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NAME

       beam_lib - An interface to the BEAM file format.

DESCRIPTION

       This  module  provides  an interface to files created by the BEAM Compiler ("BEAM files").
       The format used, a variant of "EA IFF 1985" Standard for Interchange Format Files, divides
       data into chunks.

       Chunk  data  can be returned as binaries or as compound terms. Compound terms are returned
       when chunks are referenced  by  names  (atoms)  rather  than  identifiers  (strings).  The
       recognized names and the corresponding identifiers are as follows:

         * atoms ("Atom")

         * attributes ("Attr")

         * compile_info ("CInf")

         * debug_info ("Dbgi")

         * exports ("ExpT")

         * imports ("ImpT")

         * indexed_imports ("ImpT")

         * labeled_exports ("ExpT")

         * labeled_locals ("LocT")

         * locals ("LocT")

DEBUG INFORMATION/ABSTRACT CODE

       Option  debug_info  can  be  specified  to  the Compiler (see compile(3erl)) to have debug
       information, such as Erlang Abstract Format, stored in the debug_info chunk. Tools such as
       Debugger and Xref require the debug information to be included.

   Warning:
       Source  code  can  be  reconstructed  from  the  debug  information.  To prevent this, use
       encrypted debug information (see below).

       The debug information can also be removed from BEAM files  using  strip/1,  strip_files/1,
       and/or strip_release/1.

RECONSTRUCT SOURCE CODE

       The  following  example  shows  how  to  reconstruct  Erlang  source  code  from the debug
       information in a BEAM file Beam:

       {ok,{_,[{abstract_code,{_,AC}}]}} = beam_lib:chunks(Beam,[abstract_code]).
       io:fwrite("~s~n", [erl_prettypr:format(erl_syntax:form_list(AC))]).

ENCRYPTED DEBUG INFORMATION

       The debug information can be encrypted to keep the source code secret, but still  be  able
       to use tools such as Debugger or Xref.

       To  use  encrypted debug information, a key must be provided to the compiler and beam_lib.
       The key is specified as a string. It is recommended that the string contains at  least  32
       characters  and  that  both  upper  and  lower  case letters as well as digits and special
       characters are used.

       The default type (and currently the only type) of  crypto  algorithm  is  des3_cbc,  three
       rounds  of  DES.  The key string is scrambled using erlang:md5/1 to generate the keys used
       for des3_cbc.

   Note:
       As far as we know by the time of writing, it is infeasible to  break  des3_cbc  encryption
       without  any  knowledge  of  the  key.  Therefore,  as long as the key is kept safe and is
       unguessable, the encrypted debug information should be safe from intruders.

       The key can be provided in the following two ways:

         * Use   Compiler   option   {debug_info_key,Key},   see   compile(3erl)   and   function
           crypto_key_fun/1 to register a fun that returns the key whenever beam_lib must decrypt
           the debug information.

           If no such fun is registered, beam_lib instead searches for an .erlang.crypt file, see
           the next section.

         * Store the key in a text file named .erlang.crypt.

           In this case, Compiler option encrypt_debug_info can be used, see compile(3erl).

.ERLANG.CRYPT

       beam_lib  searches  for .erlang.crypt in the current directory and then the home directory
       for the current user. If the file is found and contains a key, beam_lib implicitly creates
       a crypto key fun and registers it.

       File .erlang.crypt is to contain a single list of tuples:

       {debug_info, Mode, Module, Key}

       Mode  is  the  type  of  crypto  algorithm; currently, the only allowed value is des3_cbc.
       Module is either an atom, in which case Key is only used for the module Module, or [],  in
       which case Key is used for all modules. Key is the non-empty key string.

       Key in the first tuple where both Mode and Module match is used.

       The  following  is  an  example of an .erlang.crypt file that returns the same key for all
       modules:

       [{debug_info, des3_cbc, [], "%>7}|pc/DM6Cga*68$Mw]L#&_Gejr]G^"}].

       The following is a slightly more complicated example of an .erlang.crypt providing one key
       for module t and another key for all other modules:

       [{debug_info, des3_cbc, t, "My KEY"},
        {debug_info, des3_cbc, [], "%>7}|pc/DM6Cga*68$Mw]L#&_Gejr]G^"}].

   Note:
       Do not use any of the keys in these examples. Use your own keys.

DATA TYPES

       beam() = module() | file:filename() | binary()

              Each  of the functions described below accept either the module name, the filename,
              or a binary containing the BEAM module.

       chunkdata() =
           {chunkid(), dataB()} |
           {abstract_code, abst_code()} |
           {debug_info, debug_info()} |
           {attributes, [attrib_entry()]} |
           {compile_info, [compinfo_entry()]} |
           {exports, [{atom(), arity()}]} |
           {labeled_exports, [labeled_entry()]} |
           {imports, [mfa()]} |
           {indexed_imports,
            [{index(), module(), Function :: atom(), arity()}]} |
           {locals, [{atom(), arity()}]} |
           {labeled_locals, [labeled_entry()]} |
           {atoms, [{integer(), atom()}]}

              The list of  attributes  is  sorted  on  Attribute  (in  attrib_entry())  and  each
              attribute  name  occurs  once  in  the list. The attribute values occur in the same
              order as in the file. The lists of functions are also sorted.

       chunkid() = nonempty_string()

              "Attr" | "CInf" | "Dbgi" | "ExpT" | "ImpT" | "LocT" | "AtU8"

       dataB() = binary()

       debug_info() =
           {DbgiVersion :: atom(), Backend :: module(), Data :: term()} |
           no_debug_info

              The  format  stored  in  the  debug_info  chunk.  To   retrieve   particular   code
              representation  from  the  backend,  Backend:debug_info(Format, Module, Data, Opts)
              must be invoked. Format is an atom, such  as  erlang_v1  for  the  Erlang  Abstract
              Format  or  core_v1  for  Core Erlang. Module is the module represented by the beam
              file and Data is the value stored in the debug info chunk.  Opts  is  any  list  of
              values  supported  by  the  Backend. Backend:debug_info/4 must return {ok, Code} or
              {error, Term}.

              Developers must always invoke the debug_info/4 function and never rely on the  Data
              stored  in  the  debug_info  chunk,  as  it is opaque and may change at any moment.
              no_debug_info means that chunk "Dbgi" is present, but empty.

       abst_code() =
           {AbstVersion :: atom(), forms()} | no_abstract_code

              It is not checked that the forms  conform  to  the  abstract  format  indicated  by
              AbstVersion. no_abstract_code means that chunk "Abst" is present, but empty.

              For  modules  compiled  with  OTP  20 onwards, the abst_code chunk is automatically
              computed from the debug_info chunk.

       forms() = [erl_parse:abstract_form() | erl_parse:form_info()]

       compinfo_entry() = {InfoKey :: atom(), term()}

       attrib_entry() =
           {Attribute :: atom(), [AttributeValue :: term()]}

       labeled_entry() = {Function :: atom(), arity(), label()}

       index() = integer() >= 0

       label() = integer()

       chunkref() = chunkname() | chunkid()

       chunkname() =
           abstract_code |
           debug_info |
           attributes |
           compile_info |
           exports |
           labeled_exports |
           imports |
           indexed_imports |
           locals |
           labeled_locals |
           atoms

       chnk_rsn() =
           {unknown_chunk, file:filename(), atom()} |
           {key_missing_or_invalid,
            file:filename(),
            abstract_code | debug_info} |
           info_rsn()

       info_rsn() =
           {chunk_too_big,
            file:filename(),
            chunkid(),
            ChunkSize :: integer() >= 0,
            FileSize :: integer() >= 0} |
           {invalid_beam_file,
            file:filename(),
            Position :: integer() >= 0} |
           {invalid_chunk, file:filename(), chunkid()} |
           {missing_chunk, file:filename(), chunkid()} |
           {not_a_beam_file, file:filename()} |
           {file_error, file:filename(), file:posix()}

EXPORTS

       all_chunks(File :: beam()) ->
                     {ok, beam_lib, [{chunkid(), dataB()}]}

              Reads chunk data for all chunks.

       build_module(Chunks) -> {ok, Binary}

              Types:

                 Chunks = [{chunkid(), dataB()}]
                 Binary = binary()

              Builds a BEAM module (as a binary) from a list of chunks.

       chunks(Beam, ChunkRefs) ->
                 {ok, {module(), [chunkdata()]}} |
                 {error, beam_lib, chnk_rsn()}

              Types:

                 Beam = beam()
                 ChunkRefs = [chunkref()]

              Reads chunk data for selected chunks references. The order of the returned list  of
              chunk data is determined by the order of the list of chunks references.

       chunks(Beam, ChunkRefs, Options) ->
                 {ok, {module(), [ChunkResult]}} |
                 {error, beam_lib, chnk_rsn()}

              Types:

                 Beam = beam()
                 ChunkRefs = [chunkref()]
                 Options = [allow_missing_chunks]
                 ChunkResult =
                     chunkdata() | {ChunkRef :: chunkref(), missing_chunk}

              Reads  chunk data for selected chunks references. The order of the returned list of
              chunk data is determined by the order of the list of chunks references.

              By default, if any requested chunk is missing in Beam, an error tuple is  returned.
              However,  if option allow_missing_chunks is specified, a result is returned even if
              chunks are missing. In the result list,  any  missing  chunks  are  represented  as
              {ChunkRef,missing_chunk}.  Notice  however that if chunk "Atom" is missing, that is
              considered a fatal error and the return value is an error tuple.

       clear_crypto_key_fun() -> undefined | {ok, Result}

              Types:

                 Result = undefined | term()

              Unregisters the crypto key fun and terminates the process holding  it,  started  by
              crypto_key_fun/1.

              Returns  either  {ok, undefined} if no crypto key fun is registered, or {ok, Term},
              where Term is the return value from CryptoKeyFun(clear), see crypto_key_fun/1.

       cmp(Beam1, Beam2) -> ok | {error, beam_lib, cmp_rsn()}

              Types:

                 Beam1 = Beam2 = beam()
                 cmp_rsn() =
                     {modules_different, module(), module()} |
                     {chunks_different, chunkid()} |
                     different_chunks |
                     info_rsn()

              Compares the contents of two BEAM files. If the module names are the same, and  all
              chunks  except  for  chunk "CInf" (the chunk containing the compilation information
              that is returned by Module:module_info(compile)) have the  same  contents  in  both
              files, ok is returned. Otherwise an error message is returned.

       cmp_dirs(Dir1, Dir2) ->
                   {Only1, Only2, Different} | {error, beam_lib, Reason}

              Types:

                 Dir1 = Dir2 = atom() | file:filename()
                 Only1 = Only2 = [file:filename()]
                 Different =
                     [{Filename1 :: file:filename(), Filename2 :: file:filename()}]
                 Reason = {not_a_directory, term()} | info_rsn()

              Compares  the  BEAM files in two directories. Only files with extension ".beam" are
              compared. BEAM files that exist only in directory Dir1 (Dir2) are returned in Only1
              (Only2).  BEAM files that exist in both directories but are considered different by
              cmp/2 are returned as pairs {Filename1,  Filename2},  where  Filename1  (Filename2)
              exists in directory Dir1 (Dir2).

       crypto_key_fun(CryptoKeyFun) -> ok | {error, Reason}

              Types:

                 CryptoKeyFun = crypto_fun()
                 Reason = badfun | exists | term()
                 crypto_fun() = fun((crypto_fun_arg()) -> term())
                 crypto_fun_arg() =
                     init | clear | {debug_info, mode(), module(), file:filename()}
                 mode() = des3_cbc

              Registers  an  unary  fun  that is called if beam_lib must read an debug_info chunk
              that has been encrypted. The fun is held in  a  process  that  is  started  by  the
              function.

              If  a  fun is already registered when attempting to register a fun, {error, exists}
              is returned.

              The fun must handle the following arguments:

              CryptoKeyFun(init) -> ok | {ok, NewCryptoKeyFun} | {error, Term}

              Called when the fun is registered, in the process that  holds  the  fun.  Here  the
              crypto  key  fun  can do any necessary initializations. If {ok, NewCryptoKeyFun} is
              returned, NewCryptoKeyFun is registered instead of CryptoKeyFun. If  {error,  Term}
              is  returned, the registration is aborted and crypto_key_fun/1 also returns {error,
              Term}.

              CryptoKeyFun({debug_info, Mode, Module, Filename}) -> Key

              Called when the key is needed for module Module in the file named Filename. Mode is
              the  type  of crypto algorithm; currently, the only possible value is des3_cbc. The
              call is to fail (raise an exception) if no key is available.

              CryptoKeyFun(clear) -> term()

              Called before the fun is unregistered. Here any cleaning up can be done. The return
              value  is not important, but is passed back to the caller of clear_crypto_key_fun/0
              as part of its return value.

       diff_dirs(Dir1, Dir2) -> ok | {error, beam_lib, Reason}

              Types:

                 Dir1 = Dir2 = atom() | file:filename()
                 Reason = {not_a_directory, term()} | info_rsn()

              Compares the BEAM files in two directories as cmp_dirs/2, but the  names  of  files
              that exist in only one directory or are different are presented on standard output.

       format_error(Reason) -> io_lib:chars()

              Types:

                 Reason = term()

              For  a  specified  error  returned  by  any  function in this module, this function
              returns a descriptive string of the error in English.  For  file  errors,  function
              file:format_error(Posix) is to be called.

       info(Beam) -> [InfoPair] | {error, beam_lib, info_rsn()}

              Types:

                 Beam = beam()
                 InfoPair =
                     {file, Filename :: file:filename()} |
                     {binary, Binary :: binary()} |
                     {module, Module :: module()} |
                     {chunks,
                      [{ChunkId :: chunkid(),
                        Pos :: integer() >= 0,
                        Size :: integer() >= 0}]}

              Returns  a  list  containing  some  information  about a BEAM file as tuples {Item,
              Info}:

                {file, Filename} | {binary, Binary}:
                  The name (string) of the BEAM file, or the binary from  which  the  information
                  was extracted.

                {module, Module}:
                  The name (atom) of the module.

                {chunks, [{ChunkId, Pos, Size}]}:
                  For  each chunk, the identifier (string) and the position and size of the chunk
                  data, in bytes.

       md5(Beam) -> {ok, {module(), MD5}} | {error, beam_lib, chnk_rsn()}

              Types:

                 Beam = beam()
                 MD5 = binary()

              Calculates an MD5 redundancy check for the code of the module (compilation date and
              other attributes are not included).

       strip(Beam1) ->
                {ok, {module(), Beam2}} | {error, beam_lib, info_rsn()}

              Types:

                 Beam1 = Beam2 = beam()

              Removes  all  chunks  from  a  BEAM  file  except  those  needed  by the loader. In
              particular, the debug information (chunk debug_info and abstract_code) is removed.

       strip_files(Files) ->
                      {ok, [{module(), Beam}]} |
                      {error, beam_lib, info_rsn()}

              Types:

                 Files = [beam()]
                 Beam = beam()

              Removes all  chunks  except  those  needed  by  the  loader  from  BEAM  files.  In
              particular,  the debug information (chunk debug_info and abstract_code) is removed.
              The returned list contains one element for each specified  filename,  in  the  same
              order as in Files.

       strip_release(Dir) ->
                        {ok, [{module(), file:filename()}]} |
                        {error, beam_lib, Reason}

              Types:

                 Dir = atom() | file:filename()
                 Reason = {not_a_directory, term()} | info_rsn()

              Removes  all  chunks  except  those  needed  by the loader from the BEAM files of a
              release. Dir is to be the installation root directory. For example, the current OTP
              release can be stripped with the call beam_lib:strip_release(code:root_dir()).

       version(Beam) ->
                  {ok, {module(), [Version :: term()]}} |
                  {error, beam_lib, chnk_rsn()}

              Types:

                 Beam = beam()

              Returns  the  module  version or versions. A version is defined by module attribute
              -vsn(Vsn). If this attribute is not specified, the version defaults to the checksum
              of  the module. Notice that if version Vsn is not a list, it is made into one, that
              is {ok,{Module,[Vsn]}} is returned. If there are many -vsn module  attributes,  the
              result is the concatenated list of versions.

              Examples:

              1> beam_lib:version(a). % -vsn(1).
              {ok,{a,[1]}}
              2> beam_lib:version(b). % -vsn([1]).
              {ok,{b,[1]}}
              3> beam_lib:version(c). % -vsn([1]). -vsn(2).
              {ok,{c,[1,2]}}
              4> beam_lib:version(d). % no -vsn attribute
              {ok,{d,[275613208176997377698094100858909383631]}}