This is emodules.info, produced by makeinfo version 4.5 from
emodules.texi.

START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
* Emodules: (emodules).      XEmacs dynamically loadable module support.
END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY

  This file documents the module loading technology of XEmacs.

  Copyright (C) 1998 J. Kean Johnston.

  Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are
preserved on all copies.

  Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
permission notice identical to this one.

  Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this
manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified
versions, except that this permission notice may be stated in a
translation approved by the Foundation.

  Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
section entitled "GNU General Public License" is included exactly as in
the original, and provided that the entire resulting derived work is
distributed under the terms of a permission notice identical to this
one.

  Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this
manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified
versions, except that the section entitled "GNU General Public License"
may be included in a translation approved by the Free Software
Foundation instead of in the original English.


File: emodules.info,  Node: Top,  Next: Introduction,  Prev: (dir),  Up: (dir)

  This Info file contains v1.0 of the XEmacs dynamically loadable
module support documentation.

* Menu:

* Introduction::                Introducing Emacs Modules
* Anatomy of a Module::         Basic module layout and technology
* Using ellcc::                 How to use the module compiler
* Defining Functions::          Creating new Lisp primitives
* Defining Variables::          Creating new Lisp variables
* Index::                       Concept Index

 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---

Anatomy of a Module

* Required Header File::        Always include <emodules.h>
* Required Functions::          Functions you must always provide
* Required Variables::          Variables whose values you must provide
* Loading other Modules::       How to load dependent modules

Using `ellcc'

* Compile Mode::                Compiling modules using ellcc
* Initialization Mode::         Generating documentation and variables
* Link Mode::                   Creating the final loadable module
* Other ellcc options::         Other useful options
* Environment Variables::       How to control ellcc

Defining Functions

* Using DEFUN::                 Using the DEFUN macro to define functions
* Declaring Functions::         Declaring functions to the Lisp reader


File: emodules.info,  Node: Introduction,  Next: Anatomy of a Module,  Prev: Top,  Up: Top

Introduction
************

  XEmacs is a powerful, extensible editor.  The traditional way of
extending the functionality of XEmacs is to use its built-in Lisp
language (called Emacs Lisp, or Elisp for short).  However, while Elisp
is a full programming language and capable of extending XEmacs in more
ways than you can imagine, it does have its short-comings.

  Firstly, Elisp is an interpreted language, and this has serious speed
implications.  Like all other interpreted languages (like Java), Elisp
is often suitable only for certain types of application or extension.
So although Elisp is a general purpose language, and very high level,
there are times when it is desirable to descend to a lower level
compiled language for speed purposes.

  Secondly, Elisp (or Lisp in general) is not a very common language any
more, except for certain circles in the computer industry.  C is a far
more commonly known language, and because it is compiled, more suited to
a wider range of applications, especially those that require low level
access to a system or need to be as quick as possible.

  This manual describes a new way of extending XEmacs, by using
dynamically loadable modules (also known as dynamically loadable
libraries (DLLs), dynamic shared objects (DSOs) or just simply shared
objects), which can be written in C or C++ and loaded into XEmacs at
any time.  I sometimes refer to this technology as "CEmacs", which is
short for "C Extensible Emacs".

  XEmacs modules are configured into and installed with XEmacs by
default on all systems that support loading of shared objects.  From a
users perspective, the internals of XEmacs modules are irrelevant.  All
a user will ever need to know about shared objects is the name of the
shared object when they want to load a given module.  From a developers
perspective though, a lot more is provided.

   *   Of primary interest is the `ellcc' program.  This program is
     created during compile time, and is intended to abstract compiler
     specific characteristics from the developer.  This program is
     called to compile and link all objects that will make up the final
     shared object, and accepts all common C compiler flags.  `ellcc'
     also sets up the correct environment for compiling modules by
     enabling any special compiler modes (such as PIC mode), setting
     the correct include paths for the location of XEmacs internal
     header files etc.  The program will also invoke the linker
     correctly to created the final shared object which is loaded into
     XEmacs.

   *   CEmacs also makes all of the relevant XEmacs internal header
     files available for module authors to use.  This is often required
     to get data structure definitions and external variable
     declarations.  The header files installed include the module
     specific header file `emodules.h'.  Due to the nature of dynamic
     modules, most of the internals of XEmacs are exposed.  *Note Top:
     (internals)Top, for a more complete discussion on how to extend
     and understand XEmacs.  All of the rules for C modules are
     discussed there.

   *   Part of the XEmacs distribution is a set of sample modules.
     These are not installed when XEmacs is, but remain in the XEmacs
     source tree.  These modules live in the directory `modules', which
     is a sub-directory of the main XEmacs source code directory.
     Please look at the samples carefully, and maybe even use them as a
     basis for making your own modules.  Most of the concepts required
     for writing extension modules are covered in the samples.

   *   Last, but not least is this manual.  This can be viewed from
     within XEmacs, and it can be printed out as well.  It is the
     intention of this document that it will describe everything you
     need to know about extending XEmacs in C.  If you do not find this
     to be the case, please contact the author(s).

  The rest of this document will discuss the actual mechanics of XEmacs
modules and work through several of the samples.  Please be sure that
you have read the XEmacs Internals Manual and understand everything in
it.  The concepts there apply to all modules.  This document may have
some overlap, but it is the internals manual which should be considered
the final authority.  It will also help a great deal to look at the
actual XEmacs source code to see how things are done.


File: emodules.info,  Node: Anatomy of a Module,  Next: Using ellcc,  Prev: Introduction,  Up: Top

Anatomy of a Module
*******************

  Each dynamically loadable XEmacs extension (hereafter referred to as a
module) has a certain compulsory format, and must contain several
pieces of information and several mandatory functions.  This chapter
describes the basic layout of a module, and provides a very simple
sample.  The source for this sample can be found in the file
`modules/simple/sample.c' in the main XEmacs source code tree.

* Menu:

* Required Header File::        Always include <emodules.h>
* Required Functions::          Functions you must always provide
* Required Variables::          Variables whose values you must provide
* Loading other Modules::       How to load dependent modules


File: emodules.info,  Node: Required Header File,  Next: Required Functions,  Prev: Anatomy of a Module,  Up: Anatomy of a Module

Required Header File
====================

  Every module must include the file `<emodules.h>'.  This will include
several other XEmacs internal header files, and will set up certain
vital macros.  One of the most important files included by `emodules.h'
is the generated `config.h' file, which contains all of the required
system abstraction macros and definitions.  Most modules will probably
require some pre-processor conditionals based on constants defined in
`config.h'.  Please read that file to familiarize yourself with the
macros defined there.

  Depending on exactly what your module will be doing, you will probably
need to include one or more of the XEmacs internal header files.  When
you `#include <emodules.h>', you will get a few of the most important
XEmacs header files included automatically for you.  The files included
are:

`lisp.h'
     This file contains most of the macros required for declaring Lisp
     object types, macros for accessing Lisp objects, and global
     variable declarations.

`sysdep.h'
     All system dependent declarations and abstraction macros live
     here.  You should never call low level system functions directly.
     Rather, you should use the abstraction macros provided in this
     header file.

`window.h'
     This header file defines the window structures and Lisp types, and
     provides functions and macros for manipulating multiple XEmacs
     windows.

`buffer.h'
     All macros and function declarations for manipulating internal and
     user visible buffers appear in this file.

`insdel.h'
     This header provides the information required for performing text
     insertion and deletion.

`frame.h'
     Provides the required structure, macro and function definitions for
     manipulating XEmacs frames.


File: emodules.info,  Node: Required Functions,  Next: Required Variables,  Prev: Required Header File,  Up: Anatomy of a Module

Required Functions
==================

  Every module requires several initialization functions.  It is the
responsibility of these functions to load in any dependent modules, and
to declare all variables and functions which are to be made visible to
the XEmacs Lisp reader.  Each of these functions performs a very
specific task, and they are executed in the correct order by XEmacs.
All of these functions are `void' functions which take no arguments.
Here, briefly, are the required module functions.  Note that the actual
function names do not end with the string `_module', but rather they
end with the abbreviated module name by which the module is known.
More on the module name and its importance later.  Just bear in mind
that the text `_module' in the functions below is simply a
place-holder, not an actual function name.

`syms_of_module'
     This required function is responsible for introducing to the Lisp
     reader all functions that you have defined in your module using
     `DEFUN()'.  Note that _only_ functions are declared here, using
     the `DEFSUBR()' macro.  No variables are declared.

`vars_of_module'
     This required function contains calls to macros such as
     `DEFVAR_LISP()', `DEFVAR_BOOL()' etc, and its purpose is to
     declare and initialize all and any variables that your module
     defines.  They syntax for declaring variables is identical to the
     syntax used for all internal XEmacs source code.  If the module is
     intended to be usable statically linked into XEmacs, the actions
     of this function are severely restricted.  *Note General Coding
     Rules: (internals)General Coding Rules.  Also see the comments in
     `src/emacs.c' (`main_1').  Modules which perform initializations
     not permitted by these rules will probably work, but dual-use
     (dynamic loading and static linking) modules will require very
     careful, and possibly fragile, coding.

`modules_of_module'
     This optional function should be used to load in any modules which
     your module depends on.  The XEmacs module loading code makes sure
     that the same module is not loaded twice, so several modules can
     safely call the module load function for the same module.  Only
     one copy of each module (at a given version) will ever be loaded.

`docs_of_module'
     This is a required function, but not one which you need ever write.
     This function is created automatically by `ellcc' when the module
     initialization code is produced.  It is required to document all
     functions and variables declared in your module.


File: emodules.info,  Node: Required Variables,  Next: Loading other Modules,  Prev: Required Functions,  Up: Anatomy of a Module

Required Variables
==================

  Not only does a module need to declare the initialization functions
mentioned above, it is also required to provide certain variables which
the module loading code searches for in order to determine the viability
of a module.  You are _not_ required to provide these variables in your
source files.  They are automatically set up in the module
initialization file by the `ellcc' compiler.  These variables are
discussed here simply for the sake of completeness.

`emodules_compiler'
     This is a variable of type `long', and is used to indicate the
     version of the XEmacs loading technology that was used to produce
     the module being loaded.  This version number is completely
     unrelated to the XEmacs version number, as a given module may
     quite well work regardless of the version of XEmacs that was
     installed at the time the module was created.

     The XEmacs modules version is used to differentiate between major
     changes in the module loading technology, not versions of XEmacs.

`emodules_name'
     This is a short (typically 10 characters or less) name for the
     module, and it is used as a suffix for all of the required
     functions.  This is also the name by which the module is
     recognized when loading dependent modules.  The name does not
     necessarily have to be the same as the physical file name,
     although keeping the two names in sync is a pretty good idea.  The
     name must not be empty, and it must be a valid part of a C
     function name.  The value of this variable is appended to the
     function names `syms_of_', `vars_of_', `modules_of_' and
     `docs_of_' to form the actual function names that the module
     loading code looks for when loading a module.

     This variable is set by the `--mod-name' argument to `ellcc'.

`emodules_version'
     This string variable is used to load specific versions of a module.
     Rarely will two or more versions of a module be left lying around,
     but just in case this does happen, this variable can be used to
     control exactly which module should be loaded.  See the Lisp
     function `load-module' for more details.  This variable is set by
     the `--mod-version' argument to `ellcc'.

`emodules_title'
     This is a string which describes the module, and can contain
     spaces or other special characters.  It is used solely for
     descriptive purposes, and does not affect the loading of the
     module.  The value is set by the `--mod-title' argument to `ellcc'.


File: emodules.info,  Node: Loading other Modules,  Prev: Required Variables,  Up: Anatomy of a Module

Loading other Modules
=====================

  During the loading of a module, it is the responsibility of the
function `modules_of_module' to load in any modules which the current
module depends on.  If the module is stand-alone, and does not depend
on other modules, then this function can be left empty or even
undeclared.  However, if it does have dependencies, it must call
`emodules_load':

     int emodules_load (const char *module,
                        const char *modname,
                        const char *modver)

  The first argument MODULE is the name of the actual shared object or
DLL.  You can omit the `.so', `.ell' or `.dll' extension of you wish.
If you do not specify an absolute path name, then the same rules as
apply to loading Lisp modules are applied when searching for the
module.  If the module cannot be found in any of the standard places,
and an absolute path name was not specified, `emodules_load' will
signal an error and loading of the module will stop.

  The second argument (MODNAME) is the module name to load, and must
match the contents of the variable EMODULE_NAME in the module to be
loaded. A mis-match will cause the module load to fail.  If this
parameter is `NULL' or empty, then no checks are performed against the
target module's EMODULE_NAME variable.

  The last argument, MODVER, is the desired version of the module to
load, and is compared to the target module's EMODULE_VERSION value.  If
this parameter is not `NULL' or empty, and the match fails, then the
load of the module will fail.

  `emodules_load' can be called recursively.  If, at any point during
the loading of modules a failure is encountered, then all modules that
were loaded since the top level call to `emodules_load' will be
unloaded.  This means that if any child modules fail to load, then
their parents will also fail to load.  This does not include previous
successful calls to `emodules_load' at the top level.

  *Warning:* Modules are _not_ loaded with the `RTLD_GLOBAL' flag.  The
practical upshot is that individual modules do not have access to each
other's C symbols.  One module cannot make a C function call to a
function defined in another module, nor can it read or set a C variable
in another module.  All interaction between modules must, therefore,
take place at the Lisp level.  This is by design.  Other projects have
attempted to use `RTLD_GLOBAL', only to find that spurious symbol name
clashes were the result.  Helper functions often have simple names,
increasing the probability of such a clash.  If you really need to
share symbols between modules, create a shared library containing those
symbols, and link your modules with that library.  Otherwise,
interactions between modules must take place via Lisp function calls
and Lisp variables accesses.


File: emodules.info,  Node: Using ellcc,  Next: Defining Functions,  Prev: Anatomy of a Module,  Up: Top

Using `ellcc'
*************

  Before discussing the anatomy of a module in greater detail, you
should be aware of the steps required in order to correctly compile and
link a module for use within XEmacs.  There is little difference between
compiling normal C code and compiling a module.  In fact, all that
changes is the command used to compile the module, and a few extra
arguments to the compiler.

  XEmacs now ships with a new user utility, called `ellcc'.  This is
the "Emacs Loadable Library C Compiler".  This is a wrapper program
that will invoke the real C compiler with the correct arguments to
compile and link your module.  With the exception of a few command line
options, this program can be considered a replacement for your C
compiler.  It accepts all of the same flags and arguments that your C
compiler does, so in many cases you can simply set the `make' variable
`CC' to `ellcc' and your code will be compiled as an Emacs module
rather than a static C object.

  `ellcc' has three distinct modes of operation.  It can be run in
compile, link or initialization mode.  These modes are discussed in more
detail below.  If you want `ellcc' to show the commands it is
executing, you can specify the option `--mode=verbose' to `ellcc'.
Specifying this option twice will enable certain extra debugging
messages to be displayed on the standard output.

* Menu:

* Compile Mode::                Compiling modules using ellcc
* Initialization Mode::         Generating documentation and variables
* Link Mode::                   Creating the final loadable module
* Other ellcc options::         Other useful options
* Environment Variables::       How to control ellcc


File: emodules.info,  Node: Compile Mode,  Next: Initialization Mode,  Prev: Using ellcc,  Up: Using ellcc

Compile Mode
============

  By default, `ellcc' is in "compile" mode.  This means that it assumes
that all of the command line arguments are C compiler arguments, and
that you want to compile the specified source file or files.  You can
force compile mode by specifying the `--mode=compile' argument to
`ellcc'.

  In this mode, `ellcc' is simply a front-end to the same C compiler
that was used to create the XEmacs binary itself.  All `ellcc' does in
this mode is insert a few extra command line arguments before the
arguments you specify to `ellcc' itself.  `ellcc' will then invoke the
C compiler to compile your module, and will return the same exit codes
and messages that your C compiler does.

  By far the easiest way to compile modules is to construct a
`Makefile' as you would for a normal program, and simply insert, at
some appropriate place something similar to:

     CC=ellcc --mode=compile
     
     .c.o:
         $(CC) $(CFLAGS) -c $<

  After this, all you need to do is provide simple `make' rules for
compiling your module source files.  Since modules are most useful when
they are small and self-contained, most modules will have a single
source file, aside from the module specific initialization file (see
below for details).


File: emodules.info,  Node: Initialization Mode,  Next: Link Mode,  Prev: Compile Mode,  Up: Using ellcc

Initialization Mode
===================

  XEmacs uses a rather bizarre way of documenting variables and
functions.  Rather than have the documentation for compiled functions
and variables passed as static strings in the source code, the
documentation is included as a C comment.  A special program, called
`make-docfile', is used to scan the source code files and extract the
documentation from these comments, producing the XEmacs `DOC' file,
which the internal help engine scans when the documentation for a
function or variable is requested.

  Due to the internal construction of Lisp objects, subrs and other such
things, adding documentation for a compiled function or variable in a
compiled module, at any time after XEmacs has been "dumped" is somewhat
problematic.  Fortunately, as a module writer you are insulated from
the difficulties thanks to your friend `ellcc' and some internal
trickery in the module loading code.  This is all done using the
"initialization" mode of `ellcc'.

  The result of running `ellcc' in initialization mode is a C source
file which you compile with (you guessed it) `ellcc' in compile mode.
Initialization mode is where you set the module name, version, title
and gather together all of the documentation strings for the functions
and variables in your module.  There are several options that you are
required to pass `ellcc' in initialization mode, the first of which is
the mode switch itself, `--mode=init'.

  Next, you need to specify the name of the C source code file that
`ellcc' will produce, and you specify this using the
`--mod-output=FILENAME' argument.  FILENAME is the name of the C source
code file that will contain the module variables and `docs_of_module'
function.

  As discussed previously, each module requires a short "handle" or
module name.  This is specified with the `--mod-name=NAME' option,
where NAME is the abbreviated module name.  This NAME must consist only
of characters that are valid in C function and variable names.

  The module version is specified using `--mod-version=VERSION'
argument, with VERSION being any arbitrary version string.  This
version can be passed as an optional second argument to the Lisp
function `load-module', and as the third argument to the internal
module loading command `emodules_load'.  This version string is used to
distinguish between different versions of the same module, and to
ensure that the module is loaded at a specific version.

  Last, but not least, is the module title.  Specified using the
`--mod-title=TITLE' option, the specified TITLE is used when the list
of loaded modules is displayed.  The module title serves no purpose
other than to inform the user of the function of the module.  This
string should be brief, as it has to be formatted to fit the screen.

  Following all of these parameters, you need to provide the list of all
source code modules that make up your module.  These are the files which
are scanned by `make-docfile', and provide the information required to
populate the `docs_of_module' function.  Below is a sample `Makefile'
fragment which indicates how all of this is used.

     CC=ellcc --mode=compile
     LD=ellcc --mode=link
     MODINIT=ellcc --mode=init
     CFLAGS=-O2 -DSOME_STUFF
     
     .c.o:
         $(CC) $(CFLAGS) -c $<
     
     MODNAME=sample
     MODVER=1.0.0
     MODTITLE="Small sample module"
     
     SRCS=modfile1.c modfile2.c modfile3.c
     OBJS=$(SRCS:.c=.o)
     
     all: sample.ell
     clean:
         rm -f $(OBJS) sample_init.o sample.ell
     
     install: all
         mkdir `ellcc --mod-location`/mymods > /dev/null
         cp sample.ell `ellcc --mod-location`/mymods/sample.ell
     
     sample.ell: $(OBJS) sample_init.o
         $(LD) --mod-output=$ $(OBJS) sample_init.o
     
     sample_init.o: sample_init.c
     sample_init.c: $(SRCS)
         $(MODINIT) --mod-name=$(MODNAME) --mod-version=$(MODVER) \
         --mod-title=$(MODTITLE) --mod-output=$ $(SRCS)

  The above `Makefile' is, in fact, complete, and would compile the
sample module, and optionally install it.  The `--mod-location'
argument to `ellcc' will produce, on the standard output, the base
location of the XEmacs module directory.  Each sub-directory of that
directory is automatically searched for modules when they are loaded
with `load-module'.  An alternative location would be
`/usr/local/lib/xemacs/site-modules'.  That path can change depending
on the options the person who compiled XEmacs chose, so you can always
determine the correct site location using the `--mod-site-location'
option.  This directory is treated the same way as the main module
directory.  Each sub-directory within it is searched for a given module
when the user attempts to load it.  The valid extensions that the
loader attempts to use are `.so', `.ell' and `.dll'.  You can use any
of these extensions, although `.ell' is the preferred extension.


File: emodules.info,  Node: Link Mode,  Next: Other ellcc options,  Prev: Initialization Mode,  Up: Using ellcc

Link Mode
=========

  Once all of your source code files have been compiled (including the
generated init file) you need to link them all together to create the
loadable module.  To do this, you invoke `ellcc' in link mode, by
passing the `--mode=link' option.  You need to specify the final output
file using the `--mod-output=NAME' option, but other than that all
other arguments are passed on directly to the system compiler or
linker, along with any other required arguments to create the loadable
module.

  The module has complete access to all symbols that were present in the
dumped XEmacs, so you do not need to link against libraries that were
linked in with the main executable.  If your library uses some other
extra libraries, you will need to link with those.  There is nothing
particularly complicated about link mode.  All you need to do is make
sure you invoke it correctly in the `Makefile'.  See the sample
`Makefile' above for an example of a well constructed `Makefile' that
invoked the linker correctly.


File: emodules.info,  Node: Other ellcc options,  Next: Environment Variables,  Prev: Link Mode,  Up: Using ellcc

Other `ellcc' options
=====================

  Aside from the three main `ellcc' modes described above, `ellcc' can
accept several other options.  These are typically used in a `Makefile'
to determine installation paths.  `ellcc' also allows you to over-ride
several of its built-in compiler and linker options using environment
variables.  Here is the complete list of options that `ellcc' accepts.

`--mode=compile'
     Enables compilation mode.  Use this to compile source modules.

`--mode=link'
     Enabled link edit mode.  Use this to create the final module.

`--mode=init'
     Used to create the documentation function and to initialize other
     required variables.  Produces a C source file that must be
     compiled with `ellcc' in compile mode before linking the final
     module.

`--mode=verbose'
     Enables verbose mode.  This will show you the commands that are
     being executed, as well as the version number of `ellcc'.  If you
     specify this option twice, then some extra debugging information
     is displayed.

`--mod-name=NAME'
     Sets the short internal module NAME to the string specified, which
     must consist only of valid C identifiers.  Required during
     initialization mode.

`--mod-version=VERSION'
     Sets the internal module VERSION to the specified string.
     Required during initialization mode.

`--mod-title=TITLE'
     Sets the module descriptive TITLE to the string specified.  This
     string can contain any printable characters, but should not be too
     long.  It is required during initialization mode.

`--mod-output=FILENAME'
     Used to control the output file name.  This is used during
     initialization mode to set the name of the C source file that will
     be created to FILENAME.  During link mode, it sets the name of the
     final loadable module to FILENAME.

`--mod-location'
     This will print the name of the standard module installation path
     on the standard output and immediately exit `ellcc'.  Use this
     option to determine the directory prefix of where you should
     install your modules.

`--mod-site-location'
     This will print the name of the site specific module location and
     exit.

`--mod-archdir'
     Prints the name of the root of the architecture-dependent
     directory that XEmacs searches for architecture-dependent files.

`--mod-config'
     Prints the name of the configuration for which XEmacs and `ellcc'
     were compiled.


File: emodules.info,  Node: Environment Variables,  Prev: Other ellcc options,  Up: Using ellcc

Environment Variables
=====================

  During its normal operation, `ellcc' uses the compiler and linker
flags that were determined at the time XEmacs was configured.  In
certain rare circumstances you may wish to over-ride the flags passed to
the compiler or linker, and you can do so using environment variables.
The table below lists all of the environment variables that `ellcc'
recognizes.

`ELLCC'
     This is used to over-ride the name of the C compiler that is
     invoked by `ellcc'.

`ELLLD'
     Sets the name of the link editor to use to created the final
     module.

`ELLCFLAGS'
     Sets the compiler flags passed on when compiling source modules.
     This only sets the basic C compiler flags.  There are certain
     hard-coded flags that will always be passed.

`ELLLDFLAGS'
     Sets the flags passed on to the linker.  This does *not* include
     the flags for enabling PIC mode.  This just sets basic linker
     flags.

`ELLDLLFLAGS'
     Sets the flags passed to the linker that are required to created
     shared and loadable objects.

`ELLPICFLAGS'
     Sets the C compiler option required to produce an object file that
     is suitable for including in a shared library.  This option should
     turn on PIC mode, or the moral equivalent thereof on the target
     system.

`ELLMAKEDOC'
     Sets the name of the `make-docfile' program to use.  Usually
     `ellcc' will use the version that was compiled and installed with
     XEmacs, but this option allows you to specify an alternative path.
     Used during the compile phase of XEmacs itself.


File: emodules.info,  Node: Defining Functions,  Next: Defining Variables,  Prev: Using ellcc,  Up: Top

Defining Functions
******************

  One of the main reasons you would ever write a module is to provide
one or more "functions" for the user or the editor to use.  The term
"function" is a bit overloaded here, as it refers to both a C function
and the way it appears to Lisp, which is a "subroutine", or simply a
"subr".  A Lisp subr is also known as a Lisp primitive, but that term
applies less to dynamic modules.  *Note Writing Lisp Primitives:
(internals)Writing Lisp Primitives, for details on how to declare
functions.  You should familiarize yourself with the instructions
there.  The format of the function declaration is identical in modules.

  Normal Lisp primitives document the functions they defining by
including the documentation as a C comment.  During the build process,
a program called `make-docfile' is run, which will extract all of these
comments, build up a single large documentation file, and will store
pointers to the start of each documentation entry in the dumped XEmacs.
This, of course, will not work for dynamic modules, as they are loaded
long after XEmacs has been dumped.  For this reason, we require a
special means for adding documentation for new subrs.  This is what the
macro `CDOCSUBR' is used for, and this is used extensively during
`ellcc' initialization mode.

  When using `DEFUN' in normal XEmacs C code, the sixth "parameter" is
a C comment which documents the function.  For a dynamic module, we of
course need to convert the C comment to a usable string, and we need to
set the documentation pointer of the subr to this string.  As a module
programmer, you don't actually need to do any work for this to happen.
It is all taken care of in the `docs_of_module' function created by
`ellcc'.

* Menu:

* Using DEFUN::                 Using the DEFUN macro to define functions
* Declaring Functions::         Declaring functions to the Lisp reader


File: emodules.info,  Node: Using DEFUN,  Next: Declaring Functions,  Prev: Defining Functions,  Up: Defining Functions

Using `DEFUN'
=============

  The full syntax of a function declaration is discussed in the XEmacs
internals manual in greater depth.  *Note Writing Lisp Primitives:
(internals)Writing Lisp Primitives.  What follows is a brief
description of how to define and implement a new Lisp primitive in a
module.  This is done using the `DEFUN' macro.  Here is a small example:

     DEFUN ("my-function", Fmy_function, 1, 1, "FFile name: ", /*
     Sample Emacs primitive function.
     
     The specified FILE is frobnicated before it is fnozzled.
     */
         (file))
     {
       char *filename;
     
       if (NILP(file))
         return Qnil;
     
       filename = (char *)XSTRING_DATA(file);
       frob(filename);
       return Qt;
     }

  The first argument is the name of the function as it will appear to
the Lisp reader.  This must be provided as a string.  The second
argument is the name of the actual C function that will be created.
This is typically the Lisp function name with a preceding capital `F',
with hyphens converted to underscores.  This must be a valid C function
name.  Next come the minimum and maximum number of arguments,
respectively.  This is used to ensure that the correct number of
arguments are passed to the function.  Next is the `interactive'
definition.  If this function is meant to be run by a user
interactively, then you need to specify the argument types and prompts
in this string.  Please consult the XEmacs Lisp manual for more
details.  Next comes a C comment that is the documentation for this
function.  This comment *must* exist.  Last comes the list of function
argument names, if any.


File: emodules.info,  Node: Declaring Functions,  Prev: Using DEFUN,  Up: Defining Functions

Declaring Functions
===================

  Simply writing the code for a function is not enough to make it
available to the Lisp reader.  You have to, during module
initialization, let the Lisp reader know about the new function.  This
is done by calling `DEFSUBR' with the name of the function.  This is
the sole purpose of the initialization function `syms_of_module'.
*Note Required Functions::, for more details.

  Each call to `DEFSUBR' takes as its only argument the name of the
function, which is the same as the second argument to the call to
`DEFUN'.  Using the example function above, you would insert the
following code in the `syms_of_module' function:

     DEFSUBR(Fmy_function);

  This call will instruct XEmacs to make the function visible to the
Lisp reader and will prepare for the insertion of the documentation into
the right place.  Once this is done, the user can call the Lisp
function `my-function', if it was defined as an interactive function
(which in this case it was).

  Thats all there is to defining and announcing new functions.  The
rules for what goes inside the functions, and how to write good
modules, is beyond the scope of this document.  Please consult the
XEmacs internals manual for more details.


File: emodules.info,  Node: Defining Variables,  Next: Index,  Prev: Defining Functions,  Up: Top

Defining Variables
******************

  Rarely will you write a module that only contains functions.  It is
common to also provide variables which can be used to control the
behavior of the function, or store the results of the function being
executed.  The actual C variable types are the same for modules and
internal XEmacs primitives, and the declaration of the variables is
identical.

  *Note Adding Global Lisp Variables: (internals)Adding Global Lisp
Variables, for more information on variables and naming conventions.

  Once your variables are defined, you need to initialize them and make
the Lisp reader aware of them.  This is done in the `vars_of_module'
initialization function using special XEmacs macros such as
`DEFVAR_LISP', `DEFVAR_BOOL', `DEFVAR_INT' etc.  The best way to see
how to use these macros is to look at existing source code, or read the
internals manual.

  One _very_ important difference between XEmacs variables and module
variables is how you use pure space.  Simply put, you *never* use pure
space in XEmacs modules.  The pure space storage is of a limited size,
and is initialized properly during the dumping of XEmacs.  Because
variables are being added dynamically to an already running XEmacs when
you load a module, you cannot use pure space.  Be warned: *do not use
pure space in modules.  Repeat, do not use pure space in modules.*
Once again, to remove all doubts: *DO NOT USE PURE SPACE IN MODULES!!!*

  Below is a small example which declares and initializes two
variables.  You will note that this code takes into account the fact
that this module may very well be compiled into XEmacs itself.  This is
a prudent thing to do.

     Lisp_Object Vsample_string;
     int sample_boolean;
     
     void
     vars_of_module()
     {
       DEFVAR_LISP ("sample-string", &Vsample_string /*
     This is a sample string, declared in a module.
     
     Nothing magical about it.
     */);
     
       DEFVAR_BOOL("sample-boolean", &sample_boolean /*
     *Sample user-settable boolean.
     */);
     
       sample_boolean = 0;
       Vsample_string = build_string("My string");
     }


File: emodules.info,  Node: Index,  Prev: Defining Variables,  Up: Top

Index
*****

* Menu:

* anatomy:                               Anatomy of a Module.
* compiler:                              Introduction.
* compiling:                             Compile Mode.
* config.h:                              Required Header File.
* defining functions:                    Defining Functions.
* defining objects:                      Defining Variables.
* defining variables:                    Defining Variables.
* DEFSUBR:                               Declaring Functions.
* DEFUN:                                 Using DEFUN.
* DEFVAR_BOOL:                           Defining Variables.
* DEFVAR_INT:                            Defining Variables.
* DEFVAR_LISP:                           Defining Variables.
* dependencies:                          Loading other Modules.
* DLL:                                   Introduction.
* docs_of_module:                        Required Functions.
* documentation <1>:                     Initialization Mode.
* documentation:                         Introduction.
* DSO:                                   Introduction.
* ellcc:                                 Using ellcc.
* ELLCC:                                 Environment Variables.
* ellcc:                                 Introduction.
* ELLCFLAGS:                             Environment Variables.
* ELLDLLFLAGS:                           Environment Variables.
* ELLLD:                                 Environment Variables.
* ELLLDFLAGS:                            Environment Variables.
* ELLMAKEDOC:                            Environment Variables.
* ELLPICFLAGS:                           Environment Variables.
* Emacs Modules:                         Introduction.
* emodules.h:                            Required Header File.
* emodules_load:                         Loading other Modules.
* environment variables:                 Environment Variables.
* format, module:                        Anatomy of a Module.
* functions, declaring:                  Declaring Functions.
* functions, defining:                   Using DEFUN.
* functions, Lisp:                       Using DEFUN.
* functions, required:                   Required Functions.
* header files:                          Introduction.
* help:                                  Introduction.
* include files:                         Required Header File.
* initialization <1>:                    Required Variables.
* initialization <2>:                    Required Functions.
* initialization:                        Initialization Mode.
* linker:                                Introduction.
* linking:                               Link Mode.
* module compiler:                       Using ellcc.
* module format:                         Anatomy of a Module.
* module skeleton:                       Anatomy of a Module.
* modules_of_module <1>:                 Loading other Modules.
* modules_of_module:                     Required Functions.
* objects, defining:                     Defining Variables.
* objects, Lisp:                         Defining Variables.
* paths:                                 Other ellcc options.
* required functions:                    Required Functions.
* required header:                       Required Header File.
* required variables:                    Required Variables.
* samples:                               Introduction.
* shared object:                         Introduction.
* skeleton, module:                      Anatomy of a Module.
* subrs:                                 Using DEFUN.
* syms_of_module:                        Required Functions.
* variables, defining:                   Defining Variables.
* variables, Lisp:                       Defining Variables.
* variables, required:                   Required Variables.
* vars_of_module:                        Required Functions.



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Node: Anatomy of a Module7491
Node: Required Header File8304
Node: Required Functions10221
Node: Required Variables12944
Node: Loading other Modules15629
Node: Using ellcc18541
Node: Compile Mode20332
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Node: Defining Variables37244
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