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Quick Start

This guide shows you how to create a simple message, generate code, and use it in C++.

1. Create a Proto File

Create a file called status.proto:

package example;

message Status {
  option msgid = 1;
  uint32 id = 1;
  float value = 2;
}

2. Generate Code

Generate C++ code from the proto file:

python -m struct_frame status.proto --build_cpp --cpp_path generated/

This creates generated/example.structframe.hpp (note: package name is prefixed to the message name).

3. Use the Generated Code

Here's a simple C++ example that encodes and parses a message:

#include "example.structframe.hpp"
#include <iostream>

int main() {
    // Create and populate a message (note: ExampleStatus, not Status)
    ExampleStatus status;
    status.id = 42;
    status.value = 3.14f;

    // The message is already in binary format - no encoding needed!
    // Just get a pointer to the struct
    uint8_t* buffer = (uint8_t*)&status;
    size_t size = sizeof(ExampleStatus);

    // Send buffer over serial, network, etc.
    // ...

    // On the receiving side, cast the buffer back to the struct
    ExampleStatus* received = (ExampleStatus*)buffer;
    std::cout << "ID: " << received->id << std::endl;
    std::cout << "Value: " << received->value << std::endl;

    return 0;
}

Compile and run: 

g++ -std=c++17 -I generated/ main.cpp -o main
./main

That's it! The C/C++ implementation uses packed structs that map directly to memory, so there's no encoding or decoding overhead.

Next Steps