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.\" ========================================================================
.\"
.IX Title "PERLXS 1"
.TH PERLXS 1 "2019-10-24" "perl v5.30.2" "Perl Programmers Reference Guide"
.\" For nroff, turn off justification. Always turn off hyphenation; it makes
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.nh
.SH "NAME"
perlxs \- XS language reference manual
.SH "DESCRIPTION"
.IX Header "DESCRIPTION"
.SS "Introduction"
.IX Subsection "Introduction"
\&\s-1XS\s0 is an interface description file format used to create an extension
interface between Perl and C code (or a C library) which one wishes
to use with Perl. The \s-1XS\s0 interface is combined with the library to
create a new library which can then be either dynamically loaded
or statically linked into perl. The \s-1XS\s0 interface description is
written in the \s-1XS\s0 language and is the core component of the Perl
extension interface.
.PP
Before writing \s-1XS,\s0 read the \*(L"\s-1CAVEATS\*(R"\s0 section below.
.PP
An \fB\s-1XSUB\s0\fR forms the basic unit of the \s-1XS\s0 interface. After compilation
by the \fBxsubpp\fR compiler, each \s-1XSUB\s0 amounts to a C function definition
which will provide the glue between Perl calling conventions and C
calling conventions.
.PP
The glue code pulls the arguments from the Perl stack, converts these
Perl values to the formats expected by a C function, call this C function,
transfers the return values of the C function back to Perl.
Return values here may be a conventional C return value or any C
function arguments that may serve as output parameters. These return
values may be passed back to Perl either by putting them on the
Perl stack, or by modifying the arguments supplied from the Perl side.
.PP
The above is a somewhat simplified view of what really happens. Since
Perl allows more flexible calling conventions than C, XSUBs may do much
more in practice, such as checking input parameters for validity,
throwing exceptions (or returning undef/empty list) if the return value
from the C function indicates failure, calling different C functions
based on numbers and types of the arguments, providing an object-oriented
interface, etc.
.PP
Of course, one could write such glue code directly in C. However, this
would be a tedious task, especially if one needs to write glue for
multiple C functions, and/or one is not familiar enough with the Perl
stack discipline and other such arcana. \s-1XS\s0 comes to the rescue here:
instead of writing this glue C code in long-hand, one can write
a more concise short-hand \fIdescription\fR of what should be done by
the glue, and let the \s-1XS\s0 compiler \fBxsubpp\fR handle the rest.
.PP
The \s-1XS\s0 language allows one to describe the mapping between how the C
routine is used, and how the corresponding Perl routine is used. It
also allows creation of Perl routines which are directly translated to
C code and which are not related to a pre-existing C function. In cases
when the C interface coincides with the Perl interface, the \s-1XSUB\s0
declaration is almost identical to a declaration of a C function (in K&R
style). In such circumstances, there is another tool called \f(CW\*(C`h2xs\*(C'\fR
that is able to translate an entire C header file into a corresponding
\&\s-1XS\s0 file that will provide glue to the functions/macros described in
the header file.
.PP
The \s-1XS\s0 compiler is called \fBxsubpp\fR. This compiler creates
the constructs necessary to let an \s-1XSUB\s0 manipulate Perl values, and
creates the glue necessary to let Perl call the \s-1XSUB.\s0 The compiler
uses \fBtypemaps\fR to determine how to map C function parameters
and output values to Perl values and back. The default typemap
(which comes with Perl) handles many common C types. A supplementary
typemap may also be needed to handle any special structures and types
for the library being linked. For more information on typemaps,
see perlxstypemap.
.PP
A file in \s-1XS\s0 format starts with a C language section which goes until the
first \f(CW\*(C`MODULE =\*(C'\fR directive. Other \s-1XS\s0 directives and \s-1XSUB\s0 definitions
may follow this line. The \*(L"language\*(R" used in this part of the file
is usually referred to as the \s-1XS\s0 language. \fBxsubpp\fR recognizes and
skips \s-1POD\s0 (see perlpod) in both the C and \s-1XS\s0 language sections, which
allows the \s-1XS\s0 file to contain embedded documentation.
.PP
See perlxstut for a tutorial on the whole extension creation process.
.PP
Note: For some extensions, Dave Beazley's \s-1SWIG\s0 system may provide a
significantly more convenient mechanism for creating the extension
glue code. See <http://www.swig.org/> for more information.
.SS "On The Road"
.IX Subsection "On The Road"
Many of the examples which follow will concentrate on creating an interface
between Perl and the \s-1ONC+ RPC\s0 bind library functions. The \fBrpcb_gettime()\fR
function is used to demonstrate many features of the \s-1XS\s0 language. This
function has two parameters; the first is an input parameter and the second
is an output parameter. The function also returns a status value.
.PP
.Vb 1
\& bool_t rpcb_gettime(const char *host, time_t *timep);
.Ve
.PP
From C this function will be called with the following
statements.
.PP
.Vb 4
\& #include <rpc/rpc.h>
\& bool_t status;
\& time_t timep;
\& status = rpcb_gettime( "localhost", &timep );
.Ve
.PP
If an \s-1XSUB\s0 is created to offer a direct translation between this function
and Perl, then this \s-1XSUB\s0 will be used from Perl with the following code.
The \f(CW$status\fR and \f(CW$timep\fR variables will contain the output of the function.
.PP
.Vb 2
\& use RPC;
\& $status = rpcb_gettime( "localhost", $timep );
.Ve
.PP
The following \s-1XS\s0 file shows an \s-1XS\s0 subroutine, or \s-1XSUB,\s0 which
demonstrates one possible interface to the \fBrpcb_gettime()\fR
function. This \s-1XSUB\s0 represents a direct translation between
C and Perl and so preserves the interface even from Perl.
This \s-1XSUB\s0 will be invoked from Perl with the usage shown
above. Note that the first three #include statements, for
\&\f(CW\*(C`EXTERN.h\*(C'\fR, \f(CW\*(C`perl.h\*(C'\fR, and \f(CW\*(C`XSUB.h\*(C'\fR, will always be present at the
beginning of an \s-1XS\s0 file. This approach and others will be
expanded later in this document. A #define for \f(CW\*(C`PERL_NO_GET_CONTEXT\*(C'\fR
should be present to fetch the interpreter context more efficiently,
see perlguts for details.
.PP
.Vb 5
\& #define PERL_NO_GET_CONTEXT
\& #include "EXTERN.h"
\& #include "perl.h"
\& #include "XSUB.h"
\& #include <rpc/rpc.h>
\&
\& MODULE = RPC PACKAGE = RPC
\&
\& bool_t
\& rpcb_gettime(host,timep)
\& char *host
\& time_t &timep
\& OUTPUT:
\& timep
.Ve
.PP
Any extension to Perl, including those containing XSUBs,
should have a Perl module to serve as the bootstrap which
pulls the extension into Perl. This module will export the
extension's functions and variables to the Perl program and
will cause the extension's XSUBs to be linked into Perl.
The following module will be used for most of the examples
in this document and should be used from Perl with the \f(CW\*(C`use\*(C'\fR
command as shown earlier. Perl modules are explained in
more detail later in this document.
.PP
.Vb 1
\& package RPC;
\&
\& require Exporter;
\& require DynaLoader;
\& @ISA = qw(Exporter DynaLoader);
\& @EXPORT = qw( rpcb_gettime );
\&
\& bootstrap RPC;
\& 1;
.Ve
.PP
Throughout this document a variety of interfaces to the \fBrpcb_gettime()\fR
\&\s-1XSUB\s0 will be explored. The XSUBs will take their parameters in different
orders or will take different numbers of parameters. In each case the
\&\s-1XSUB\s0 is an abstraction between Perl and the real C \fBrpcb_gettime()\fR
function, and the \s-1XSUB\s0 must always ensure that the real \fBrpcb_gettime()\fR
function is called with the correct parameters. This abstraction will
allow the programmer to create a more Perl-like interface to the C
function.
.SS "The Anatomy of an \s-1XSUB\s0"
.IX Subsection "The Anatomy of an XSUB"
The simplest XSUBs consist of 3 parts: a description of the return
value, the name of the \s-1XSUB\s0 routine and the names of its arguments,
and a description of types or formats of the arguments.
.PP
The following \s-1XSUB\s0 allows a Perl program to access a C library function
called \fBsin()\fR. The \s-1XSUB\s0 will imitate the C function which takes a single
argument and returns a single value.
.PP
.Vb 3
\& double
\& sin(x)
\& double x
.Ve
.PP
Optionally, one can merge the description of types and the list of
argument names, rewriting this as
.PP
.Vb 2
\& double
\& sin(double x)
.Ve
.PP
This makes this \s-1XSUB\s0 look similar to an \s-1ANSI C\s0 declaration. An optional
semicolon is allowed after the argument list, as in
.PP
.Vb 2
\& double
\& sin(double x);
.Ve
.PP
Parameters with C pointer types can have different semantic: C functions
with similar declarations
.PP
.Vb 2
\& bool string_looks_as_a_number(char *s);
\& bool make_char_uppercase(char *c);
.Ve
.PP
are used in absolutely incompatible manner. Parameters to these functions
could be described \fBxsubpp\fR like this:
.PP
.Vb 2
\& char * s
\& char &c
.Ve
.PP
Both these \s-1XS\s0 declarations correspond to the \f(CW\*(C`char*\*(C'\fR C type, but they have
different semantics, see \*(L"The & Unary Operator\*(R".
.PP
It is convenient to think that the indirection operator
\&\f(CW\*(C`*\*(C'\fR should be considered as a part of the type and the address operator \f(CW\*(C`&\*(C'\fR
should be considered part of the variable. See perlxstypemap
for more info about handling qualifiers and unary operators in C types.
.PP
The function name and the return type must be placed on
separate lines and should be flush left-adjusted.
.PP
.Vb 1
\& INCORRECT CORRECT
\&
\& double sin(x) double
\& double x sin(x)
\& double x
.Ve
.PP
The rest of the function description may be indented or left-adjusted. The
following example shows a function with its body left-adjusted. Most
examples in this document will indent the body for better readability.
.PP
.Vb 1
\& CORRECT
\&
\& double
\& sin(x)
\& double x
.Ve
.PP
More complicated XSUBs may contain many other sections. Each section of
an \s-1XSUB\s0 starts with the corresponding keyword, such as \s-1INIT:\s0 or \s-1CLEANUP:.\s0
However, the first two lines of an \s-1XSUB\s0 always contain the same data:
descriptions of the return type and the names of the function and its
parameters. Whatever immediately follows these is considered to be
an \s-1INPUT:\s0 section unless explicitly marked with another keyword.
(See \*(L"The \s-1INPUT:\s0 Keyword\*(R".)
.PP
An \s-1XSUB\s0 section continues until another section-start keyword is found.
.SS "The Argument Stack"
.IX Subsection "The Argument Stack"
The Perl argument stack is used to store the values which are
sent as parameters to the \s-1XSUB\s0 and to store the \s-1XSUB\s0's
return value(s). In reality all Perl functions (including non-XSUB
ones) keep their values on this stack all the same time, each limited
to its own range of positions on the stack. In this document the
first position on that stack which belongs to the active
function will be referred to as position 0 for that function.
.PP
XSUBs refer to their stack arguments with the macro \fB\s-1ST\s0(x)\fR, where \fIx\fR
refers to a position in this \s-1XSUB\s0's part of the stack. Position 0 for that
function would be known to the \s-1XSUB\s0 as \s-1\fBST\s0\fR\|(0). The \s-1XSUB\s0's incoming
parameters and outgoing return values always begin at \s-1\fBST\s0\fR\|(0). For many
simple cases the \fBxsubpp\fR compiler will generate the code necessary to
handle the argument stack by embedding code fragments found in the
typemaps. In more complex cases the programmer must supply the code.
.SS "The \s-1RETVAL\s0 Variable"
.IX Subsection "The RETVAL Variable"
The \s-1RETVAL\s0 variable is a special C variable that is declared automatically
for you. The C type of \s-1RETVAL\s0 matches the return type of the C library
function. The \fBxsubpp\fR compiler will declare this variable in each \s-1XSUB\s0
with non\-\f(CW\*(C`void\*(C'\fR return type. By default the generated C function
will use \s-1RETVAL\s0 to hold the return value of the C library function being
called. In simple cases the value of \s-1RETVAL\s0 will be placed in \s-1\fBST\s0\fR\|(0) of
the argument stack where it can be received by Perl as the return value
of the \s-1XSUB.\s0
.PP
If the \s-1XSUB\s0 has a return type of \f(CW\*(C`void\*(C'\fR then the compiler will
not declare a \s-1RETVAL\s0 variable for that function. When using
a \s-1PPCODE:\s0 section no manipulation of the \s-1RETVAL\s0 variable is required, the
section may use direct stack manipulation to place output values on the stack.
.PP
If \s-1PPCODE:\s0 directive is not used, \f(CW\*(C`void\*(C'\fR return value should be used
only for subroutines which do not return a value, \fIeven if\fR \s-1CODE:\s0
directive is used which sets \s-1\fBST\s0\fR\|(0) explicitly.
.PP
Older versions of this document recommended to use \f(CW\*(C`void\*(C'\fR return
value in such cases. It was discovered that this could lead to
segfaults in cases when \s-1XSUB\s0 was \fItruly\fR \f(CW\*(C`void\*(C'\fR. This practice is
now deprecated, and may be not supported at some future version. Use
the return value \f(CW\*(C`SV *\*(C'\fR in such cases. (Currently \f(CW\*(C`xsubpp\*(C'\fR contains
some heuristic code which tries to disambiguate between \*(L"truly-void\*(R"
and \*(L"old-practice-declared-as-void\*(R" functions. Hence your code is at
mercy of this heuristics unless you use \f(CW\*(C`SV *\*(C'\fR as return value.)
.SS "Returning SVs, AVs and HVs through \s-1RETVAL\s0"
.IX Subsection "Returning SVs, AVs and HVs through RETVAL"
When you're using \s-1RETVAL\s0 to return an \f(CW\*(C`SV *\*(C'\fR, there's some magic
going on behind the scenes that should be mentioned. When you're
manipulating the argument stack using the \s-1ST\s0(x) macro, for example,
you usually have to pay special attention to reference counts. (For
more about reference counts, see perlguts.) To make your life
easier, the typemap file automatically makes \f(CW\*(C`RETVAL\*(C'\fR mortal when
you're returning an \f(CW\*(C`SV *\*(C'\fR. Thus, the following two XSUBs are more
or less equivalent:
.PP
.Vb 6
\& void
\& alpha()
\& PPCODE:
\& ST(0) = newSVpv("Hello World",0);
\& sv_2mortal(ST(0));
\& XSRETURN(1);
\&
\& SV *
\& beta()
\& CODE:
\& RETVAL = newSVpv("Hello World",0);
\& OUTPUT:
\& RETVAL
.Ve
.PP
This is quite useful as it usually improves readability. While
this works fine for an \f(CW\*(C`SV *\*(C'\fR, it's unfortunately not as easy
to have \f(CW\*(C`AV *\*(C'\fR or \f(CW\*(C`HV *\*(C'\fR as a return value. You \fIshould\fR be
able to write:
.PP
.Vb 7
\& AV *
\& array()
\& CODE:
\& RETVAL = newAV();
\& /* do something with RETVAL */
\& OUTPUT:
\& RETVAL
.Ve
.PP
But due to an unfixable bug (fixing it would break lots of existing
\&\s-1CPAN\s0 modules) in the typemap file, the reference count of the \f(CW\*(C`AV *\*(C'\fR
is not properly decremented. Thus, the above \s-1XSUB\s0 would leak memory
whenever it is being called. The same problem exists for \f(CW\*(C`HV *\*(C'\fR,
\&\f(CW\*(C`CV *\*(C'\fR, and \f(CW\*(C`SVREF\*(C'\fR (which indicates a scalar reference, not
a general \f(CW\*(C`SV *\*(C'\fR).
In \s-1XS\s0 code on perls starting with perl 5.16, you can override the
typemaps for any of these types with a version that has proper
handling of refcounts. In your \f(CW\*(C`TYPEMAP\*(C'\fR section, do
.PP
.Vb 1
\& AV* T_AVREF_REFCOUNT_FIXED
.Ve
.PP
to get the repaired variant. For backward compatibility with older
versions of perl, you can instead decrement the reference count
manually when you're returning one of the aforementioned
types using \f(CW\*(C`sv_2mortal\*(C'\fR:
.PP
.Vb 8
\& AV *
\& array()
\& CODE:
\& RETVAL = newAV();
\& sv_2mortal((SV*)RETVAL);
\& /* do something with RETVAL */
\& OUTPUT:
\& RETVAL
.Ve
.PP
Remember that you don't have to do this for an \f(CW\*(C`SV *\*(C'\fR. The reference
documentation for all core typemaps can be found in perlxstypemap.
.SS "The \s-1MODULE\s0 Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The MODULE Keyword"
The \s-1MODULE\s0 keyword is used to start the \s-1XS\s0 code and to specify the package
of the functions which are being defined. All text preceding the first
\&\s-1MODULE\s0 keyword is considered C code and is passed through to the output with
\&\s-1POD\s0 stripped, but otherwise untouched. Every \s-1XS\s0 module will have a
bootstrap function which is used to hook the XSUBs into Perl. The package
name of this bootstrap function will match the value of the last \s-1MODULE\s0
statement in the \s-1XS\s0 source files. The value of \s-1MODULE\s0 should always remain
constant within the same \s-1XS\s0 file, though this is not required.
.PP
The following example will start the \s-1XS\s0 code and will place
all functions in a package named \s-1RPC.\s0
.PP
.Vb 1
\& MODULE = RPC
.Ve
.SS "The \s-1PACKAGE\s0 Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The PACKAGE Keyword"
When functions within an \s-1XS\s0 source file must be separated into packages
the \s-1PACKAGE\s0 keyword should be used. This keyword is used with the \s-1MODULE\s0
keyword and must follow immediately after it when used.
.PP
.Vb 1
\& MODULE = RPC PACKAGE = RPC
\&
\& [ XS code in package RPC ]
\&
\& MODULE = RPC PACKAGE = RPCB
\&
\& [ XS code in package RPCB ]
\&
\& MODULE = RPC PACKAGE = RPC
\&
\& [ XS code in package RPC ]
.Ve
.PP
The same package name can be used more than once, allowing for
non-contiguous code. This is useful if you have a stronger ordering
principle than package names.
.PP
Although this keyword is optional and in some cases provides redundant
information it should always be used. This keyword will ensure that the
XSUBs appear in the desired package.
.SS "The \s-1PREFIX\s0 Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The PREFIX Keyword"
The \s-1PREFIX\s0 keyword designates prefixes which should be
removed from the Perl function names. If the C function is
\&\f(CW\*(C`rpcb_gettime()\*(C'\fR and the \s-1PREFIX\s0 value is \f(CW\*(C`rpcb_\*(C'\fR then Perl will
see this function as \f(CW\*(C`gettime()\*(C'\fR.
.PP
This keyword should follow the \s-1PACKAGE\s0 keyword when used.
If \s-1PACKAGE\s0 is not used then \s-1PREFIX\s0 should follow the \s-1MODULE\s0
keyword.
.PP
.Vb 1
\& MODULE = RPC PREFIX = rpc_
\&
\& MODULE = RPC PACKAGE = RPCB PREFIX = rpcb_
.Ve
.SS "The \s-1OUTPUT:\s0 Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The OUTPUT: Keyword"
The \s-1OUTPUT:\s0 keyword indicates that certain function parameters should be
updated (new values made visible to Perl) when the \s-1XSUB\s0 terminates or that
certain values should be returned to the calling Perl function. For
simple functions which have no \s-1CODE:\s0 or \s-1PPCODE:\s0 section,
such as the \fBsin()\fR function above, the \s-1RETVAL\s0 variable is
automatically designated as an output value. For more complex functions
the \fBxsubpp\fR compiler will need help to determine which variables are output
variables.
.PP
This keyword will normally be used to complement the \s-1CODE:\s0 keyword.
The \s-1RETVAL\s0 variable is not recognized as an output variable when the
\&\s-1CODE:\s0 keyword is present. The \s-1OUTPUT:\s0 keyword is used in this
situation to tell the compiler that \s-1RETVAL\s0 really is an output
variable.
.PP
The \s-1OUTPUT:\s0 keyword can also be used to indicate that function parameters
are output variables. This may be necessary when a parameter has been
modified within the function and the programmer would like the update to
be seen by Perl.
.PP
.Vb 6
\& bool_t
\& rpcb_gettime(host,timep)
\& char *host
\& time_t &timep
\& OUTPUT:
\& timep
.Ve
.PP
The \s-1OUTPUT:\s0 keyword will also allow an output parameter to
be mapped to a matching piece of code rather than to a
typemap.
.PP
.Vb 6
\& bool_t
\& rpcb_gettime(host,timep)
\& char *host
\& time_t &timep
\& OUTPUT:
\& timep sv_setnv(ST(1), (double)timep);
.Ve
.PP
\&\fBxsubpp\fR emits an automatic \f(CW\*(C`SvSETMAGIC()\*(C'\fR for all parameters in the
\&\s-1OUTPUT\s0 section of the \s-1XSUB,\s0 except \s-1RETVAL.\s0 This is the usually desired
behavior, as it takes care of properly invoking 'set' magic on output
parameters (needed for hash or array element parameters that must be
created if they didn't exist). If for some reason, this behavior is
not desired, the \s-1OUTPUT\s0 section may contain a \f(CW\*(C`SETMAGIC: DISABLE\*(C'\fR line
to disable it for the remainder of the parameters in the \s-1OUTPUT\s0 section.
Likewise, \f(CW\*(C`SETMAGIC: ENABLE\*(C'\fR can be used to reenable it for the
remainder of the \s-1OUTPUT\s0 section. See perlguts for more details
about 'set' magic.
.SS "The \s-1NO_OUTPUT\s0 Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The NO_OUTPUT Keyword"
The \s-1NO_OUTPUT\s0 can be placed as the first token of the \s-1XSUB.\s0 This keyword
indicates that while the C subroutine we provide an interface to has
a non\-\f(CW\*(C`void\*(C'\fR return type, the return value of this C subroutine should not
be returned from the generated Perl subroutine.
.PP
With this keyword present \*(L"The \s-1RETVAL\s0 Variable\*(R" is created, and in the
generated call to the subroutine this variable is assigned to, but the value
of this variable is not going to be used in the auto-generated code.
.PP
This keyword makes sense only if \f(CW\*(C`RETVAL\*(C'\fR is going to be accessed by the
user-supplied code. It is especially useful to make a function interface
more Perl-like, especially when the C return value is just an error condition
indicator. For example,
.PP
.Vb 5
\& NO_OUTPUT int
\& delete_file(char *name)
\& POSTCALL:
\& if (RETVAL != 0)
\& croak("Error %d while deleting file \*(Aq%s\*(Aq", RETVAL, name);
.Ve
.PP
Here the generated \s-1XS\s0 function returns nothing on success, and will \fBdie()\fR
with a meaningful error message on error.
.SS "The \s-1CODE:\s0 Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The CODE: Keyword"
This keyword is used in more complicated XSUBs which require
special handling for the C function. The \s-1RETVAL\s0 variable is
still declared, but it will not be returned unless it is specified
in the \s-1OUTPUT:\s0 section.
.PP
The following \s-1XSUB\s0 is for a C function which requires special handling of
its parameters. The Perl usage is given first.
.PP
.Vb 1
\& $status = rpcb_gettime( "localhost", $timep );
.Ve
.PP
The \s-1XSUB\s0 follows.
.PP
.Vb 9
\& bool_t
\& rpcb_gettime(host,timep)
\& char *host
\& time_t timep
\& CODE:
\& RETVAL = rpcb_gettime( host, &timep );
\& OUTPUT:
\& timep
\& RETVAL
.Ve
.SS "The \s-1INIT:\s0 Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The INIT: Keyword"
The \s-1INIT:\s0 keyword allows initialization to be inserted into the \s-1XSUB\s0 before
the compiler generates the call to the C function. Unlike the \s-1CODE:\s0 keyword
above, this keyword does not affect the way the compiler handles \s-1RETVAL.\s0
.PP
.Vb 8
\& bool_t
\& rpcb_gettime(host,timep)
\& char *host
\& time_t &timep
\& INIT:
\& printf("# Host is %s\en", host );
\& OUTPUT:
\& timep
.Ve
.PP
Another use for the \s-1INIT:\s0 section is to check for preconditions before
making a call to the C function:
.PP
.Vb 9
\& long long
\& lldiv(a,b)
\& long long a
\& long long b
\& INIT:
\& if (a == 0 && b == 0)
\& XSRETURN_UNDEF;
\& if (b == 0)
\& croak("lldiv: cannot divide by 0");
.Ve
.SS "The \s-1NO_INIT\s0 Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The NO_INIT Keyword"
The \s-1NO_INIT\s0 keyword is used to indicate that a function
parameter is being used only as an output value. The \fBxsubpp\fR
compiler will normally generate code to read the values of
all function parameters from the argument stack and assign
them to C variables upon entry to the function. \s-1NO_INIT\s0
will tell the compiler that some parameters will be used for
output rather than for input and that they will be handled
before the function terminates.
.PP
The following example shows a variation of the \fBrpcb_gettime()\fR function.
This function uses the timep variable only as an output variable and does
not care about its initial contents.
.PP
.Vb 6
\& bool_t
\& rpcb_gettime(host,timep)
\& char *host
\& time_t &timep = NO_INIT
\& OUTPUT:
\& timep
.Ve
.SS "The \s-1TYPEMAP:\s0 Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The TYPEMAP: Keyword"
Starting with Perl 5.16, you can embed typemaps into your \s-1XS\s0 code
instead of or in addition to typemaps in a separate file. Multiple
such embedded typemaps will be processed in order of appearance in
the \s-1XS\s0 code and like local typemap files take precedence over the
default typemap, the embedded typemaps may overwrite previous
definitions of \s-1TYPEMAP, INPUT,\s0 and \s-1OUTPUT\s0 stanzas. The syntax for
embedded typemaps is
.PP
.Vb 3
\& TYPEMAP: <<HERE
\& ... your typemap code here ...
\& HERE
.Ve
.PP
where the \f(CW\*(C`TYPEMAP\*(C'\fR keyword must appear in the first column of a
new line.
.PP
Refer to perlxstypemap for details on writing typemaps.
.SS "Initializing Function Parameters"
.IX Subsection "Initializing Function Parameters"
C function parameters are normally initialized with their values from
the argument stack (which in turn contains the parameters that were
passed to the \s-1XSUB\s0 from Perl). The typemaps contain the
code segments which are used to translate the Perl values to
the C parameters. The programmer, however, is allowed to
override the typemaps and supply alternate (or additional)
initialization code. Initialization code starts with the first
\&\f(CW\*(C`=\*(C'\fR, \f(CW\*(C`;\*(C'\fR or \f(CW\*(C`+\*(C'\fR on a line in the \s-1INPUT:\s0 section. The only
exception happens if this \f(CW\*(C`;\*(C'\fR terminates the line, then this \f(CW\*(C`;\*(C'\fR
is quietly ignored.
.PP
The following code demonstrates how to supply initialization code for
function parameters. The initialization code is eval'ed within double
quotes by the compiler before it is added to the output so anything
which should be interpreted literally [mainly \f(CW\*(C`$\*(C'\fR, \f(CW\*(C`@\*(C'\fR, or \f(CW\*(C`\e\e\*(C'\fR]
must be protected with backslashes. The variables \f(CW$var\fR, \f(CW$arg\fR,
and \f(CW$type\fR can be used as in typemaps.
.PP
.Vb 6
\& bool_t
\& rpcb_gettime(host,timep)
\& char *host = (char *)SvPV_nolen($arg);
\& time_t &timep = 0;
\& OUTPUT:
\& timep
.Ve
.PP
This should not be used to supply default values for parameters. One
would normally use this when a function parameter must be processed by
another library function before it can be used. Default parameters are
covered in the next section.
.PP
If the initialization begins with \f(CW\*(C`=\*(C'\fR, then it is output in
the declaration for the input variable, replacing the initialization
supplied by the typemap. If the initialization
begins with \f(CW\*(C`;\*(C'\fR or \f(CW\*(C`+\*(C'\fR, then it is performed after
all of the input variables have been declared. In the \f(CW\*(C`;\*(C'\fR
case the initialization normally supplied by the typemap is not performed.
For the \f(CW\*(C`+\*(C'\fR case, the declaration for the variable will include the
initialization from the typemap. A global
variable, \f(CW%v\fR, is available for the truly rare case where
information from one initialization is needed in another
initialization.
.PP
Here's a truly obscure example:
.PP
.Vb 6
\& bool_t
\& rpcb_gettime(host,timep)
\& time_t &timep; /* \e$v{timep}=@{[$v{timep}=$arg]} */
\& char *host + SvOK($v{timep}) ? SvPV_nolen($arg) : NULL;
\& OUTPUT:
\& timep
.Ve
.PP
The construct \f(CW\*(C`\e$v{timep}=@{[$v{timep}=$arg]}\*(C'\fR used in the above
example has a two-fold purpose: first, when this line is processed by
\&\fBxsubpp\fR, the Perl snippet \f(CW\*(C`$v{timep}=$arg\*(C'\fR is evaluated. Second,
the text of the evaluated snippet is output into the generated C file
(inside a C comment)! During the processing of \f(CW\*(C`char *host\*(C'\fR line,
\&\f(CW$arg\fR will evaluate to \f(CWST(0)\fR, and \f(CW$v{timep}\fR will evaluate to
\&\f(CWST(1)\fR.
.SS "Default Parameter Values"
.IX Subsection "Default Parameter Values"
Default values for \s-1XSUB\s0 arguments can be specified by placing an
assignment statement in the parameter list. The default value may
be a number, a string or the special string \f(CW\*(C`NO_INIT\*(C'\fR. Defaults should
always be used on the right-most parameters only.
.PP
To allow the \s-1XSUB\s0 for \fBrpcb_gettime()\fR to have a default host
value the parameters to the \s-1XSUB\s0 could be rearranged. The
\&\s-1XSUB\s0 will then call the real \fBrpcb_gettime()\fR function with
the parameters in the correct order. This \s-1XSUB\s0 can be called
from Perl with either of the following statements:
.PP
.Vb 1
\& $status = rpcb_gettime( $timep, $host );
\&
\& $status = rpcb_gettime( $timep );
.Ve
.PP
The \s-1XSUB\s0 will look like the code which follows. A \s-1CODE:\s0
block is used to call the real \fBrpcb_gettime()\fR function with
the parameters in the correct order for that function.
.PP
.Vb 9
\& bool_t
\& rpcb_gettime(timep,host="localhost")
\& char *host
\& time_t timep = NO_INIT
\& CODE:
\& RETVAL = rpcb_gettime( host, &timep );
\& OUTPUT:
\& timep
\& RETVAL
.Ve
.SS "The \s-1PREINIT:\s0 Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The PREINIT: Keyword"
The \s-1PREINIT:\s0 keyword allows extra variables to be declared immediately
before or after the declarations of the parameters from the \s-1INPUT:\s0 section
are emitted.
.PP
If a variable is declared inside a \s-1CODE:\s0 section it will follow any typemap
code that is emitted for the input parameters. This may result in the
declaration ending up after C code, which is C syntax error. Similar
errors may happen with an explicit \f(CW\*(C`;\*(C'\fR\-type or \f(CW\*(C`+\*(C'\fR\-type initialization of
parameters is used (see \*(L"Initializing Function Parameters\*(R"). Declaring
these variables in an \s-1INIT:\s0 section will not help.
.PP
In such cases, to force an additional variable to be declared together
with declarations of other variables, place the declaration into a
\&\s-1PREINIT:\s0 section. The \s-1PREINIT:\s0 keyword may be used one or more times
within an \s-1XSUB.\s0
.PP
The following examples are equivalent, but if the code is using complex
typemaps then the first example is safer.
.PP
.Vb 10
\& bool_t
\& rpcb_gettime(timep)
\& time_t timep = NO_INIT
\& PREINIT:
\& char *host = "localhost";
\& CODE:
\& RETVAL = rpcb_gettime( host, &timep );
\& OUTPUT:
\& timep
\& RETVAL
.Ve
.PP
For this particular case an \s-1INIT:\s0 keyword would generate the
same C code as the \s-1PREINIT:\s0 keyword. Another correct, but error-prone example:
.PP
.Vb 9
\& bool_t
\& rpcb_gettime(timep)
\& time_t timep = NO_INIT
\& CODE:
\& char *host = "localhost";
\& RETVAL = rpcb_gettime( host, &timep );
\& OUTPUT:
\& timep
\& RETVAL
.Ve
.PP
Another way to declare \f(CW\*(C`host\*(C'\fR is to use a C block in the \s-1CODE:\s0 section:
.PP
.Vb 11
\& bool_t
\& rpcb_gettime(timep)
\& time_t timep = NO_INIT
\& CODE:
\& {
\& char *host = "localhost";
\& RETVAL = rpcb_gettime( host, &timep );
\& }
\& OUTPUT:
\& timep
\& RETVAL
.Ve
.PP
The ability to put additional declarations before the typemap entries are
processed is very handy in the cases when typemap conversions manipulate
some global state:
.PP
.Vb 8
\& MyObject
\& mutate(o)
\& PREINIT:
\& MyState st = global_state;
\& INPUT:
\& MyObject o;
\& CLEANUP:
\& reset_to(global_state, st);
.Ve
.PP
Here we suppose that conversion to \f(CW\*(C`MyObject\*(C'\fR in the \s-1INPUT:\s0 section and from
MyObject when processing \s-1RETVAL\s0 will modify a global variable \f(CW\*(C`global_state\*(C'\fR.
After these conversions are performed, we restore the old value of
\&\f(CW\*(C`global_state\*(C'\fR (to avoid memory leaks, for example).
.PP
There is another way to trade clarity for compactness: \s-1INPUT\s0 sections allow
declaration of C variables which do not appear in the parameter list of
a subroutine. Thus the above code for \fBmutate()\fR can be rewritten as
.PP
.Vb 6
\& MyObject
\& mutate(o)
\& MyState st = global_state;
\& MyObject o;
\& CLEANUP:
\& reset_to(global_state, st);
.Ve
.PP
and the code for \fBrpcb_gettime()\fR can be rewritten as
.PP
.Vb 9
\& bool_t
\& rpcb_gettime(timep)
\& time_t timep = NO_INIT
\& char *host = "localhost";
\& C_ARGS:
\& host, &timep
\& OUTPUT:
\& timep
\& RETVAL
.Ve
.SS "The \s-1SCOPE:\s0 Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The SCOPE: Keyword"
The \s-1SCOPE:\s0 keyword allows scoping to be enabled for a particular \s-1XSUB.\s0 If
enabled, the \s-1XSUB\s0 will invoke \s-1ENTER\s0 and \s-1LEAVE\s0 automatically.
.PP
To support potentially complex type mappings, if a typemap entry used
by an \s-1XSUB\s0 contains a comment like \f(CW\*(C`/*scope*/\*(C'\fR then scoping will
be automatically enabled for that \s-1XSUB.\s0
.PP
To enable scoping:
.PP
.Vb 1
\& SCOPE: ENABLE
.Ve
.PP
To disable scoping:
.PP
.Vb 1
\& SCOPE: DISABLE
.Ve
.SS "The \s-1INPUT:\s0 Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The INPUT: Keyword"
The \s-1XSUB\s0's parameters are usually evaluated immediately after entering the
\&\s-1XSUB.\s0 The \s-1INPUT:\s0 keyword can be used to force those parameters to be
evaluated a little later. The \s-1INPUT:\s0 keyword can be used multiple times
within an \s-1XSUB\s0 and can be used to list one or more input variables. This
keyword is used with the \s-1PREINIT:\s0 keyword.
.PP
The following example shows how the input parameter \f(CW\*(C`timep\*(C'\fR can be
evaluated late, after a \s-1PREINIT.\s0
.PP
.Vb 10
\& bool_t
\& rpcb_gettime(host,timep)
\& char *host
\& PREINIT:
\& time_t tt;
\& INPUT:
\& time_t timep
\& CODE:
\& RETVAL = rpcb_gettime( host, &tt );
\& timep = tt;
\& OUTPUT:
\& timep
\& RETVAL
.Ve
.PP
The next example shows each input parameter evaluated late.
.PP
.Vb 10
\& bool_t
\& rpcb_gettime(host,timep)
\& PREINIT:
\& time_t tt;
\& INPUT:
\& char *host
\& PREINIT:
\& char *h;
\& INPUT:
\& time_t timep
\& CODE:
\& h = host;
\& RETVAL = rpcb_gettime( h, &tt );
\& timep = tt;
\& OUTPUT:
\& timep
\& RETVAL
.Ve
.PP
Since \s-1INPUT\s0 sections allow declaration of C variables which do not appear
in the parameter list of a subroutine, this may be shortened to:
.PP
.Vb 12
\& bool_t
\& rpcb_gettime(host,timep)
\& time_t tt;
\& char *host;
\& char *h = host;
\& time_t timep;
\& CODE:
\& RETVAL = rpcb_gettime( h, &tt );
\& timep = tt;
\& OUTPUT:
\& timep
\& RETVAL
.Ve
.PP
(We used our knowledge that input conversion for \f(CW\*(C`char *\*(C'\fR is a \*(L"simple\*(R" one,
thus \f(CW\*(C`host\*(C'\fR is initialized on the declaration line, and our assignment
\&\f(CW\*(C`h = host\*(C'\fR is not performed too early. Otherwise one would need to have the
assignment \f(CW\*(C`h = host\*(C'\fR in a \s-1CODE:\s0 or \s-1INIT:\s0 section.)
.SS "The \s-1IN/OUTLIST/IN_OUTLIST/OUT/IN_OUT\s0 Keywords"
.IX Subsection "The IN/OUTLIST/IN_OUTLIST/OUT/IN_OUT Keywords"
In the list of parameters for an \s-1XSUB,\s0 one can precede parameter names
by the \f(CW\*(C`IN\*(C'\fR/\f(CW\*(C`OUTLIST\*(C'\fR/\f(CW\*(C`IN_OUTLIST\*(C'\fR/\f(CW\*(C`OUT\*(C'\fR/\f(CW\*(C`IN_OUT\*(C'\fR keywords.
\&\f(CW\*(C`IN\*(C'\fR keyword is the default, the other keywords indicate how the Perl
interface should differ from the C interface.
.PP
Parameters preceded by \f(CW\*(C`OUTLIST\*(C'\fR/\f(CW\*(C`IN_OUTLIST\*(C'\fR/\f(CW\*(C`OUT\*(C'\fR/\f(CW\*(C`IN_OUT\*(C'\fR
keywords are considered to be used by the C subroutine \fIvia
pointers\fR. \f(CW\*(C`OUTLIST\*(C'\fR/\f(CW\*(C`OUT\*(C'\fR keywords indicate that the C subroutine
does not inspect the memory pointed by this parameter, but will write
through this pointer to provide additional return values.
.PP
Parameters preceded by \f(CW\*(C`OUTLIST\*(C'\fR keyword do not appear in the usage
signature of the generated Perl function.
.PP
Parameters preceded by \f(CW\*(C`IN_OUTLIST\*(C'\fR/\f(CW\*(C`IN_OUT\*(C'\fR/\f(CW\*(C`OUT\*(C'\fR \fIdo\fR appear as
parameters to the Perl function. With the exception of
\&\f(CW\*(C`OUT\*(C'\fR\-parameters, these parameters are converted to the corresponding
C type, then pointers to these data are given as arguments to the C
function. It is expected that the C function will write through these
pointers.
.PP
The return list of the generated Perl function consists of the C return value
from the function (unless the \s-1XSUB\s0 is of \f(CW\*(C`void\*(C'\fR return type or
\&\f(CW\*(C`The NO_OUTPUT Keyword\*(C'\fR was used) followed by all the \f(CW\*(C`OUTLIST\*(C'\fR
and \f(CW\*(C`IN_OUTLIST\*(C'\fR parameters (in the order of appearance). On the
return from the \s-1XSUB\s0 the \f(CW\*(C`IN_OUT\*(C'\fR/\f(CW\*(C`OUT\*(C'\fR Perl parameter will be
modified to have the values written by the C function.
.PP
For example, an \s-1XSUB\s0
.PP
.Vb 5
\& void
\& day_month(OUTLIST day, IN unix_time, OUTLIST month)
\& int day
\& int unix_time
\& int month
.Ve
.PP
should be used from Perl as
.PP
.Vb 1
\& my ($day, $month) = day_month(time);
.Ve
.PP
The C signature of the corresponding function should be
.PP
.Vb 1
\& void day_month(int *day, int unix_time, int *month);
.Ve
.PP
The \f(CW\*(C`IN\*(C'\fR/\f(CW\*(C`OUTLIST\*(C'\fR/\f(CW\*(C`IN_OUTLIST\*(C'\fR/\f(CW\*(C`IN_OUT\*(C'\fR/\f(CW\*(C`OUT\*(C'\fR keywords can be
mixed with ANSI-style declarations, as in
.PP
.Vb 2
\& void
\& day_month(OUTLIST int day, int unix_time, OUTLIST int month)
.Ve
.PP
(here the optional \f(CW\*(C`IN\*(C'\fR keyword is omitted).
.PP
The \f(CW\*(C`IN_OUT\*(C'\fR parameters are identical with parameters introduced with
\&\*(L"The & Unary Operator\*(R" and put into the \f(CW\*(C`OUTPUT:\*(C'\fR section (see
\&\*(L"The \s-1OUTPUT:\s0 Keyword\*(R"). The \f(CW\*(C`IN_OUTLIST\*(C'\fR parameters are very similar,
the only difference being that the value C function writes through the
pointer would not modify the Perl parameter, but is put in the output
list.
.PP
The \f(CW\*(C`OUTLIST\*(C'\fR/\f(CW\*(C`OUT\*(C'\fR parameter differ from \f(CW\*(C`IN_OUTLIST\*(C'\fR/\f(CW\*(C`IN_OUT\*(C'\fR
parameters only by the initial value of the Perl parameter not
being read (and not being given to the C function \- which gets some
garbage instead). For example, the same C function as above can be
interfaced with as
.PP
.Vb 1
\& void day_month(OUT int day, int unix_time, OUT int month);
.Ve
.PP
or
.PP
.Vb 8
\& void
\& day_month(day, unix_time, month)
\& int &day = NO_INIT
\& int unix_time
\& int &month = NO_INIT
\& OUTPUT:
\& day
\& month
.Ve
.PP
However, the generated Perl function is called in very C\-ish style:
.PP
.Vb 2
\& my ($day, $month);
\& day_month($day, time, $month);
.Ve
.ie n .SS "The ""length(NAME)"" Keyword"
.el .SS "The \f(CWlength(NAME)\fP Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The length(NAME) Keyword"
If one of the input arguments to the C function is the length of a string
argument \f(CW\*(C`NAME\*(C'\fR, one can substitute the name of the length-argument by
\&\f(CW\*(C`length(NAME)\*(C'\fR in the \s-1XSUB\s0 declaration. This argument must be omitted when
the generated Perl function is called. E.g.,
.PP
.Vb 9
\& void
\& dump_chars(char *s, short l)
\& {
\& short n = 0;
\& while (n < l) {
\& printf("s[%d] = \e"\e\e%#03o\e"\en", n, (int)s[n]);
\& n++;
\& }
\& }
\&
\& MODULE = x PACKAGE = x
\&
\& void dump_chars(char *s, short length(s))
.Ve
.PP
should be called as \f(CW\*(C`dump_chars($string)\*(C'\fR.
.PP
This directive is supported with ANSI-type function declarations only.
.SS "Variable-length Parameter Lists"
.IX Subsection "Variable-length Parameter Lists"
XSUBs can have variable-length parameter lists by specifying an ellipsis
\&\f(CW\*(C`(...)\*(C'\fR in the parameter list. This use of the ellipsis is similar to that
found in \s-1ANSI C.\s0 The programmer is able to determine the number of
arguments passed to the \s-1XSUB\s0 by examining the \f(CW\*(C`items\*(C'\fR variable which the
\&\fBxsubpp\fR compiler supplies for all XSUBs. By using this mechanism one can
create an \s-1XSUB\s0 which accepts a list of parameters of unknown length.
.PP
The \fIhost\fR parameter for the \fBrpcb_gettime()\fR \s-1XSUB\s0 can be
optional so the ellipsis can be used to indicate that the
\&\s-1XSUB\s0 will take a variable number of parameters. Perl should
be able to call this \s-1XSUB\s0 with either of the following statements.
.PP
.Vb 1
\& $status = rpcb_gettime( $timep, $host );
\&
\& $status = rpcb_gettime( $timep );
.Ve
.PP
The \s-1XS\s0 code, with ellipsis, follows.
.PP
.Vb 12
\& bool_t
\& rpcb_gettime(timep, ...)
\& time_t timep = NO_INIT
\& PREINIT:
\& char *host = "localhost";
\& CODE:
\& if( items > 1 )
\& host = (char *)SvPV_nolen(ST(1));
\& RETVAL = rpcb_gettime( host, &timep );
\& OUTPUT:
\& timep
\& RETVAL
.Ve
.SS "The C_ARGS: Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The C_ARGS: Keyword"
The C_ARGS: keyword allows creating of \s-1XSUBS\s0 which have different
calling sequence from Perl than from C, without a need to write
\&\s-1CODE:\s0 or \s-1PPCODE:\s0 section. The contents of the C_ARGS: paragraph is
put as the argument to the called C function without any change.
.PP
For example, suppose that a C function is declared as
.PP
.Vb 1
\& symbolic nth_derivative(int n, symbolic function, int flags);
.Ve
.PP
and that the default flags are kept in a global C variable
\&\f(CW\*(C`default_flags\*(C'\fR. Suppose that you want to create an interface which
is called as
.PP
.Vb 1
\& $second_deriv = $function\->nth_derivative(2);
.Ve
.PP
To do this, declare the \s-1XSUB\s0 as
.PP
.Vb 6
\& symbolic
\& nth_derivative(function, n)
\& symbolic function
\& int n
\& C_ARGS:
\& n, function, default_flags
.Ve
.SS "The \s-1PPCODE:\s0 Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The PPCODE: Keyword"
The \s-1PPCODE:\s0 keyword is an alternate form of the \s-1CODE:\s0 keyword and is used
to tell the \fBxsubpp\fR compiler that the programmer is supplying the code to
control the argument stack for the XSUBs return values. Occasionally one
will want an \s-1XSUB\s0 to return a list of values rather than a single value.
In these cases one must use \s-1PPCODE:\s0 and then explicitly push the list of
values on the stack. The \s-1PPCODE:\s0 and \s-1CODE:\s0 keywords should not be used
together within the same \s-1XSUB.\s0
.PP
The actual difference between \s-1PPCODE:\s0 and \s-1CODE:\s0 sections is in the
initialization of \f(CW\*(C`SP\*(C'\fR macro (which stands for the \fIcurrent\fR Perl
stack pointer), and in the handling of data on the stack when returning
from an \s-1XSUB.\s0 In \s-1CODE:\s0 sections \s-1SP\s0 preserves the value which was on
entry to the \s-1XSUB: SP\s0 is on the function pointer (which follows the
last parameter). In \s-1PPCODE:\s0 sections \s-1SP\s0 is moved backward to the
beginning of the parameter list, which allows \f(CW\*(C`PUSH*()\*(C'\fR macros
to place output values in the place Perl expects them to be when
the \s-1XSUB\s0 returns back to Perl.
.PP
The generated trailer for a \s-1CODE:\s0 section ensures that the number of return
values Perl will see is either 0 or 1 (depending on the \f(CW\*(C`void\*(C'\fRness of the
return value of the C function, and heuristics mentioned in
\&\*(L"The \s-1RETVAL\s0 Variable\*(R"). The trailer generated for a \s-1PPCODE:\s0 section
is based on the number of return values and on the number of times
\&\f(CW\*(C`SP\*(C'\fR was updated by \f(CW\*(C`[X]PUSH*()\*(C'\fR macros.
.PP
Note that macros \f(CWST(i)\fR, \f(CW\*(C`XST_m*()\*(C'\fR and \f(CW\*(C`XSRETURN*()\*(C'\fR work equally
well in \s-1CODE:\s0 sections and \s-1PPCODE:\s0 sections.
.PP
The following \s-1XSUB\s0 will call the C \fBrpcb_gettime()\fR function
and will return its two output values, timep and status, to
Perl as a single list.
.PP
.Vb 11
\& void
\& rpcb_gettime(host)
\& char *host
\& PREINIT:
\& time_t timep;
\& bool_t status;
\& PPCODE:
\& status = rpcb_gettime( host, &timep );
\& EXTEND(SP, 2);
\& PUSHs(sv_2mortal(newSViv(status)));
\& PUSHs(sv_2mortal(newSViv(timep)));
.Ve
.PP
Notice that the programmer must supply the C code necessary
to have the real \fBrpcb_gettime()\fR function called and to have
the return values properly placed on the argument stack.
.PP
The \f(CW\*(C`void\*(C'\fR return type for this function tells the \fBxsubpp\fR compiler that
the \s-1RETVAL\s0 variable is not needed or used and that it should not be created.
In most scenarios the void return type should be used with the \s-1PPCODE:\s0
directive.
.PP
The \s-1\fBEXTEND\s0()\fR macro is used to make room on the argument
stack for 2 return values. The \s-1PPCODE:\s0 directive causes the
\&\fBxsubpp\fR compiler to create a stack pointer available as \f(CW\*(C`SP\*(C'\fR, and it
is this pointer which is being used in the \s-1\fBEXTEND\s0()\fR macro.
The values are then pushed onto the stack with the \fBPUSHs()\fR
macro.
.PP
Now the \fBrpcb_gettime()\fR function can be used from Perl with
the following statement.
.PP
.Vb 1
\& ($status, $timep) = rpcb_gettime("localhost");
.Ve
.PP
When handling output parameters with a \s-1PPCODE\s0 section, be sure to handle
\&'set' magic properly. See perlguts for details about 'set' magic.
.SS "Returning Undef And Empty Lists"
.IX Subsection "Returning Undef And Empty Lists"
Occasionally the programmer will want to return simply
\&\f(CW\*(C`undef\*(C'\fR or an empty list if a function fails rather than a
separate status value. The \fBrpcb_gettime()\fR function offers
just this situation. If the function succeeds we would like
to have it return the time and if it fails we would like to
have undef returned. In the following Perl code the value
of \f(CW$timep\fR will either be undef or it will be a valid time.
.PP
.Vb 1
\& $timep = rpcb_gettime( "localhost" );
.Ve
.PP
The following \s-1XSUB\s0 uses the \f(CW\*(C`SV *\*(C'\fR return type as a mnemonic only,
and uses a \s-1CODE:\s0 block to indicate to the compiler
that the programmer has supplied all the necessary code. The
\&\fBsv_newmortal()\fR call will initialize the return value to undef, making that
the default return value.
.PP
.Vb 10
\& SV *
\& rpcb_gettime(host)
\& char * host
\& PREINIT:
\& time_t timep;
\& bool_t x;
\& CODE:
\& ST(0) = sv_newmortal();
\& if( rpcb_gettime( host, &timep ) )
\& sv_setnv( ST(0), (double)timep);
.Ve
.PP
The next example demonstrates how one would place an explicit undef in the
return value, should the need arise.
.PP
.Vb 10
\& SV *
\& rpcb_gettime(host)
\& char * host
\& PREINIT:
\& time_t timep;
\& bool_t x;
\& CODE:
\& if( rpcb_gettime( host, &timep ) ){
\& ST(0) = sv_newmortal();
\& sv_setnv( ST(0), (double)timep);
\& }
\& else{
\& ST(0) = &PL_sv_undef;
\& }
.Ve
.PP
To return an empty list one must use a \s-1PPCODE:\s0 block and
then not push return values on the stack.
.PP
.Vb 12
\& void
\& rpcb_gettime(host)
\& char *host
\& PREINIT:
\& time_t timep;
\& PPCODE:
\& if( rpcb_gettime( host, &timep ) )
\& PUSHs(sv_2mortal(newSViv(timep)));
\& else{
\& /* Nothing pushed on stack, so an empty
\& * list is implicitly returned. */
\& }
.Ve
.PP
Some people may be inclined to include an explicit \f(CW\*(C`return\*(C'\fR in the above
\&\s-1XSUB,\s0 rather than letting control fall through to the end. In those
situations \f(CW\*(C`XSRETURN_EMPTY\*(C'\fR should be used, instead. This will ensure that
the \s-1XSUB\s0 stack is properly adjusted. Consult perlapi for other
\&\f(CW\*(C`XSRETURN\*(C'\fR macros.
.PP
Since \f(CW\*(C`XSRETURN_*\*(C'\fR macros can be used with \s-1CODE\s0 blocks as well, one can
rewrite this example as:
.PP
.Vb 11
\& int
\& rpcb_gettime(host)
\& char *host
\& PREINIT:
\& time_t timep;
\& CODE:
\& RETVAL = rpcb_gettime( host, &timep );
\& if (RETVAL == 0)
\& XSRETURN_UNDEF;
\& OUTPUT:
\& RETVAL
.Ve
.PP
In fact, one can put this check into a \s-1POSTCALL:\s0 section as well. Together
with \s-1PREINIT:\s0 simplifications, this leads to:
.PP
.Vb 7
\& int
\& rpcb_gettime(host)
\& char *host
\& time_t timep;
\& POSTCALL:
\& if (RETVAL == 0)
\& XSRETURN_UNDEF;
.Ve
.SS "The \s-1REQUIRE:\s0 Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The REQUIRE: Keyword"
The \s-1REQUIRE:\s0 keyword is used to indicate the minimum version of the
\&\fBxsubpp\fR compiler needed to compile the \s-1XS\s0 module. An \s-1XS\s0 module which
contains the following statement will compile with only \fBxsubpp\fR version
1.922 or greater:
.PP
.Vb 1
\& REQUIRE: 1.922
.Ve
.SS "The \s-1CLEANUP:\s0 Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The CLEANUP: Keyword"
This keyword can be used when an \s-1XSUB\s0 requires special cleanup procedures
before it terminates. When the \s-1CLEANUP:\s0 keyword is used it must follow
any \s-1CODE:,\s0 or \s-1OUTPUT:\s0 blocks which are present in the \s-1XSUB.\s0 The code
specified for the cleanup block will be added as the last statements in
the \s-1XSUB.\s0
.SS "The \s-1POSTCALL:\s0 Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The POSTCALL: Keyword"
This keyword can be used when an \s-1XSUB\s0 requires special procedures
executed after the C subroutine call is performed. When the \s-1POSTCALL:\s0
keyword is used it must precede \s-1OUTPUT:\s0 and \s-1CLEANUP:\s0 blocks which are
present in the \s-1XSUB.\s0
.PP
See examples in \*(L"The \s-1NO_OUTPUT\s0 Keyword\*(R" and \*(L"Returning Undef And Empty Lists\*(R".
.PP
The \s-1POSTCALL:\s0 block does not make a lot of sense when the C subroutine
call is supplied by user by providing either \s-1CODE:\s0 or \s-1PPCODE:\s0 section.
.SS "The \s-1BOOT:\s0 Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The BOOT: Keyword"
The \s-1BOOT:\s0 keyword is used to add code to the extension's bootstrap
function. The bootstrap function is generated by the \fBxsubpp\fR compiler and
normally holds the statements necessary to register any XSUBs with Perl.
With the \s-1BOOT:\s0 keyword the programmer can tell the compiler to add extra
statements to the bootstrap function.
.PP
This keyword may be used any time after the first \s-1MODULE\s0 keyword and should
appear on a line by itself. The first blank line after the keyword will
terminate the code block.
.PP
.Vb 4
\& BOOT:
\& # The following message will be printed when the
\& # bootstrap function executes.
\& printf("Hello from the bootstrap!\en");
.Ve
.SS "The \s-1VERSIONCHECK:\s0 Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The VERSIONCHECK: Keyword"
The \s-1VERSIONCHECK:\s0 keyword corresponds to \fBxsubpp\fR's \f(CW\*(C`\-versioncheck\*(C'\fR and
\&\f(CW\*(C`\-noversioncheck\*(C'\fR options. This keyword overrides the command line
options. Version checking is enabled by default. When version checking is
enabled the \s-1XS\s0 module will attempt to verify that its version matches the
version of the \s-1PM\s0 module.
.PP
To enable version checking:
.PP
.Vb 1
\& VERSIONCHECK: ENABLE
.Ve
.PP
To disable version checking:
.PP
.Vb 1
\& VERSIONCHECK: DISABLE
.Ve
.PP
Note that if the version of the \s-1PM\s0 module is an \s-1NV\s0 (a floating point
number), it will be stringified with a possible loss of precision
(currently chopping to nine decimal places) so that it may not match
the version of the \s-1XS\s0 module anymore. Quoting the \f(CW$VERSION\fR declaration
to make it a string is recommended if long version numbers are used.
.SS "The \s-1PROTOTYPES:\s0 Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The PROTOTYPES: Keyword"
The \s-1PROTOTYPES:\s0 keyword corresponds to \fBxsubpp\fR's \f(CW\*(C`\-prototypes\*(C'\fR and
\&\f(CW\*(C`\-noprototypes\*(C'\fR options. This keyword overrides the command line options.
Prototypes are disabled by default. When prototypes are enabled, XSUBs will
be given Perl prototypes. This keyword may be used multiple times in an \s-1XS\s0
module to enable and disable prototypes for different parts of the module.
Note that \fBxsubpp\fR will nag you if you don't explicitly enable or disable
prototypes, with:
.PP
.Vb 1
\& Please specify prototyping behavior for Foo.xs (see perlxs manual)
.Ve
.PP
To enable prototypes:
.PP
.Vb 1
\& PROTOTYPES: ENABLE
.Ve
.PP
To disable prototypes:
.PP
.Vb 1
\& PROTOTYPES: DISABLE
.Ve
.SS "The \s-1PROTOTYPE:\s0 Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The PROTOTYPE: Keyword"
This keyword is similar to the \s-1PROTOTYPES:\s0 keyword above but can be used to
force \fBxsubpp\fR to use a specific prototype for the \s-1XSUB.\s0 This keyword
overrides all other prototype options and keywords but affects only the
current \s-1XSUB.\s0 Consult \*(L"Prototypes\*(R" in perlsub for information about Perl
prototypes.
.PP
.Vb 10
\& bool_t
\& rpcb_gettime(timep, ...)
\& time_t timep = NO_INIT
\& PROTOTYPE: $;$
\& PREINIT:
\& char *host = "localhost";
\& CODE:
\& if( items > 1 )
\& host = (char *)SvPV_nolen(ST(1));
\& RETVAL = rpcb_gettime( host, &timep );
\& OUTPUT:
\& timep
\& RETVAL
.Ve
.PP
If the prototypes are enabled, you can disable it locally for a given
\&\s-1XSUB\s0 as in the following example:
.PP
.Vb 4
\& void
\& rpcb_gettime_noproto()
\& PROTOTYPE: DISABLE
\& ...
.Ve
.SS "The \s-1ALIAS:\s0 Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The ALIAS: Keyword"
The \s-1ALIAS:\s0 keyword allows an \s-1XSUB\s0 to have two or more unique Perl names
and to know which of those names was used when it was invoked. The Perl
names may be fully-qualified with package names. Each alias is given an
index. The compiler will setup a variable called \f(CW\*(C`ix\*(C'\fR which contain the
index of the alias which was used. When the \s-1XSUB\s0 is called with its
declared name \f(CW\*(C`ix\*(C'\fR will be 0.
.PP
The following example will create aliases \f(CW\*(C`FOO::gettime()\*(C'\fR and
\&\f(CW\*(C`BAR::getit()\*(C'\fR for this function.
.PP
.Vb 11
\& bool_t
\& rpcb_gettime(host,timep)
\& char *host
\& time_t &timep
\& ALIAS:
\& FOO::gettime = 1
\& BAR::getit = 2
\& INIT:
\& printf("# ix = %d\en", ix );
\& OUTPUT:
\& timep
.Ve
.SS "The \s-1OVERLOAD:\s0 Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The OVERLOAD: Keyword"
Instead of writing an overloaded interface using pure Perl, you
can also use the \s-1OVERLOAD\s0 keyword to define additional Perl names
for your functions (like the \s-1ALIAS:\s0 keyword above). However, the
overloaded functions must be defined in such a way as to accept the number
of parameters supplied by perl's overload system. For most overload
methods, it will be three parameters; for the \f(CW\*(C`nomethod\*(C'\fR function it will
be four. However, the bitwise operators \f(CW\*(C`&\*(C'\fR, \f(CW\*(C`|\*(C'\fR, \f(CW\*(C`^\*(C'\fR, and \f(CW\*(C`~\*(C'\fR may be
called with three \fIor\fR five arguments (see overload).
.PP
If any
function has the \s-1OVERLOAD:\s0 keyword, several additional lines
will be defined in the c file generated by xsubpp in order to
register with the overload magic.
.PP
Since blessed objects are actually stored as \s-1RV\s0's, it is useful
to use the typemap features to preprocess parameters and extract
the actual \s-1SV\s0 stored within the blessed \s-1RV.\s0 See the sample for
T_PTROBJ_SPECIAL below.
.PP
To use the \s-1OVERLOAD:\s0 keyword, create an \s-1XS\s0 function which takes
three input parameters (or use the C\-style '...' definition) like
this:
.PP
.Vb 7
\& SV *
\& cmp (lobj, robj, swap)
\& My_Module_obj lobj
\& My_Module_obj robj
\& IV swap
\& OVERLOAD: cmp <=>
\& { /* function defined here */}
.Ve
.PP
In this case, the function will overload both of the three way
comparison operators. For all overload operations using non-alpha
characters, you must type the parameter without quoting, separating
multiple overloads with whitespace. Note that "\*(L" (the stringify
overload) should be entered as \e\*(R"\e" (i.e. escaped).
.PP
Since, as mentioned above, bitwise operators may take extra arguments, you
may want to use something like \f(CW\*(C`(lobj, robj, swap, ...)\*(C'\fR (with
literal \f(CW\*(C`...\*(C'\fR) as your parameter list.
.SS "The \s-1FALLBACK:\s0 Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The FALLBACK: Keyword"
In addition to the \s-1OVERLOAD\s0 keyword, if you need to control how
Perl autogenerates missing overloaded operators, you can set the
\&\s-1FALLBACK\s0 keyword in the module header section, like this:
.PP
.Vb 1
\& MODULE = RPC PACKAGE = RPC
\&
\& FALLBACK: TRUE
\& ...
.Ve
.PP
where \s-1FALLBACK\s0 can take any of the three values \s-1TRUE, FALSE,\s0 or
\&\s-1UNDEF.\s0 If you do not set any \s-1FALLBACK\s0 value when using \s-1OVERLOAD,\s0
it defaults to \s-1UNDEF.\s0 \s-1FALLBACK\s0 is not used except when one or
more functions using \s-1OVERLOAD\s0 have been defined. Please see
\&\*(L"fallback\*(R" in overload for more details.
.SS "The \s-1INTERFACE:\s0 Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The INTERFACE: Keyword"
This keyword declares the current \s-1XSUB\s0 as a keeper of the given
calling signature. If some text follows this keyword, it is
considered as a list of functions which have this signature, and
should be attached to the current \s-1XSUB.\s0
.PP
For example, if you have 4 C functions \fBmultiply()\fR, \fBdivide()\fR, \fBadd()\fR,
\&\fBsubtract()\fR all having the signature:
.PP
.Vb 1
\& symbolic f(symbolic, symbolic);
.Ve
.PP
you can make them all to use the same \s-1XSUB\s0 using this:
.PP
.Vb 7
\& symbolic
\& interface_s_ss(arg1, arg2)
\& symbolic arg1
\& symbolic arg2
\& INTERFACE:
\& multiply divide
\& add subtract
.Ve
.PP
(This is the complete \s-1XSUB\s0 code for 4 Perl functions!) Four generated
Perl function share names with corresponding C functions.
.PP
The advantage of this approach comparing to \s-1ALIAS:\s0 keyword is that there
is no need to code a switch statement, each Perl function (which shares
the same \s-1XSUB\s0) knows which C function it should call. Additionally, one
can attach an extra function \fBremainder()\fR at runtime by using
.PP
.Vb 3
\& CV *mycv = newXSproto("Symbolic::remainder",
\& XS_Symbolic_interface_s_ss, _\|_FILE_\|_, "$$");
\& XSINTERFACE_FUNC_SET(mycv, remainder);
.Ve
.PP
say, from another \s-1XSUB.\s0 (This example supposes that there was no
\&\s-1INTERFACE_MACRO:\s0 section, otherwise one needs to use something else instead of
\&\f(CW\*(C`XSINTERFACE_FUNC_SET\*(C'\fR, see the next section.)
.SS "The \s-1INTERFACE_MACRO:\s0 Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The INTERFACE_MACRO: Keyword"
This keyword allows one to define an \s-1INTERFACE\s0 using a different way
to extract a function pointer from an \s-1XSUB.\s0 The text which follows
this keyword should give the name of macros which would extract/set a
function pointer. The extractor macro is given return type, \f(CW\*(C`CV*\*(C'\fR,
and \f(CW\*(C`XSANY.any_dptr\*(C'\fR for this \f(CW\*(C`CV*\*(C'\fR. The setter macro is given cv,
and the function pointer.
.PP
The default value is \f(CW\*(C`XSINTERFACE_FUNC\*(C'\fR and \f(CW\*(C`XSINTERFACE_FUNC_SET\*(C'\fR.
An \s-1INTERFACE\s0 keyword with an empty list of functions can be omitted if
\&\s-1INTERFACE_MACRO\s0 keyword is used.
.PP
Suppose that in the previous example functions pointers for
\&\fBmultiply()\fR, \fBdivide()\fR, \fBadd()\fR, \fBsubtract()\fR are kept in a global C array
\&\f(CW\*(C`fp[]\*(C'\fR with offsets being \f(CW\*(C`multiply_off\*(C'\fR, \f(CW\*(C`divide_off\*(C'\fR, \f(CW\*(C`add_off\*(C'\fR,
\&\f(CW\*(C`subtract_off\*(C'\fR. Then one can use
.PP
.Vb 4
\& #define XSINTERFACE_FUNC_BYOFFSET(ret,cv,f) \e
\& ((XSINTERFACE_CVT_ANON(ret))fp[CvXSUBANY(cv).any_i32])
\& #define XSINTERFACE_FUNC_BYOFFSET_set(cv,f) \e
\& CvXSUBANY(cv).any_i32 = CAT2( f, _off )
.Ve
.PP
in C section,
.PP
.Vb 10
\& symbolic
\& interface_s_ss(arg1, arg2)
\& symbolic arg1
\& symbolic arg2
\& INTERFACE_MACRO:
\& XSINTERFACE_FUNC_BYOFFSET
\& XSINTERFACE_FUNC_BYOFFSET_set
\& INTERFACE:
\& multiply divide
\& add subtract
.Ve
.PP
in \s-1XSUB\s0 section.
.SS "The \s-1INCLUDE:\s0 Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The INCLUDE: Keyword"
This keyword can be used to pull other files into the \s-1XS\s0 module. The other
files may have \s-1XS\s0 code. \s-1INCLUDE:\s0 can also be used to run a command to
generate the \s-1XS\s0 code to be pulled into the module.
.PP
The file \fIRpcb1.xsh\fR contains our \f(CW\*(C`rpcb_gettime()\*(C'\fR function:
.PP
.Vb 6
\& bool_t
\& rpcb_gettime(host,timep)
\& char *host
\& time_t &timep
\& OUTPUT:
\& timep
.Ve
.PP
The \s-1XS\s0 module can use \s-1INCLUDE:\s0 to pull that file into it.
.PP
.Vb 1
\& INCLUDE: Rpcb1.xsh
.Ve
.PP
If the parameters to the \s-1INCLUDE:\s0 keyword are followed by a pipe (\f(CW\*(C`|\*(C'\fR) then
the compiler will interpret the parameters as a command. This feature is
mildly deprecated in favour of the \f(CW\*(C`INCLUDE_COMMAND:\*(C'\fR directive, as documented
below.
.PP
.Vb 1
\& INCLUDE: cat Rpcb1.xsh |
.Ve
.PP
Do not use this to run perl: \f(CW\*(C`INCLUDE: perl |\*(C'\fR will run the perl that
happens to be the first in your path and not necessarily the same perl that is
used to run \f(CW\*(C`xsubpp\*(C'\fR. See \*(L"The \s-1INCLUDE_COMMAND:\s0 Keyword\*(R".
.SS "The \s-1INCLUDE_COMMAND:\s0 Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The INCLUDE_COMMAND: Keyword"
Runs the supplied command and includes its output into the current \s-1XS\s0
document. \f(CW\*(C`INCLUDE_COMMAND\*(C'\fR assigns special meaning to the \f(CW$^X\fR token
in that it runs the same perl interpreter that is running \f(CW\*(C`xsubpp\*(C'\fR:
.PP
.Vb 1
\& INCLUDE_COMMAND: cat Rpcb1.xsh
\&
\& INCLUDE_COMMAND: $^X \-e ...
.Ve
.SS "The \s-1CASE:\s0 Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The CASE: Keyword"
The \s-1CASE:\s0 keyword allows an \s-1XSUB\s0 to have multiple distinct parts with each
part acting as a virtual \s-1XSUB.\s0 \s-1CASE:\s0 is greedy and if it is used then all
other \s-1XS\s0 keywords must be contained within a \s-1CASE:.\s0 This means nothing may
precede the first \s-1CASE:\s0 in the \s-1XSUB\s0 and anything following the last \s-1CASE:\s0 is
included in that case.
.PP
A \s-1CASE:\s0 might switch via a parameter of the \s-1XSUB,\s0 via the \f(CW\*(C`ix\*(C'\fR \s-1ALIAS:\s0
variable (see \*(L"The \s-1ALIAS:\s0 Keyword\*(R"), or maybe via the \f(CW\*(C`items\*(C'\fR variable
(see \*(L"Variable-length Parameter Lists\*(R"). The last \s-1CASE:\s0 becomes the
\&\fBdefault\fR case if it is not associated with a conditional. The following
example shows \s-1CASE\s0 switched via \f(CW\*(C`ix\*(C'\fR with a function \f(CW\*(C`rpcb_gettime()\*(C'\fR
having an alias \f(CW\*(C`x_gettime()\*(C'\fR. When the function is called as
\&\f(CW\*(C`rpcb_gettime()\*(C'\fR its parameters are the usual \f(CW\*(C`(char *host, time_t *timep)\*(C'\fR,
but when the function is called as \f(CW\*(C`x_gettime()\*(C'\fR its parameters are
reversed, \f(CW\*(C`(time_t *timep, char *host)\*(C'\fR.
.PP
.Vb 10
\& long
\& rpcb_gettime(a,b)
\& CASE: ix == 1
\& ALIAS:
\& x_gettime = 1
\& INPUT:
\& # \*(Aqa\*(Aq is timep, \*(Aqb\*(Aq is host
\& char *b
\& time_t a = NO_INIT
\& CODE:
\& RETVAL = rpcb_gettime( b, &a );
\& OUTPUT:
\& a
\& RETVAL
\& CASE:
\& # \*(Aqa\*(Aq is host, \*(Aqb\*(Aq is timep
\& char *a
\& time_t &b = NO_INIT
\& OUTPUT:
\& b
\& RETVAL
.Ve
.PP
That function can be called with either of the following statements. Note
the different argument lists.
.PP
.Vb 1
\& $status = rpcb_gettime( $host, $timep );
\&
\& $status = x_gettime( $timep, $host );
.Ve
.SS "The \s-1EXPORT_XSUB_SYMBOLS:\s0 Keyword"
.IX Subsection "The EXPORT_XSUB_SYMBOLS: Keyword"
The \s-1EXPORT_XSUB_SYMBOLS:\s0 keyword is likely something you will never need.
In perl versions earlier than 5.16.0, this keyword does nothing. Starting
with 5.16, \s-1XSUB\s0 symbols are no longer exported by default. That is, they
are \f(CW\*(C`static\*(C'\fR functions. If you include
.PP
.Vb 1
\& EXPORT_XSUB_SYMBOLS: ENABLE
.Ve
.PP
in your \s-1XS\s0 code, the XSUBs following this line will not be declared \f(CW\*(C`static\*(C'\fR.
You can later disable this with
.PP
.Vb 1
\& EXPORT_XSUB_SYMBOLS: DISABLE
.Ve
.PP
which, again, is the default that you should probably never change.
You cannot use this keyword on versions of perl before 5.16 to make
XSUBs \f(CW\*(C`static\*(C'\fR.
.SS "The & Unary Operator"
.IX Subsection "The & Unary Operator"
The \f(CW\*(C`&\*(C'\fR unary operator in the \s-1INPUT:\s0 section is used to tell \fBxsubpp\fR
that it should convert a Perl value to/from C using the C type to the left
of \f(CW\*(C`&\*(C'\fR, but provide a pointer to this value when the C function is called.
.PP
This is useful to avoid a \s-1CODE:\s0 block for a C function which takes a parameter
by reference. Typically, the parameter should be not a pointer type (an
\&\f(CW\*(C`int\*(C'\fR or \f(CW\*(C`long\*(C'\fR but not an \f(CW\*(C`int*\*(C'\fR or \f(CW\*(C`long*\*(C'\fR).
.PP
The following \s-1XSUB\s0 will generate incorrect C code. The \fBxsubpp\fR compiler will
turn this into code which calls \f(CW\*(C`rpcb_gettime()\*(C'\fR with parameters \f(CW\*(C`(char
*host, time_t timep)\*(C'\fR, but the real \f(CW\*(C`rpcb_gettime()\*(C'\fR wants the \f(CW\*(C`timep\*(C'\fR
parameter to be of type \f(CW\*(C`time_t*\*(C'\fR rather than \f(CW\*(C`time_t\*(C'\fR.
.PP
.Vb 6
\& bool_t
\& rpcb_gettime(host,timep)
\& char *host
\& time_t timep
\& OUTPUT:
\& timep
.Ve
.PP
That problem is corrected by using the \f(CW\*(C`&\*(C'\fR operator. The \fBxsubpp\fR compiler
will now turn this into code which calls \f(CW\*(C`rpcb_gettime()\*(C'\fR correctly with
parameters \f(CW\*(C`(char *host, time_t *timep)\*(C'\fR. It does this by carrying the
\&\f(CW\*(C`&\*(C'\fR through, so the function call looks like \f(CW\*(C`rpcb_gettime(host, &timep)\*(C'\fR.
.PP
.Vb 6
\& bool_t
\& rpcb_gettime(host,timep)
\& char *host
\& time_t &timep
\& OUTPUT:
\& timep
.Ve
.SS "Inserting \s-1POD,\s0 Comments and C Preprocessor Directives"
.IX Subsection "Inserting POD, Comments and C Preprocessor Directives"
C preprocessor directives are allowed within \s-1BOOT:, PREINIT: INIT:, CODE:,
PPCODE:, POSTCALL:,\s0 and \s-1CLEANUP:\s0 blocks, as well as outside the functions.
Comments are allowed anywhere after the \s-1MODULE\s0 keyword. The compiler will
pass the preprocessor directives through untouched and will remove the
commented lines. \s-1POD\s0 documentation is allowed at any point, both in the
C and \s-1XS\s0 language sections. \s-1POD\s0 must be terminated with a \f(CW\*(C`=cut\*(C'\fR command;
\&\f(CW\*(C`xsubpp\*(C'\fR will exit with an error if it does not. It is very unlikely that
human generated C code will be mistaken for \s-1POD,\s0 as most indenting styles
result in whitespace in front of any line starting with \f(CW\*(C`=\*(C'\fR. Machine
generated \s-1XS\s0 files may fall into this trap unless care is taken to
ensure that a space breaks the sequence \*(L"\en=\*(R".
.PP
Comments can be added to XSUBs by placing a \f(CW\*(C`#\*(C'\fR as the first
non-whitespace of a line. Care should be taken to avoid making the
comment look like a C preprocessor directive, lest it be interpreted as
such. The simplest way to prevent this is to put whitespace in front of
the \f(CW\*(C`#\*(C'\fR.
.PP
If you use preprocessor directives to choose one of two
versions of a function, use
.PP
.Vb 3
\& #if ... version1
\& #else /* ... version2 */
\& #endif
.Ve
.PP
and not
.PP
.Vb 4
\& #if ... version1
\& #endif
\& #if ... version2
\& #endif
.Ve
.PP
because otherwise \fBxsubpp\fR will believe that you made a duplicate
definition of the function. Also, put a blank line before the
#else/#endif so it will not be seen as part of the function body.
.SS "Using \s-1XS\s0 With \*(C+"
.IX Subsection "Using XS With "
If an \s-1XSUB\s0 name contains \f(CW\*(C`::\*(C'\fR, it is considered to be a \*(C+ method.
The generated Perl function will assume that
its first argument is an object pointer. The object pointer
will be stored in a variable called \s-1THIS.\s0 The object should
have been created by \*(C+ with the \fBnew()\fR function and should
be blessed by Perl with the \fBsv_setref_pv()\fR macro. The
blessing of the object by Perl can be handled by a typemap. An example
typemap is shown at the end of this section.
.PP
If the return type of the \s-1XSUB\s0 includes \f(CW\*(C`static\*(C'\fR, the method is considered
to be a static method. It will call the \*(C+
function using the \fBclass::method()\fR syntax. If the method is not static
the function will be called using the \s-1THIS\-\s0>\fBmethod()\fR syntax.
.PP
The next examples will use the following \*(C+ class.
.PP
.Vb 6
\& class color {
\& public:
\& color();
\& ~color();
\& int blue();
\& void set_blue( int );
\&
\& private:
\& int c_blue;
\& };
.Ve
.PP
The XSUBs for the \fBblue()\fR and \fBset_blue()\fR methods are defined with the class
name but the parameter for the object (\s-1THIS,\s0 or \*(L"self\*(R") is implicit and is
not listed.
.PP
.Vb 2
\& int
\& color::blue()
\&
\& void
\& color::set_blue( val )
\& int val
.Ve
.PP
Both Perl functions will expect an object as the first parameter. In the
generated \*(C+ code the object is called \f(CW\*(C`THIS\*(C'\fR, and the method call will
be performed on this object. So in the \*(C+ code the \fBblue()\fR and \fBset_blue()\fR
methods will be called as this:
.PP
.Vb 1
\& RETVAL = THIS\->blue();
\&
\& THIS\->set_blue( val );
.Ve
.PP
You could also write a single get/set method using an optional argument:
.PP
.Vb 10
\& int
\& color::blue( val = NO_INIT )
\& int val
\& PROTOTYPE $;$
\& CODE:
\& if (items > 1)
\& THIS\->set_blue( val );
\& RETVAL = THIS\->blue();
\& OUTPUT:
\& RETVAL
.Ve
.PP
If the function's name is \fB\s-1DESTROY\s0\fR then the \*(C+ \f(CW\*(C`delete\*(C'\fR function will be
called and \f(CW\*(C`THIS\*(C'\fR will be given as its parameter. The generated \*(C+ code for
.PP
.Vb 2
\& void
\& color::DESTROY()
.Ve
.PP
will look like this:
.PP
.Vb 1
\& color *THIS = ...; // Initialized as in typemap
\&
\& delete THIS;
.Ve
.PP
If the function's name is \fBnew\fR then the \*(C+ \f(CW\*(C`new\*(C'\fR function will be called
to create a dynamic \*(C+ object. The \s-1XSUB\s0 will expect the class name, which
will be kept in a variable called \f(CW\*(C`CLASS\*(C'\fR, to be given as the first
argument.
.PP
.Vb 2
\& color *
\& color::new()
.Ve
.PP
The generated \*(C+ code will call \f(CW\*(C`new\*(C'\fR.
.PP
.Vb 1
\& RETVAL = new color();
.Ve
.PP
The following is an example of a typemap that could be used for this \*(C+
example.
.PP
.Vb 2
\& TYPEMAP
\& color * O_OBJECT
\&
\& OUTPUT
\& # The Perl object is blessed into \*(AqCLASS\*(Aq, which should be a
\& # char* having the name of the package for the blessing.
\& O_OBJECT
\& sv_setref_pv( $arg, CLASS, (void*)$var );
\&
\& INPUT
\& O_OBJECT
\& if( sv_isobject($arg) && (SvTYPE(SvRV($arg)) == SVt_PVMG) )
\& $var = ($type)SvIV((SV*)SvRV( $arg ));
\& else{
\& warn("${Package}::$func_name() \-\- " .
\& "$var is not a blessed SV reference");
\& XSRETURN_UNDEF;
\& }
.Ve
.SS "Interface Strategy"
.IX Subsection "Interface Strategy"
When designing an interface between Perl and a C library a straight
translation from C to \s-1XS\s0 (such as created by \f(CW\*(C`h2xs \-x\*(C'\fR) is often sufficient.
However, sometimes the interface will look
very C\-like and occasionally nonintuitive, especially when the C function
modifies one of its parameters, or returns failure inband (as in \*(L"negative
return values mean failure\*(R"). In cases where the programmer wishes to
create a more Perl-like interface the following strategy may help to
identify the more critical parts of the interface.
.PP
Identify the C functions with input/output or output parameters. The XSUBs for
these functions may be able to return lists to Perl.
.PP
Identify the C functions which use some inband info as an indication
of failure. They may be
candidates to return undef or an empty list in case of failure. If the
failure may be detected without a call to the C function, you may want to use
an \s-1INIT:\s0 section to report the failure. For failures detectable after the C
function returns one may want to use a \s-1POSTCALL:\s0 section to process the
failure. In more complicated cases use \s-1CODE:\s0 or \s-1PPCODE:\s0 sections.
.PP
If many functions use the same failure indication based on the return value,
you may want to create a special typedef to handle this situation. Put
.PP
.Vb 1
\& typedef int negative_is_failure;
.Ve
.PP
near the beginning of \s-1XS\s0 file, and create an \s-1OUTPUT\s0 typemap entry
for \f(CW\*(C`negative_is_failure\*(C'\fR which converts negative values to \f(CW\*(C`undef\*(C'\fR, or
maybe \fBcroak()\fRs. After this the return value of type \f(CW\*(C`negative_is_failure\*(C'\fR
will create more Perl-like interface.
.PP
Identify which values are used by only the C and \s-1XSUB\s0 functions
themselves, say, when a parameter to a function should be a contents of a
global variable. If Perl does not need to access the contents of the value
then it may not be necessary to provide a translation for that value
from C to Perl.
.PP
Identify the pointers in the C function parameter lists and return
values. Some pointers may be used to implement input/output or
output parameters, they can be handled in \s-1XS\s0 with the \f(CW\*(C`&\*(C'\fR unary operator,
and, possibly, using the \s-1NO_INIT\s0 keyword.
Some others will require handling of types like \f(CW\*(C`int *\*(C'\fR, and one needs
to decide what a useful Perl translation will do in such a case. When
the semantic is clear, it is advisable to put the translation into a typemap
file.
.PP
Identify the structures used by the C functions. In many
cases it may be helpful to use the T_PTROBJ typemap for
these structures so they can be manipulated by Perl as
blessed objects. (This is handled automatically by \f(CW\*(C`h2xs \-x\*(C'\fR.)
.PP
If the same C type is used in several different contexts which require
different translations, \f(CW\*(C`typedef\*(C'\fR several new types mapped to this C type,
and create separate \fItypemap\fR entries for these new types. Use these
types in declarations of return type and parameters to XSUBs.
.SS "Perl Objects And C Structures"
.IX Subsection "Perl Objects And C Structures"
When dealing with C structures one should select either
\&\fBT_PTROBJ\fR or \fBT_PTRREF\fR for the \s-1XS\s0 type. Both types are
designed to handle pointers to complex objects. The
T_PTRREF type will allow the Perl object to be unblessed
while the T_PTROBJ type requires that the object be blessed.
By using T_PTROBJ one can achieve a form of type-checking
because the \s-1XSUB\s0 will attempt to verify that the Perl object
is of the expected type.
.PP
The following \s-1XS\s0 code shows the \fBgetnetconfigent()\fR function which is used
with \s-1ONC+ TIRPC.\s0 The \fBgetnetconfigent()\fR function will return a pointer to a
C structure and has the C prototype shown below. The example will
demonstrate how the C pointer will become a Perl reference. Perl will
consider this reference to be a pointer to a blessed object and will
attempt to call a destructor for the object. A destructor will be
provided in the \s-1XS\s0 source to free the memory used by \fBgetnetconfigent()\fR.
Destructors in \s-1XS\s0 can be created by specifying an \s-1XSUB\s0 function whose name
ends with the word \fB\s-1DESTROY\s0\fR. \s-1XS\s0 destructors can be used to free memory
which may have been malloc'd by another \s-1XSUB.\s0
.PP
.Vb 1
\& struct netconfig *getnetconfigent(const char *netid);
.Ve
.PP
A \f(CW\*(C`typedef\*(C'\fR will be created for \f(CW\*(C`struct netconfig\*(C'\fR. The Perl
object will be blessed in a class matching the name of the C
type, with the tag \f(CW\*(C`Ptr\*(C'\fR appended, and the name should not
have embedded spaces if it will be a Perl package name. The
destructor will be placed in a class corresponding to the
class of the object and the \s-1PREFIX\s0 keyword will be used to
trim the name to the word \s-1DESTROY\s0 as Perl will expect.
.PP
.Vb 1
\& typedef struct netconfig Netconfig;
\&
\& MODULE = RPC PACKAGE = RPC
\&
\& Netconfig *
\& getnetconfigent(netid)
\& char *netid
\&
\& MODULE = RPC PACKAGE = NetconfigPtr PREFIX = rpcb_
\&
\& void
\& rpcb_DESTROY(netconf)
\& Netconfig *netconf
\& CODE:
\& printf("Now in NetconfigPtr::DESTROY\en");
\& free( netconf );
.Ve
.PP
This example requires the following typemap entry. Consult
perlxstypemap for more information about adding new typemaps
for an extension.
.PP
.Vb 2
\& TYPEMAP
\& Netconfig * T_PTROBJ
.Ve
.PP
This example will be used with the following Perl statements.
.PP
.Vb 2
\& use RPC;
\& $netconf = getnetconfigent("udp");
.Ve
.PP
When Perl destroys the object referenced by \f(CW$netconf\fR it will send the
object to the supplied \s-1XSUB DESTROY\s0 function. Perl cannot determine, and
does not care, that this object is a C struct and not a Perl object. In
this sense, there is no difference between the object created by the
\&\fBgetnetconfigent()\fR \s-1XSUB\s0 and an object created by a normal Perl subroutine.
.SS "Safely Storing Static Data in \s-1XS\s0"
.IX Subsection "Safely Storing Static Data in XS"
Starting with Perl 5.8, a macro framework has been defined to allow
static data to be safely stored in \s-1XS\s0 modules that will be accessed from
a multi-threaded Perl.
.PP
Although primarily designed for use with multi-threaded Perl, the macros
have been designed so that they will work with non-threaded Perl as well.
.PP
It is therefore strongly recommended that these macros be used by all
\&\s-1XS\s0 modules that make use of static data.
.PP
The easiest way to get a template set of macros to use is by specifying
the \f(CW\*(C`\-g\*(C'\fR (\f(CW\*(C`\-\-global\*(C'\fR) option with h2xs (see h2xs).
.PP
Below is an example module that makes use of the macros.
.PP
.Vb 4
\& #define PERL_NO_GET_CONTEXT
\& #include "EXTERN.h"
\& #include "perl.h"
\& #include "XSUB.h"
\&
\& /* Global Data */
\&
\& #define MY_CXT_KEY "BlindMice::_guts" XS_VERSION
\&
\& typedef struct {
\& int count;
\& char name[3][100];
\& } my_cxt_t;
\&
\& START_MY_CXT
\&
\& MODULE = BlindMice PACKAGE = BlindMice
\&
\& BOOT:
\& {
\& MY_CXT_INIT;
\& MY_CXT.count = 0;
\& strcpy(MY_CXT.name[0], "None");
\& strcpy(MY_CXT.name[1], "None");
\& strcpy(MY_CXT.name[2], "None");
\& }
\&
\& int
\& newMouse(char * name)
\& PREINIT:
\& dMY_CXT;
\& CODE:
\& if (MY_CXT.count >= 3) {
\& warn("Already have 3 blind mice");
\& RETVAL = 0;
\& }
\& else {
\& RETVAL = ++ MY_CXT.count;
\& strcpy(MY_CXT.name[MY_CXT.count \- 1], name);
\& }
\& OUTPUT:
\& RETVAL
\&
\& char *
\& get_mouse_name(index)
\& int index
\& PREINIT:
\& dMY_CXT;
\& CODE:
\& if (index > MY_CXT.count)
\& croak("There are only 3 blind mice.");
\& else
\& RETVAL = MY_CXT.name[index \- 1];
\& OUTPUT:
\& RETVAL
\&
\& void
\& CLONE(...)
\& CODE:
\& MY_CXT_CLONE;
.Ve
.PP
\fI\s-1MY_CXT REFERENCE\s0\fR
.IX Subsection "MY_CXT REFERENCE"
.IP "\s-1MY_CXT_KEY\s0" 5
.IX Item "MY_CXT_KEY"
This macro is used to define a unique key to refer to the static data
for an \s-1XS\s0 module. The suggested naming scheme, as used by h2xs, is to
use a string that consists of the module name, the string \*(L"::_guts\*(R"
and the module version number.
.Sp
.Vb 1
\& #define MY_CXT_KEY "MyModule::_guts" XS_VERSION
.Ve
.IP "typedef my_cxt_t" 5
.IX Item "typedef my_cxt_t"
This struct typedef \fImust\fR always be called \f(CW\*(C`my_cxt_t\*(C'\fR. The other
\&\f(CW\*(C`CXT*\*(C'\fR macros assume the existence of the \f(CW\*(C`my_cxt_t\*(C'\fR typedef name.
.Sp
Declare a typedef named \f(CW\*(C`my_cxt_t\*(C'\fR that is a structure that contains
all the data that needs to be interpreter-local.
.Sp
.Vb 3
\& typedef struct {
\& int some_value;
\& } my_cxt_t;
.Ve
.IP "\s-1START_MY_CXT\s0" 5
.IX Item "START_MY_CXT"
Always place the \s-1START_MY_CXT\s0 macro directly after the declaration
of \f(CW\*(C`my_cxt_t\*(C'\fR.
.IP "\s-1MY_CXT_INIT\s0" 5
.IX Item "MY_CXT_INIT"
The \s-1MY_CXT_INIT\s0 macro initializes storage for the \f(CW\*(C`my_cxt_t\*(C'\fR struct.
.Sp
It \fImust\fR be called exactly once, typically in a \s-1BOOT:\s0 section. If you
are maintaining multiple interpreters, it should be called once in each
interpreter instance, except for interpreters cloned from existing ones.
(But see \*(L"\s-1MY_CXT_CLONE\*(R"\s0 below.)
.IP "dMY_CXT" 5
.IX Item "dMY_CXT"
Use the dMY_CXT macro (a declaration) in all the functions that access
\&\s-1MY_CXT.\s0
.IP "\s-1MY_CXT\s0" 5
.IX Item "MY_CXT"
Use the \s-1MY_CXT\s0 macro to access members of the \f(CW\*(C`my_cxt_t\*(C'\fR struct. For
example, if \f(CW\*(C`my_cxt_t\*(C'\fR is
.Sp
.Vb 3
\& typedef struct {
\& int index;
\& } my_cxt_t;
.Ve
.Sp
then use this to access the \f(CW\*(C`index\*(C'\fR member
.Sp
.Vb 2
\& dMY_CXT;
\& MY_CXT.index = 2;
.Ve
.IP "aMY_CXT/pMY_CXT" 5
.IX Item "aMY_CXT/pMY_CXT"
\&\f(CW\*(C`dMY_CXT\*(C'\fR may be quite expensive to calculate, and to avoid the overhead
of invoking it in each function it is possible to pass the declaration
onto other functions using the \f(CW\*(C`aMY_CXT\*(C'\fR/\f(CW\*(C`pMY_CXT\*(C'\fR macros, eg
.Sp
.Vb 5
\& void sub1() {
\& dMY_CXT;
\& MY_CXT.index = 1;
\& sub2(aMY_CXT);
\& }
\&
\& void sub2(pMY_CXT) {
\& MY_CXT.index = 2;
\& }
.Ve
.Sp
Analogously to \f(CW\*(C`pTHX\*(C'\fR, there are equivalent forms for when the macro is the
first or last in multiple arguments, where an underscore represents a
comma, i.e. \f(CW\*(C`_aMY_CXT\*(C'\fR, \f(CW\*(C`aMY_CXT_\*(C'\fR, \f(CW\*(C`_pMY_CXT\*(C'\fR and \f(CW\*(C`pMY_CXT_\*(C'\fR.
.IP "\s-1MY_CXT_CLONE\s0" 5
.IX Item "MY_CXT_CLONE"
By default, when a new interpreter is created as a copy of an existing one
(eg via \f(CW\*(C`threads\->create()\*(C'\fR), both interpreters share the same physical
my_cxt_t structure. Calling \f(CW\*(C`MY_CXT_CLONE\*(C'\fR (typically via the package's
\&\f(CW\*(C`CLONE()\*(C'\fR function), causes a byte-for-byte copy of the structure to be
taken, and any future dMY_CXT will cause the copy to be accessed instead.
.IP "\s-1MY_CXT_INIT_INTERP\s0(my_perl)" 5
.IX Item "MY_CXT_INIT_INTERP(my_perl)"
.PD 0
.IP "dMY_CXT_INTERP(my_perl)" 5
.IX Item "dMY_CXT_INTERP(my_perl)"
.PD
These are versions of the macros which take an explicit interpreter as an
argument.
.PP
Note that these macros will only work together within the \fIsame\fR source
file; that is, a dMY_CTX in one source file will access a different structure
than a dMY_CTX in another source file.
.SS "Thread-aware system interfaces"
.IX Subsection "Thread-aware system interfaces"
Starting from Perl 5.8, in C/\*(C+ level Perl knows how to wrap
system/library interfaces that have thread-aware versions
(e.g. \fBgetpwent_r()\fR) into frontend macros (e.g. \fBgetpwent()\fR) that
correctly handle the multithreaded interaction with the Perl
interpreter. This will happen transparently, the only thing
you need to do is to instantiate a Perl interpreter.
.PP
This wrapping happens always when compiling Perl core source
(\s-1PERL_CORE\s0 is defined) or the Perl core extensions (\s-1PERL_EXT\s0 is
defined). When compiling \s-1XS\s0 code outside of the Perl core, the wrapping
does not take place before Perl 5.28. Starting in that release you can
.PP
.Vb 1
\& #define PERL_REENTRANT
.Ve
.PP
in your code to enable the wrapping. It is advisable to do so if you
are using such functions, as intermixing the \f(CW\*(C`_r\*(C'\fR\-forms (as Perl compiled
for multithreaded operation will do) and the \f(CW\*(C`_r\*(C'\fR\-less forms is neither
well-defined (inconsistent results, data corruption, or even crashes
become more likely), nor is it very portable. Unfortunately, not all
systems have all the \f(CW\*(C`_r\*(C'\fR forms, but using this \f(CW\*(C`#define\*(C'\fR gives you
whatever protection that Perl is aware is available on each system.
.SH "EXAMPLES"
.IX Header "EXAMPLES"
File \f(CW\*(C`RPC.xs\*(C'\fR: Interface to some \s-1ONC+ RPC\s0 bind library functions.
.PP
.Vb 4
\& #define PERL_NO_GET_CONTEXT
\& #include "EXTERN.h"
\& #include "perl.h"
\& #include "XSUB.h"
\&
\& #include <rpc/rpc.h>
\&
\& typedef struct netconfig Netconfig;
\&
\& MODULE = RPC PACKAGE = RPC
\&
\& SV *
\& rpcb_gettime(host="localhost")
\& char *host
\& PREINIT:
\& time_t timep;
\& CODE:
\& ST(0) = sv_newmortal();
\& if( rpcb_gettime( host, &timep ) )
\& sv_setnv( ST(0), (double)timep );
\&
\& Netconfig *
\& getnetconfigent(netid="udp")
\& char *netid
\&
\& MODULE = RPC PACKAGE = NetconfigPtr PREFIX = rpcb_
\&
\& void
\& rpcb_DESTROY(netconf)
\& Netconfig *netconf
\& CODE:
\& printf("NetconfigPtr::DESTROY\en");
\& free( netconf );
.Ve
.PP
File \f(CW\*(C`typemap\*(C'\fR: Custom typemap for \s-1RPC\s0.xs. (cf. perlxstypemap)
.PP
.Vb 2
\& TYPEMAP
\& Netconfig * T_PTROBJ
.Ve
.PP
File \f(CW\*(C`RPC.pm\*(C'\fR: Perl module for the \s-1RPC\s0 extension.
.PP
.Vb 1
\& package RPC;
\&
\& require Exporter;
\& require DynaLoader;
\& @ISA = qw(Exporter DynaLoader);
\& @EXPORT = qw(rpcb_gettime getnetconfigent);
\&
\& bootstrap RPC;
\& 1;
.Ve
.PP
File \f(CW\*(C`rpctest.pl\*(C'\fR: Perl test program for the \s-1RPC\s0 extension.
.PP
.Vb 1
\& use RPC;
\&
\& $netconf = getnetconfigent();
\& $a = rpcb_gettime();
\& print "time = $a\en";
\& print "netconf = $netconf\en";
\&
\& $netconf = getnetconfigent("tcp");
\& $a = rpcb_gettime("poplar");
\& print "time = $a\en";
\& print "netconf = $netconf\en";
.Ve
.SH "CAVEATS"
.IX Header "CAVEATS"
\&\s-1XS\s0 code has full access to system calls including C library functions.
It thus has the capability of interfering with things that the Perl core
or other modules have set up, such as signal handlers or file handles.
It could mess with the memory, or any number of harmful things. Don't.
.PP
Some modules have an event loop, waiting for user-input. It is highly
unlikely that two such modules would work adequately together in a
single Perl application.
.PP
In general, the perl interpreter views itself as the center of the
universe as far as the Perl program goes. \s-1XS\s0 code is viewed as a
help-mate, to accomplish things that perl doesn't do, or doesn't do fast
enough, but always subservient to perl. The closer \s-1XS\s0 code adheres to
this model, the less likely conflicts will occur.
.PP
One area where there has been conflict is in regards to C locales. (See
perllocale.) perl, with one exception and unless told otherwise,
sets up the underlying locale the program is running in to the locale
passed
into it from the environment. This is an important difference from a
generic C language program, where the underlying locale is the \*(L"C\*(R"
locale unless the program changes it. As of v5.20, this underlying
locale is completely hidden from pure Perl code outside the lexical
scope of \f(CW\*(C`use\ locale\*(C'\fR except for a couple of function calls in the
\&\s-1POSIX\s0 module which of necessity use it. But the underlying locale, with
that
one exception is exposed to \s-1XS\s0 code, affecting all C library routines
whose behavior is locale-dependent. Your \s-1XS\s0 code better not assume that
the underlying locale is \*(L"C\*(R". The exception is the
\&\f(CW\*(C`LC_NUMERIC\*(C'\fR
locale category, and the reason it is an exception is that experience
has shown that it can be problematic for \s-1XS\s0 code, whereas we have not
had reports of problems with the
other locale categories. And the reason
for this one category being problematic is that the character used as a
decimal point can vary. Many European languages use a comma, whereas
English, and hence Perl are expecting a dot (U+002E: \s-1FULL STOP\s0). Many
modules can handle only the radix character being a dot, and so perl
attempts to make it so. Up through Perl v5.20, the attempt was merely
to set \f(CW\*(C`LC_NUMERIC\*(C'\fR upon startup to the \f(CW"C"\fR locale. Any
\&\fBsetlocale()\fR otherwise would change
it; this caused some failures. Therefore, starting in v5.22, perl tries
to keep \f(CW\*(C`LC_NUMERIC\*(C'\fR always set to \f(CW"C"\fR for \s-1XS\s0 code.
.PP
To summarize, here's what to expect and how to handle locales in \s-1XS\s0 code:
.IP "Non-locale-aware \s-1XS\s0 code" 4
.IX Item "Non-locale-aware XS code"
Keep in mind that even if you think your code is not locale-aware, it
may call a library function that is. Hopefully the man page for such
a function will indicate that dependency, but the documentation is
imperfect.
.Sp
The current locale is exposed to \s-1XS\s0 code except possibly \f(CW\*(C`LC_NUMERIC\*(C'\fR
(explained in the next paragraph).
There have not been reports of problems with the other categories.
Perl initializes things on start-up so that the current locale is the
one which is indicated by the user's environment in effect at that time.
See \*(L"\s-1ENVIRONMENT\*(R"\s0 in perllocale.
.Sp
However, up through v5.20, Perl initialized things on start-up so that
\&\f(CW\*(C`LC_NUMERIC\*(C'\fR was set to the \*(L"C\*(R" locale. But if any code anywhere
changed it, it would stay changed. This means that your module can't
count on \f(CW\*(C`LC_NUMERIC\*(C'\fR being something in particular, and you can't
expect floating point numbers (including version strings) to have dots
in them. If you don't allow for a non-dot, your code could break if
anyone anywhere changed the locale. For this reason, v5.22 changed
the behavior so that Perl tries to keep \f(CW\*(C`LC_NUMERIC\*(C'\fR in the \*(L"C\*(R" locale
except around the operations internally where it should be something
else. Misbehaving \s-1XS\s0 code will always be able to change the locale
anyway, but the most common instance of this is checked for and
handled.
.IP "Locale-aware \s-1XS\s0 code" 4
.IX Item "Locale-aware XS code"
If the locale from the user's environment is desired, there should be no
need for \s-1XS\s0 code to set the locale except for \f(CW\*(C`LC_NUMERIC\*(C'\fR, as perl has
already set the others up. \s-1XS\s0 code should avoid changing the locale, as
it can adversely affect other, unrelated, code and may not be
thread-safe. To minimize problems, the macros
\&\*(L"\s-1STORE_LC_NUMERIC_SET_TO_NEEDED\*(R"\s0 in perlapi,
\&\*(L"\s-1STORE_LC_NUMERIC_FORCE_TO_UNDERLYING\*(R"\s0 in perlapi, and
\&\*(L"\s-1RESTORE_LC_NUMERIC\*(R"\s0 in perlapi should be used to affect any needed
change.
.Sp
But, starting with Perl v5.28, locales are thread-safe on platforms that
support this functionality. Windows has this starting with Visual
Studio 2005. Many other modern platforms support the thread-safe \s-1POSIX
2008\s0 functions. The C \f(CW\*(C`#define\*(C'\fR \f(CW\*(C`USE_THREAD_SAFE_LOCALE\*(C'\fR will be
defined iff this build is using these. From Perl-space, the read-only
variable \f(CW\*(C`${SAFE_LOCALES}\*(C'\fR is 1 if either the build is not threaded, or
if \f(CW\*(C`USE_THREAD_SAFE_LOCALE\*(C'\fR is defined; otherwise it is 0.
.Sp
The way this works under-the-hood is that every thread has a choice of
using a locale specific to it (this is the Windows and \s-1POSIX 2008\s0
functionality), or the global locale that is accessible to all threads
(this is the functionality that has always been there). The
implementations for Windows and \s-1POSIX\s0 are completely different. On
Windows, the runtime can be set up so that the standard
\&\f(CWsetlocale(3)\fR function either only knows about the global locale or
the locale for this thread. On \s-1POSIX,\s0 \f(CW\*(C`setlocale\*(C'\fR always deals with
the global locale, and other functions have been created to handle
per-thread locales. Perl makes this transparent to perl-space code. It
continues to use \f(CW\*(C`POSIX::setlocale()\*(C'\fR, and the interpreter translates
that into the per-thread functions.
.Sp
All other locale-senstive functions automatically use the per-thread
locale, if that is turned on, and failing that, the global locale. Thus
calls to \f(CW\*(C`setlocale\*(C'\fR are ineffective on \s-1POSIX\s0 systems for the current
thread if that thread is using a per-thread locale. If perl is compiled
for single-thread operation, it does not use the per-thread functions,
so \f(CW\*(C`setlocale\*(C'\fR does work as expected.
.Sp
If you have loaded the \f(CW\*(C`POSIX\*(C'\fR module you can use the methods given
in perlcall to call \f(CW\*(C`POSIX::setlocale\*(C'\fR to safely
change or query the locale (on systems where it is safe to do so), or
you can use the new 5.28 function \*(L"Perl_setlocale\*(R" in perlapi instead,
which is a drop-in replacement for the system \f(CWsetlocale(3)\fR, and
handles single-threaded and multi-threaded applications transparently.
.Sp
There are some locale-related library calls that still aren't
thread-safe because they return data in a buffer global to all threads.
In the past, these didn't matter as locales weren't thread-safe at all.
But now you have to be aware of them in case your module is called in a
multi-threaded application. The known ones are
.Sp
.Vb 8
\& asctime()
\& ctime()
\& gcvt() [POSIX.1\-2001 only (function removed in POSIX.1\-2008)]
\& getdate()
\& wcrtomb() if its final argument is NULL
\& wcsrtombs() if its final argument is NULL
\& wcstombs()
\& wctomb()
.Ve
.Sp
Some of these shouldn't really be called in a Perl application, and for
others there are thread-safe versions of these already implemented:
.Sp
.Vb 3
\& asctime_r()
\& ctime_r()
\& Perl_langinfo()
.Ve
.Sp
The \f(CW\*(C`_r\*(C'\fR forms are automatically used, starting in Perl 5.28, if you
compile your code, with
.Sp
.Vb 1
\& #define PERL_REENTRANT
.Ve
.Sp
See also \*(L"Perl_langinfo\*(R" in perlapi.
You can use the methods given in perlcall, to get the best available
locale-safe versions of these
.Sp
.Vb 3
\& POSIX::localeconv()
\& POSIX::wcstombs()
\& POSIX::wctomb()
.Ve
.Sp
And note, that some items returned by \f(CW\*(C`Localeconv\*(C'\fR are available
through \*(L"Perl_langinfo\*(R" in perlapi.
.Sp
The others shouldn't be used in a threaded application.
.Sp
Some modules may call a non-perl library that is locale-aware. This is
fine as long as it doesn't try to query or change the locale using the
system \f(CW\*(C`setlocale\*(C'\fR. But if these do call the system \f(CW\*(C`setlocale\*(C'\fR,
those calls may be ineffective. Instead,
\&\f(CW\*(C`Perl_setlocale\*(C'\fR works in all circumstances.
Plain setlocale is ineffective on multi-threaded \s-1POSIX 2008\s0 systems. It
operates only on the global locale, whereas each thread has its own
locale, paying no attention to the global one. Since converting
these non-Perl libraries to \f(CW\*(C`Perl_setlocale\*(C'\fR is out of the question,
there is a new function in v5.28
\&\f(CW\*(C`switch_to_global_locale\*(C'\fR that will
switch the thread it is called from so that any system \f(CW\*(C`setlocale\*(C'\fR
calls will have their desired effect. The function
\&\f(CW\*(C`sync_locale\*(C'\fR must be called before returning to
perl.
.Sp
This thread can change the locale all it wants and it won't affect any
other thread, except any that also have been switched to the global
locale. This means that a multi-threaded application can have a single
thread using an alien library without a problem; but no more than a
single thread can be so-occupied. Bad results likely will happen.
.Sp
In perls without multi-thread locale support, some alien libraries,
such as \f(CW\*(C`Gtk\*(C'\fR change locales. This can cause problems for the Perl
core and other modules. For these, before control is returned to
perl, starting in v5.20.1, calling the function
\&\fBsync_locale()\fR from \s-1XS\s0 should be sufficient to
avoid most of these problems. Prior to this, you need a pure Perl
statement that does this:
.Sp
.Vb 1
\& POSIX::setlocale(LC_ALL, POSIX::setlocale(LC_ALL));
.Ve
.Sp
or use the methods given in perlcall.
.SH "XS VERSION"
.IX Header "XS VERSION"
This document covers features supported by \f(CW\*(C`ExtUtils::ParseXS\*(C'\fR
(also known as \f(CW\*(C`xsubpp\*(C'\fR) 3.13_01.
.SH "AUTHOR"
.IX Header "AUTHOR"
Originally written by Dean Roehrich <\fIroehrich@cray.com\fR>.
.PP
Maintained since 1996 by The Perl Porters <\fIperlbug@perl.org\fR>.