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Library and Class Organization in Openfoam: Håkan Nilsson 1

This document provides an overview of how classes are organized in libraries and linked to applications in OpenFOAM. It describes separating a sample class into header and code files and organizing them into a library directory structure. It then shows compiling the class as a library and dynamically linking it to an application, following OpenFOAM conventions. A warning is also provided about properly handling backup files when developing OpenFOAM libraries.

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70 views

Library and Class Organization in Openfoam: Håkan Nilsson 1

This document provides an overview of how classes are organized in libraries and linked to applications in OpenFOAM. It describes separating a sample class into header and code files and organizing them into a library directory structure. It then shows compiling the class as a library and dynamically linking it to an application, following OpenFOAM conventions. A warning is also provided about properly handling backup files when developing OpenFOAM libraries.

Uploaded by

dfi49965
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CFD with OpenSource Software, 2019

Library and class organization in OpenFOAM

Håkan Nilsson, Chalmers / Mechanics and Maritime Sciences / Fluid Dynamics 1


CFD with OpenSource Software, 2019

Library and class organization in OpenFOAM


Prerequisites
• You have a basic knowledge in object oriented C++ programming.
• You know how to compile top-level C++ codes using both g++ and wmake (not necessarily
OpenFOAM code).

Learning outcomes
• You will be able to separate classes into separate directories and files, as it is done in Open-
FOAM.
• You will be able to read and understand most features of OpenFOAM classes.
• You will be able to figure out how OpenFOAM classes are related.

Note that there is an extended task related to these procedures!

Håkan Nilsson, Chalmers / Mechanics and Maritime Sciences / Fluid Dynamics 2


CFD with OpenSource Software, 2019

Library and class organization in OpenFOAM


We just went through many aspecs of object orientation in C++, in a single file.
You will be asked to set up the same thing the OpenFOAM way, using separate directories and
files for the class(es).
Now we will go through the basic procedure of doing that.
We will do this in a new directory:
cd ..
mkdir myClassApp
cd myClassApp

Håkan Nilsson, Chalmers / Mechanics and Maritime Sciences / Fluid Dynamics 3


CFD with OpenSource Software, 2019

Library and class organization in OpenFOAM


We know from OpenFOAM that classes are coded in pairs of files, with a *.H file that contains
the class declaration and a *.C file that contains the class definition.
Put the class declaration in myClass.H:
#ifndef myClass_H
#define myClass_H
class myClass
{
private:
protected:
public:
int i_; //Member data (underscore is OpenFOAM convention)
float j_;
myClass();
~myClass();
};
#endif

Here we have added #ifndef/#define/#endif to make sure that the class is not declared
multiple times, in the case that we #include "myClass.H" several times.

Håkan Nilsson, Chalmers / Mechanics and Maritime Sciences / Fluid Dynamics 4


CFD with OpenSource Software, 2019

Library and class organization in OpenFOAM


Put the class definition in myClass.C:
#include "myClass.H"
#include <iostream> //Just for cout
using namespace std; //Just for cout
myClass::myClass()
:
i_(20),
j_(21.5)
{
cout<< "i_ = " << i_ << endl;
}
myClass::~myClass()
{}
The first line above is necessary since we will compile only the *.C file of the class, and it needs
to know about its own declaration.
We have also added two lines at the header for the cout output stream that is used in the class,
since this file is now compiled separate to the top-level code (where it is also stated).

Håkan Nilsson, Chalmers / Mechanics and Maritime Sciences / Fluid Dynamics 5


CFD with OpenSource Software, 2019

Library and class organization in OpenFOAM


Put in myClassApp.C:
#include <iostream> //Just for cout
using namespace std; //Just for cout
#include "myClass.H"

int main()
{
myClass myClassObject;
cout<< "myClassObject.i_: " << myClassObject.i_ << endl;
cout<< "myClassObject.j_: " << myClassObject.j_ << endl;
myClass myClassObject2;
cout<< "myClassObject2.i_: " << myClassObject2.i_ << endl;
myClassObject2.i_=30;
cout<< "myClassObject.i_: " << myClassObject.i_ << endl;
cout<< "myClassObject2.i_: " << myClassObject2.i_ << endl;
return 0;
}

The top-level solver needs to know about the class declaration (only), which is why we have
added #include "myClass.H". All pieces of code that use a class need to include the decla-
ration of that class!

Håkan Nilsson, Chalmers / Mechanics and Maritime Sciences / Fluid Dynamics 6


CFD with OpenSource Software, 2019

Library and class organization in OpenFOAM


Put in Make/files:
myClass.C
myClassApp.C
EXE = $(FOAM_USER_APPBIN)/myClassApp
Create an empty Make/options file.

Compile with wmake, and realize that there are three gcc lines in the output. The first is for
myClass.C, generating the object file myClass.o. The second is for myClassApp.C, generat-
ing myClassApp.o. The third is for the linking, including the class compiled right now and
any dynamic linking.

Make sure that the code still runs and gives the same output as before!

Håkan Nilsson, Chalmers / Mechanics and Maritime Sciences / Fluid Dynamics 7


CFD with OpenSource Software, 2019

Library and class organization in OpenFOAM


At this point we have hardcoded a class into the top-level solver. You do not see the myClass
class when you issue the command
ldd `which myClassApp`
Most of the time the classes are dynamically linked through libraries to the top-level solvers.
We will therefore put our class in a library and dynamically link to that library.

Start by changing the Make/files file to:


myClassApp.C
EXE = $(FOAM_USER_APPBIN)/myClassApp
Notice that after doing a wclean (necessary, since wmake does not realize that the Make/files
file has changed), the wmake command will fail. The reason is that the top-level solver can not
link to the class, at the second stage of compilation. We will make sure that it can link to it
dynamically instead.

Håkan Nilsson, Chalmers / Mechanics and Maritime Sciences / Fluid Dynamics 8


CFD with OpenSource Software, 2019

Library and class organization in OpenFOAM


Create a directory myClass, and put the myClass.* files in that directory:
mkdir myClass
mv myClass.* myClass
Create a myClass/Make/files file with:
myClass.C
LIB = $(FOAM_USER_LIBBIN)/libmyClass
Create an empty myClass/Make/options file.

Compile the library separately:


wmake myClass
Modify the Make/options file of the top-level solver to:
EXE_INC = \
-ImyClass/lnInclude
EXE_LIBS = \
-L$(FOAM_USER_LIBBIN) \
-lmyClass
Compile, test, and see that ldd `which myClassApp` shows that the file
libmyClass.so is now dynamically linked to.

Håkan Nilsson, Chalmers / Mechanics and Maritime Sciences / Fluid Dynamics 9


CFD with OpenSource Software, 2019

Library and class organization in OpenFOAM


At this point it is just a matter of directory and file organization to move the library to an
appropriate location in $WM_PROJECT_USER_DIR/src, and the application to an appropriate
location in $WM_PROJECT_USER_DIR/applications.

The Make/options file of the application just has to be updated according to the location of
the library header file.

Håkan Nilsson, Chalmers / Mechanics and Maritime Sciences / Fluid Dynamics 10


CFD with OpenSource Software, 2019

A warning
It is quite common to make backups of files when developing code. However, a warning is issued
when developing OpenFOAM libraries:

All the files in the directory structure of a library will be linked to in the lnInclude directory,
so if you put backup files in a backup directory in the directory structure of that library they
will also end up linked to in lnInclude. It may be ok if they are not used, but it may also be
dangerous if you use the same file names as the original files. The linking in lnInclude will
only be done to one of the files with a particular name (the first or the last it finds, depending
on how the linking is set up). If an active header file is changed during implementation it may
mean that the old back-up header file is included in all files that depend on it. That may lead
to mysterios problems.

If you have to make backups it is better to make tar archives of the backup directories. Then
the original files are hidden in the archives. Just remember to remove the directory that you
put in the tar archive, so that the files are not linked to!

Håkan Nilsson, Chalmers / Mechanics and Maritime Sciences / Fluid Dynamics 11

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