Int32 bar, Pointer<NativeFunction<example_callback>>);
    typedef ExampleFoo = int Function(
        int bar, Pointer<NativeFunction<example_callback>>);
    
    typedef example_callback = Int32 Function(Pointer<Void>, Int32);
    

    and the code for the callback

      static int callback(Pointer<Void> ptr, int i) {
        print('in callback i=$i');
        return i + 1;
      }
    

    and the lookup

      ExampleFoo nativeFoo =
        nativeLib.lookup<NativeFunction<example_foo>>('foo').asFunction();
    

    and, finally, use it like this:

      int foo(int i) {
        return nativeFoo(
          i,
          Pointer.fromFunction<example_callback>(callback, except),
        );
      }
    

    as expected, foo(123) prints flutter: in callback i=123 and returns 124