NAME

tools/build/pmc2c.pl - PMC definition to C compiler

SYNOPSIS

Create src/pmc/foo.dump:

    % perl tools/build/pmc2c.pl --dump src/pmc/foo.pmc ...

Create vtable.dump:

    % perl tools/build/pmc2c.pl --vtable

Print a class tree for the specified PMCs:

    % perl tools/build/pmc2c.pl --tree src/pmc/*.pmc

Create src/pmc/foo.c and pmc_foo.h from src/pmc/foo.dump:

    % perl tools/build/pmc2c.pl -c src/pmc/foo.pmc ...

Create fooX.c and pmc_fooX.h from fooX.dump files, also create libfoo.c containing the initialization function for all fooX PMCs.

    % perl tools/build/pmc2c.pl --library libfoo -c \
           src/pmc/foo1.pmc src/pmc/foo2.pmc ...

DESCRIPTION

The job of the PMC compiler is to take .pmc files and create C files that can be compiled for use with the Parrot interpreter.

COMMAND-LINE OPTIONS

--debug: Increase debug level
--verbose: Increase verbose level
--no-lines: Omit source line info
--no-body: Emit an empty body in the dump. This may be useful for debugging.
--include=/path/to/pmc: Specify include path where to find PMCs.
--library=libname: Specifiy the library name. This will create <libname>.c and pmc_<libname>.h. The initialization function will be named after libname and will initialize all PMCs in the library.

Internals

To see the internal data structures please run:

    % perl tools/build/pmc2c.pl --c --deb --deb sarray.pmc | less

Compiling PMCs

First, the program determines the names of the .c and .h files from the basename of the .pmc file (e.g. perlint.pmc -> perlint.c and perlint.h).

Next, the file is searched for /pmclass \w*/ which attempts to find the class being declared.

Once the class is found, all of its superclasses are scanned and their methods added to the methods of the current PMC. PMCs default to inheriting from 'default'. Only single inheritance is supported.

Once the superclass is determined, it is processed and its method names are extracted and saved.

Next, each method body is processed with various directives (see below) getting replaced by their appropriate values.

Finally, the .c and .h files are generated. The appropriate base class header files are included.

If the noinit flag was used, then no init function is generated. Otherwise, one is generated which sets up the vtable and enters it into the vtables array.

The .c file is generated by appending the functions after the various directives have been replaced.

PMC File Syntax

The basic syntax of a PMC file is

A preamble, consisting of code to be copied directly to the .c file

The pmclass declaration:

    pmclass PMCNAME [flags] {

where flags are:

extends PMCPARENT: All methods not defined in PMCNAME are inherited from the PMCPARENT class. If no parent class is defined, methods from default.pmc are used.
abstract: This class cannot be instantiated. Abstract classes are shown with lower case class names in the class tree.
noinit: Used with abstract: No class_init code is generated.
const_too: Classes with this flag get 2 vtables and 2 enums, one pair with read/write set methods, and one with read-only set methods.
need_ext: The class needs a PMC_EXT structure. For instance, any class using PMC_data will have need_ext.
does interface: The class 'does' the given interfaces (the collection of methods which the class implements).; The default is "scalar". Other currently used interfaces are:; This is not a canonical list, but merely a snapshot of what's in use.
dynpmc: The class is a dynamic class. These have a special class_init routine suitable for dynamic loading at runtime. See the src/dynpmc directory for an example.
group GROUP: The class is part of a group of interrelated PMCs that should be compiled together into a single shared library of the given name. Only valid for dynamic PMCs.
lib LIB: The class needs an external library.
hll HLL: The High level language this PMC corresponds to.
maps Type: The basic parrot PMC type that this PMC correspond to for .HLL usage. For example:; allows this PMC to automatically be used when autoboxing I registers to PMCs.; Requires the hll flag.

A list of vtable method implementations

The final close }

Method Body Substitutions

The vtable method bodies can use the following substitutions:

SELF: Converted to the current PMC object of type PMC *.
INTERP: Converted to the interpreter object.
OtherClass.SELF.method(a,b,c): Calls the static vtable method 'method' in OtherClass.
SELF.method(a,b,c): Calls the vtable method 'method' using the static type of SELF (in other words, calls another method defined in the same file).
DYNSELF.method(a,b,c): Calls the vtable method 'method' using the dynamic type of SELF.
DYNSELF(a,b,c): Same as above, but calls the current method.
OtherClass.SUPER(a,b,c): Calls the overridden implementation of the current method in OtherClass.
SUPER(a,b,c): Calls the overridden implementation of the current method in the nearest superclass, using the static type of SELF.
DYNSUPER(a,b,c): As above, but uses the actual dynamic type of SELF.

AUTHOR

Leopold Toetsch.

Cleaned up by Matt Diephouse.

Many thanks to the author of pmc2c.pl, many useful code pieces got reused.

FUNCTIONS

    my ($pmcfilename, $pmcname);
    my %groups;
    foreach $pmcfilename (keys %$pmcs) {
        # Skip for non-dynpmcs.
        next unless $pmcs->{$pmcfilename}->{flags}->{dynpmc};

        # Get copy of name without extension.
        $pmcname = $pmcfilename;
        $pmcname =~ s/\.pmc$//;

        # Locate .h file and add everything it exports to a list.
        my @exports = ();
        my $file = find_file($include, "pmc_$pmcname.h", 1);

        my $fh = open_file( "<", $file );
        while (<$fh>) {
            if (/^(?:extern\s+)?\w+\*?\s+\*?(\w+)\s*\([^)]+\)\s*;/) {
                push @exports, $1;
            }
        }
        close $fh;

        # Locate .c file and add everything it exports to a list.
        $file = find_file($include, "$pmcname.c", 1);

        $fh = open_file( "<", $file );
        while (<$fh>) {
            if (/^(?:extern\s+)?\w+\*?\s+\*?(\w+)\s*\([^)]+\)\s*;/) {
                push @exports, $1;
            }
        }
        close $fh;

        # If it's in a group, put it in group's PMC array.
        if ($pmcs->{$pmcfilename}->{flags}->{group}) {
            for (keys %{$pmcs->{$pmcfilename}->{flags}->{group}}) {
                push @{$groups{$_}}, @exports;
            }
        }

        # Generate .def file for it.
        # XXX JW Needn't generate these for PMCs in a group?
        #        For now, simplifies sutff.
        $file =~ s/\.c$/.def/;
        $fh = open_file( ">", $file );
        print $fh "LIBRARY $pmcname\nEXPORTS\n";
        print $fh "\t$_\n" foreach @exports;
        close $fh;
    }

    # Generate .def file for groups.
    for my $group (keys %groups) {
        # Get filename of where we'll stash the .def file.
        my $deffile = "$group.def";

        # Does the DEF file already exist?
        my $defexists = -e $deffile;

        # Open the file to append to it.
        my $fh = open_file( ">>", $deffile );
        print $fh "LIBRARY $group\nEXPORTS\n\tParrot_lib_${group}_load\n" unless $defexists;
        print $fh "\t$_\n" foreach @{$groups{$group}};
        close $fh;
    }
}

NAME

SYNOPSIS

DESCRIPTION

COMMAND-LINE OPTIONS

Internals

Compiling PMCs

PMC File Syntax

Method Body Substitutions

AUTHOR

FUNCTIONS

my $path = find_file( [$dir1, $dir2], $file, $die_unless_found_flag );

dump_default()

my ($balanced, $remaining) = extract_balanced($code);

my ($pre, $class_name, $flags) = parse_flags(\$code);

my ($name, $attributes) = parse_pmc($code);

gen_parent_list( [$dir1, $dir2], $class, $classes );

dump_1_pmc($file);

gen_super_meths($class, $vtable)

add_defaulted($class_structure, $vtable);

dump_is_newer($file);

dump_pmc( [$dir1, $dir2], $file1, $file2, ... );

read_dump( [$dir1, $dir2], $file );

print_tree( [$dir1, $dir2], 0, $file1, $file2, ... );

gen_c( [$dir1, $dir2], $file1, $file2, ... )

gen_def( [$dir1, $dir2], \%pmc )

parrotcode: PMC definition to C compiler
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