RPC-Generator

A python script that generates code to call functions from one device on another device using a network.

Current State

The project is in a usable state.

Idea

The RPC-generator implements serializing and deserializing of function calls and their arguments. When communicating with a device you normally need to make up a protocol, give each message an ID and serialize, deserialize and interpret arguments. This work is done for you by the RPC generator. You specify a server header whos functions should be made available to the client and the RPC-generator generates code for the client to call a remote function and code for the server to parse requests and execute them. You can use the RPC-generator twice to allow both participants to call functions of the other.

Dependencies

Required

• Python
• ply.lex

Recommended

• cmake

Internally used

• CppHeaderParser-2.5

Platform

• A C-compiler is required for both the client and the server
• Python is required on the build machine
• The platform must implement threads, mutexes and network functions to allow sending and listening at the same time

Functionality

Given a server and client config the RPC-Generator will produce the following files:

• RPC_server.h - Function declarations similar to those in server.h that allow to call the functions across networks.
• RPC_server.c - Implementation for the RPC-functionality
• RPC_types.h - Declaration of types used by the RPC
• RPC_network.h - Declarations of network functions that need to be implemented by the user. See examples for an implementation for TCP sockets
• RPC_server.xml - XML-representation of how function calls are represented by bytes (useful to be read by programs)
• RPC_server.html - HTML-representation of how function calls are represented by bytes (useful to be read by humans)
• RPC_server.css - Styling for server.html
• RPC_parse.c -Parser for the server that evaluates requests and calls the appropriate functions

Getting started

Generate a project using CMake inside Testprojects/ClientServer/Project or Testprojects/AliceBob/Project. Compile and run the ClientServer testproject to see one way communication and the AliceBob testproject to see 2-way communication over TCP sockets. Next you can add suitable functions in server.h and their implementation in the server to make them available. Next you may want to replace the network implementation inside network.cpp with communication over USB, Bluetooth, Comports or other network devices.

TODO

• Add support for unions
• Add python script to read .xml file to implement encode/decode functionality
• Copy comments from source to header
• Add documentation for pragmas
• Benchmark performance, possibly make comparison to other RPC-generators
• Improve smartness of enum values to take #defines and variables into account
• Implement any bit length integer support
• Implement pointer support