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### Decorator

For programs which need to modify either the outgoing WebSocket HTTP Upgrade request, the outgoing WebSocket HTTP Upgrade response, or both, the stream supports an optional property called a decorator. This is a function pointer or callable object which is invoked before the implementation sends an HTTP message. The decorator receives a modifiable reference to the message, allowing for modifications. The interface to this system uses:

Table 1.31. WebSocket Decorator Interface

Name | Description
--- | ---
`request_type` | This is the type of the object passed to the decorator to represent HTTP Upgrade requests.
`response_type` | This is the type of the object passed to the decorator to represent HTTP Upgrade response.
`stream_base::decorator` | Objects of this type are used to hold a decorator to be set on the stream using `set_option`.
`stream::set_option` | This function is used to set a `stream_base::decorator` on the stream.

This declares a normal function which decorates outgoing HTTP requests:

    void set_user_agent(request_type& req)
    {
        // Set the User-Agent on the request
        req.set(http::field::user_agent, "My User Agent");
    }

When using a decorator, it must be set on the stream before any handshaking takes place. This sets the decorator on the stream, to be used for all subsequent calls to accept or handshake:

    stream<tcp_stream> ws(ioc);

    // The function `set_user_agent` will be invoked with
    // every upgrade request before it is sent by the stream.

    ws.set_option(stream_base::decorator(&set_user_agent));

Alternatively, a function object may be used. Small function objects will not incur a memory allocation. The follow code declares and sets a function object as a decorator:

    struct set_server
    {
        void operator()(response_type& res)
        {
            // Set the Server field on the response
            res.set(http::field::user_agent, "My Server");
        }
    };

    ws.set_option(stream_base::decorator(set_server{}));

A lambda may be used in place of a named function object:

    ws.set_option(stream_base::decorator(
        [](response_type& res)
        {
            // Set the Server field on the response
            res.set(http::field::user_agent, "My Server");
        }));

It also possible for a single decorator to handle both requests and responses, if it is overloaded for both types either as a generic lambda (C++14 and later) or as a class as shown here:

    struct set_message_fields
    {
        void operator()(request_type& req)
        {
            // Set the User-Agent on the request
            req.set(http::field::user_agent, "My User Agent");
        }

        void operator()(response_type& res)
        {
            // Set the Server field on the response
            res.set(http::field::user_agent, "My Server");
        }
    };

    ws.set_option(stream_base::decorator(set_message_fields{}));

The implementation takes ownership by decay-copy of the invocable object used as the decorator. Move-only types are possible:

    struct set_auth
    {
        std::unique_ptr<std::string> key;

        void operator()(request_type& req)
        {
            // Set the authorization field
            req.set(http::field::authorization, *key);
        }
    };

    // The stream takes ownership of the decorator object
    ws.set_option(stream_base::decorator(
        set_auth{boost::make_unique<std::string>("Basic QWxhZGRpbjpPcGVuU2VzYW1l")}));

| Important
Undefined behavior results if the decorator modifies the fields specific to perform the WebSocket Upgrade, such as the Upgrade or Connection fields.