How do I serialize and deserialize contents with std::map for embedded targets?

When working with embedded targets, it's essential to serialize and deserialize data structures like `std::map` effectively. This enables you to store and retrieve data in a compact format, suitable for environments with limited resources. Here's a guide on how to accomplish that in C++.

Serialization and Deserialization of std::map

Serialization is the process of converting a data structure into a format that can be easily stored or transmitted, while deserialization is the reverse process. Below is an example of how to serialize and deserialize a `std::map` using a simple string-based approach.

#include <iostream> #include <map> #include <sstream> std::string serialize(const std::map<int, std::string> &m) { std::ostringstream oss; for (const auto &pair : m) { oss << pair.first << ',' << pair.second << ';'; } return oss.str(); } std::map<int, std::string> deserialize(const std::string &str) { std::map<int, std::string> m; std::istringstream iss(str); std::string pair; while (std::getline(iss, pair, ';')) { std::istringstream pair_stream(pair); int key; std::string value; if (std::getline(pair_stream, value, ',') && pair_stream >> key) { m[key] = value; } } return m; } int main() { std::map<int, std::string> data = { {1, "one"}, {2, "two"}, {3, "three"} }; std::string serialized = serialize(data); std::cout << "Serialized: " << serialized << std::endl; std::map<int, std::string> deserialized = deserialize(serialized); for (const auto &pair : deserialized) { std::cout << pair.first << ": " << pair.second << std::endl; } return 0; }

serialization deserialization std::map C++ embedded systems data storage