`CONFIG_BT_NIMBLE_ROLE_CENTRAL` is required with esp-idf 5.5

[larryk3]

I updated to the latest version of esp-idf (v5.5) and the latest esp-nimble-cpp (2.3.1), and I needed to to enable CONFIG_BT_NIMBLE_ROLE_CENTRAL=y to make my code compile.

The latest release of esp-idf (v5.5), updated the underlying nimble library. In particular, it added #if MYNEWT_VAL(BLE_GATTC) around some of the deprecated functions:

https://github.com/espressif/esp-nimble/blob/cc3ac5416b46e6e9363dae357378c03b4975cfdb/nimble/host/src/ble_gattc.c#L5446

esp-nimble-cpp calls the deprecated ble_gattc_... instead of ble_gatts_... function. The ble_gattc_... function calls the ble_gatts_... directly, so it seems like esp-nimble-cpp could just call the ble_gatts_... function directly.

I believe the only place the ble_gattc_indicate_custom and ble_gattc_notify_custom are called are in this file:

https://github.com/h2zero/esp-nimble-cpp/blob/master/src/NimBLECharacteristic.cpp#L281

[h2zero]

Thanks @larryk3, I will update this accordingly

[iranl]

I believe this is part of the same issue that is partly fixed by PR #349.

This behaviour was introduced by commit espressif/esp-nimble@375cc98...45352c4

There is no deprecation as far as I am aware.

ble_gatts functions are now only defined if the GATT server is enabled and ble_gattc functions are now only defined if the GATT client is enabled. Previously these functions were defined but just didn't have any effect when GATT client or server were not defined.

[larryk3]

There is no deprecation as far as I am aware.

#if MYNEWT_VAL(BLE_GATTC)
/**
 * Deprecated. Should not be used. Use ble_gatts_indicate_custom instead.
 */
int
ble_gattc_indicate_custom(uint16_t conn_handle, uint16_t chr_val_handle,
                          struct os_mbuf *txom)
{
    return ble_gatts_indicate_custom(conn_handle, chr_val_handle, txom);
}
#endif

It was deprecated 3 years ago: apache/mynewt-nimble#1013

[iranl]

I stand corrected on this function.

But the MYNEWT_VAL(....) macros where added in the mentioned commit and are the reason you need to enable both peripheral and central to get esp-nimble-cpp to compile starting with esp-idf 5.5. And these are the prime reason you are having issues, not the fact that this function has been deprecated for a long time.

[larryk3]

And these are the prime reason you are having issues, not the fact that this function has been deprecated for a long time.

Sorry if my original post was not clear. I meant to say that the deprecated function are now surrounded by the macros and switching to the new function will avoid the macro.

[h2zero]

I will be addressing this soon, many projects on the go at the moment, hope to clear some things up shortly.