how does GENERATED_BODY() work?

the UCLASS(), USTRUCT(), and other reflection macros - but especially the GENERATED_BODY() macro might seem a bit magical the first time you see them.
2024-04-09
- the thing about it is that it defies the usual rules of how C++ macros work. let’s have a look at it together.
  2024-04-09
what does it even expand to?
2024-04-09
- try looking at what your IDE’s autocomplete suggests - from a cursory glance at the symbols available in a UCLASS()-declared class, you will notice there are a few that are non-standard ones, such as StaticClass() or Super. this is what the GENERATED_BODY() macro ends up expanding to after all the preprocessing is done.
  2024-04-09
  - but the thing is that Super is a typedef to the parent class - how does it know the parent class without passing it in as a macro argument?
    2024-04-09
  - and StaticClass() returns a different value for each class. this would require knowing the class beforehand - how does it know?
    2024-04-09
the thing is - it doesn’t. GENERATED_BODY() by itself is incredibly stupid:
```
#define BODY_MACRO_COMBINE_INNER(A,B,C,D) A##B##C##D
#define BODY_MACRO_COMBINE(A,B,C,D) BODY_MACRO_COMBINE_INNER(A,B,C,D)
#define GENERATED_BODY(...) BODY_MACRO_COMBINE(CURRENT_FILE_ID,_,__LINE__,_GENERATED_BODY);
```
let’s disassemble it piece by piece.
2024-04-09
- BODY_MACRO_COMBINE is just a macro combining four identifiers together. no magic here.
  2024-04-09
- so GENERATED_BODY combines the identifiers CURRENT_FILE_ID, _, __LINE__, and _GENERATED_BODY.
  2024-04-09
  - CURRENT_FILE_ID is a preprocessor macro defined by the UnrealBuildTool for each file. for simplicity’s sake, let’s assume it’s the filename with dots replaced by underscores. for instance, GameplayAbility_h.
    2024-04-09
    the actual form it seems to take is FID_{Path} with {Path} being the file path relative to the project root directory, with slashes and dots replaced with underscores. for:
    
    Engine/Source/Runtime/Engine/Classes/Engine/Blueprint.h
    
    the file ID is:
    
    FID_Engine_Source_Runtime_Engine_Classes_Engine_Blueprint_h
    
    I haven’t inspected the UnrealBuildTool/UnrealHeaderTool sources though, so there may be more to it.
    2024-04-09
  - _ is just an underscore. nothing magical here.
    2024-04-09
  - __LINE__ is a standard C++ macro which expands to the current line number.
    2024-04-09
  - and _GENERATED_BODY is just an identifier.
    2024-04-09
- therefore for a simple file, let’s call it MyClass.h:
  
  #pragma once #include "UObject/Object.h" #include "MyClass.generated.h" UCLASS() class UMyClass : public UObject { GENERATED_BODY() };
  
  after expanding the GENERATED_BODY(), we’ll get this:
  
  // -- snip -- UCLASS() class UMyClass : public UObject { MyClass_h_10_GENERATED_BODY };
  2024-04-09
  - and this identifier is declared as a macro in the UnrealHeaderTool-generated MyClass.generated.h - and expands to a bunch of declarations, including the declaration of Super and StaticClass, as well as constructors if they’re not already declared.
    2024-04-09
    you can even inspect the source code of .generated.h files yourself, by <kbd>Ctrl</kbd>+clicking on them (at least in Rider. I haven’t tested Visual Studio.)
    2024-04-09
that’s all there is to it. incredibly simple, cursed as heck, yet super effective.
2024-04-09

© riki moe / りき萌

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