[NSDictionary description] equivalent for CFDictionary

[djRA]

Is there an equivalent API for CFDictionary to display its contents the way [NSDictionary description] does?

I was able to dump the CFDictionary using XML by:
CFDataRef tempData = CFPropertyListCreateXMLData(NULL, dict);
CFStringRef tempStrRef = CFStringCreateFromExternalRepresentation(NULL, tempData, kCFStringEncodingASCII);

And tempStrRef gets a plist format of the dictionary but [NSDictionary description] has a different output.

Is there a way to get the same behavior as [description] without having to cast CFDictionary to NSDictionary? I can't use Objective-C code in the program.

[kainjow]

Try CFCopyDescription()

I can't use Objective-C code in the program.

Why not? Just curious :)

[djRA]

I'm sorry I forgot to mention but I've already tried CFCopyDescription. It has a different output format even less readable than CFStringCreateFromExternalRepresentation due to the extra hash information and the output has no indention unlike CFStringCreateFromExternalRepresentation and [description].

We can't use Objective-C because we're compiling this code as C (*.c). Why as C, you might ask. We're trying to keep it as simple and sort of low-level-ish.

Is it possible to invoke [NSDictionary/NSObject description] in C syntax? Like objc_msgsend() or something like that? :D

[kainjow]

You could create a separate .h/.m file with a function that calls [dict description] and return it as a CFStringRef.

Why do you need this in the first place? It shouldn't really be used anywhere else but for debugging purposes, according to the docs since the format could change.

[lee1210]

It sounds to me like you should just write a C function that iterates through the key/value pairs in a CFDictionary and builds a CFString with the exact format you want. Then you don't have to rely on all of this silliness.

-Lee

[Catfish_Man]

We can't use Objective-C because we're compiling this code as C (*.c). Why as C, you might ask. We're trying to keep it as simple and sort of low-level-ish.


Complicating things to keep them simple seems a bit nonsensical. Just rename to .m and use -description.


Is it possible to invoke [NSDictionary/NSObject description] in C syntax? Like objc_msgsend() or something like that? :D

This is just using ObjC in a more complicated way. You're not fooling the compiler :P

[chown33]

We can't use Objective-C because we're compiling this code as C (*.c). Why as C, you might ask. We're trying to keep it as simple and sort of low-level-ish.

Is it possible to invoke [NSDictionary/NSObject description] in C syntax? Like objc_msgsend() or something like that? :D

Nothing like deception to really complicate things.

Isolate the function that returns the description. Implement it in .m or .c or whatever. The function declaration stays the same:
extern CFStringRef dictDescription( CFDictionaryRef dict );



Why does the string have to be exactly in the -description format? Is it for debugging? Pfah, do whatever works. Is it for exporting to a particular format? Write your own function, like Lee1210 suggested (because -description's output can change, and has in the past). Is the string for something else? What?

[Muncher]

Is it possible to invoke [NSDictionary/NSObject description] in C syntax? Like objc_msgsend() or something like that? :D

Using objc_msgsend() doesn't change anything. You can look at some of the optimizations here (http://www.mulle-kybernetik.com/artikel/Optimization/opti-3.html) though. Why do you need the extra speed? Running something heavy in real-time?