Multiple dispatch in C++

Question

I am trying to understand what multiple dispatch is. I read a lot of various texts but I still have no idea what multiple dispatch is and what it is good for. Maybe the thing I am missing is piece of code using multiple dispatch. Please, can you write a little piece of code in C++ using multiple dispatch so that I can see it cannot be compiled/runned properly because C++ has only single dispatch? I need to see the difference. Thanks.

Answer 1

Multi-dispatch is the ability to choose which version of a function to call based on the runtime type of the arguments passed to the function call.

Here's an example that won't work right in C++ (untested):

class A { };
class B : public A { };
class C : public A { }


class Foo
{
  virtual void MyFn(A* arg1, A* arg2) { printf("A,A\n"); }
  virtual void MyFn(B* arg1, B* arg2) { printf("B,B\n"); }
  virtual void MyFn(C* arg1, B* arg2) { printf("C,B\n"); }
  virtual void MyFn(B* arg1, C* arg2) { printf("B,C\n"); }
  virtual void MyFn(C* arg1, C* arg2) { printf("C,C\n"); }
};

void CallMyFn(A* arg1, A* arg2)
{
  // ideally, with multi-dispatch, at this point the correct MyFn() 
  // would be called, based on the RUNTIME type of arg1 and arg2
  pFoo->MyFn(arg1, arg2);
}

...

A* arg1 = new B();
A* arg2 = new C();
// Using multi-dispatch this would print "B,C"... but because C++ only
// uses single-dispatch it will print out "A,A"
CallMyFn(arg1, arg2);

Answer 2

Multiple dispatch is when the function that gets executed depends on the run time type of more than one object.

C++ has single dispatch because when you use virtual functions, the actual function that gets run depends only on the run-time type of the object to the left of the -> or . operator.

I'm struggling to think of a real programming case for multiple dispatch. Maybe in a game where various characters fight each other.

void Fight(Opponent& opponent1, Opponent& opponent2);

The winner of a fight may depend on the characteristics of both opponents, so you may want this call to dispatch to one of the following, depending on the run-time types of both arguments:

void Fight(Elephant& elephant, Mouse& mouse)
{
    mouse.Scare(elephant);
}

void Fight(Ninja& ninja, Mouse& mouse)
{
    ninja.KarateChop(mouse);
}

void Fight(Cat& cat, Mouse& mouse)
{
    cat.Catch(mouse);
}

void Fight(Ninja& ninja, Elephant& elephant)
{
    elephant.Trample(ninja);
}

// Etc.

What the function does depends on the types of both arguments, not just one. In C++ you might have to write this as some virtual functions. A virtual function would be selected depending on one argument (the this pointer). Then, the virtual function may need to contain a switch or something to do something particular to the other argument.

Answer 3

In single dispatch the function executed depends on just the object type. In double dispatch the function executed depends on the object type and a parameter.

In the following example, the function Area() is invoked using single dispatch, and Intersect() relies on double dispatch because it takes a Shape parameter.

class Circle;
class Rectangle;
class Shape
{
    virtual double Area() = 0; // Single dispatch

    // ...
    virtual double Intersect(const Shape& s) = 0; // double dispatch, take a Shape argument
    virtual double Intersect(const Circle& s) = 0; 
    virtual double Intersect(const Rectangle& s) = 0; 
};

struct Circle : public Shape
{
    virtual double Area() { return /* pi*r*r */; }

    virtual double Intersect(const Shape& s); 
    { return s.Intersect(*this)  ; }
    virtual double Intersect(const Circle& s); 
    { /*circle-circle*/ }
    virtual double Intersect(const Rectangle& s); 
    { /*circle-rectangle*/ }
};

The example is based on this article.