This seems a bit of a stumper to me.

I'm trying to set up a simple class (for testing) that just initializes 
directfb. So I have this header file:

class dfbScreen
{
    IDirectFB* dfb;
    IDirectFBScreen* screen;
    IDirectFBFont* font;
      ....
    public:
       void openscreen();
       void closescreen();
       dfbScreen(); ~dfbScreen();
}

Now, of course, the implementation of those need to know the actual 
declarations of IDirectFB, IDirectFBFont, and so on. But everything in 
DirectFB is done with pointers, so you never actually declare a IDirectFB 
value as a value, only as a pointer.

So what do I need to put before "class dfbScreen" such that I can include 
just that class header file (without #include <directfb.h>) such that it 
compiles, given that directfb.h includes lines like
   typedef struct _IDirectFB IDirectFB;
   typedef struct _IDirectFBFont IDirectFBFont;
and so on?

If I put "class IDirectFB;" in front, it tells me that's a redeclaration 
when I include <directfb.h>.  If I don't, it tells me IDirectFB isn't defined.

What I'm doing right now is declaring
struct _IDirectFB; struct _IDirectFBFont; ...
class dfbScreen {
   struct _IDirectFB* dfb;
   struct _IDirectFBFont* font;
   ...
}

But that seems wrong, given that I have to grope around in someone else's 
headers to pull out private declarations to make it possible to compile a 
header that doesn't depend on those declarations.

I tried googling, but I didn't really find any clear answer.

The other choice is to make it into a separate class and add another level 
of indirection, but that too seems like a solution to what shouldn't be a 
problem?

-- 
   Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   I ordered stamps from Zazzle that read "Place Stamp Here".

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