Provided by: critcl_3.1.9-1build1_all 
NAME
critcl::class - CriTcl Utilities: C Classes
SYNOPSIS
package require Tcl 8.4
package require critcl ?3.1.6?
package require critcl::class ?1.0.6?
::critcl::class::define name script
include path
support code
type name
classconstructor body
classdestructor body
constructor body ?postbody?
destructor body
classvariable ctype name ?comment? ?constructor? ?destructor?
classmethod name command arguments body
classmethod name proc arguments resulttype body
classmethod name as funname ?arg...?
insvariable ctype name ?comment? ?constructor? ?destructor?
method name command arguments body
method name proc arguments resulttype body
method name as funname ?arg...?
method_introspection
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
DESCRIPTION
Welcome to the C Runtime In Tcl, CriTcl for short, a system to build C extension packages
for Tcl on the fly, from C code embedded within Tcl scripts, for all who wish to make
their code go faster.
This document is the reference manpage for the critcl::class package. This package
provides convenience commands for advanced functionality built on top of the core.
With it a user wishing to create a C level object with class and instance commands can
concentrate on specifying the class- and instance-variables and -methods in a manner
similar to a TclOO class, while all the necessary boilerplate around it is managed by this
package.
Its intended audience are mainly developers wishing to write Tcl packages with embedded C
code.
This package resides in the Core Package Layer of CriTcl.
+----------------+
|Applications |
| critcl |
| critcl::app |
+----------------+
*================*
|Core Packages |
| critcl |
| critcl::util |
*================*
+----------------+
|Support Packages|
| stubs::* |
| md5, platform |
| ... |
+----------------+
API
::critcl::class::define name script
This is the main command to define a new class name, where name is the name of the
Tcl command representing the class, i.e. the class command. The script provides the
specification of the class, i.e. information about included headers, class- and
instance variables, class- and instance-methods, etc. See the section Class
Specification API below for the detailed list of the available commands and their
semantics.
CLASS SPECIFICATION API
Here we documents all class specification commands available inside of the class
definition script argument of ::critcl::class::define.
GENERAL CONFIGURATION
include path
This command specifies the path of a header file to include within the code
generated for the class. This is separate from the support because the generated
include directives will be put at the very beginning of the generated code. This is
done to allow the use of the imported declarations within the instance type, and
elsewhere.
The command can be used multiple times, each adding a header to include. It is of
course possible to not use this command at all, for classing not making use of
external definitions.
The result of the command is the empty string.
support code
This command specifies supporting C code, i.e. any definitions (types, functions,
etc.) needed by the whole class and not fitting into class- and instance-methods.
The code is embedded at global level, outside of any function or other definition.
The command can be used multiple times, each adding another segment of C code to
insert. It is of course possible to not use this command at all, for classes not
requiring swupporting code.
The result of the command is the empty string.
type name
This command specifies the name of an external C type to be used as the type of the
instance structure.
Initialization and release of the structure with the given type are the
responsibility of the user, through constructor and destructor code fragments.
Attention: Using this command precludes the use of regular class- and instance
variables. It further precludes the use of method-introspection as well, as this
make use of generated instance-variables.
If class- and/or instance-variable have to be used in conjunction with an external
C type, simply create and use a class- or instance-variable with that type.
The result of the command is the empty string.
CLASS LIFETIME MANAGEMENT
classconstructor body
This command specifies a C code block surrounding the initialization of the class
variables, i.e. the fields of the class structure. Note that allocation and
release of the class structure itself is done by the system andf not the
responsibility of the user.
For the initialization (and release) of a class variable it is recommended to use
the constructor and destructor arguments of the variable's definition (See command
classvariable) for this instead of using a separate classconstructor.
This is an optional command. Using it more than once is allowed too and each use
will add another C code fragment to use during construction. I.e. multiple calls
aggregate.
The C code blocks of multiple calls (including the constructors of classvariable
definitions) are executed in order of specification.
The result of the command is the empty string.
The C code in body has access to the following environment:
interp Pointer to the Tcl interpreter (Tcl_Interp*) the class structure will be
associated with. It enables the generation of a Tcl error message should
construction fail.
class Pointer to the class structure to initialize.
error A C code label the constructor can jump to should it have to signal a
construction failure. It is the responsibility of the constructor to release
any variables already initialized before jumping to this label. This also
why the 'execution in order of specification' is documented and can be
relied on. It gives us the knowledge which other constructors have already
been run and initialized what other fields.
classdestructor body
This command specifies a C code block surrounding the release of the class
variables, i.e. the fields of the class structure. Note that allocation and
release of the class structure itself is done by the system and not the
responsibility of the user.
For the initialization (and release) of a class variable it is recommended to use
the constructor and destructor arguments of the variable's definition (See command
classvariable) for this instead of using a separate classconstructor.
This is an optional command. Using it more than once is allowed too and each use
will add another C code fragment to use during construction. I.e. multiple calls
aggregate.
The C code blocks of multiple calls (including the constructors of class variable
definitions) are executed in order of specification.
The result of the command is the empty string.
The C code in body has access to the same environment as the class constructor code
blocks.
INSTANCE LIFETIME MANAGEMENT
constructor body ?postbody?
This command specifies a C code block surrounding the initialization of the
instance variables, i.e. the fields of the instance structure. Note that
allocation and release of the instance structure itself is done by the system and
not the responsibility of the user. On the other hand, if an external type was
specified for the instance structure, then instance variables are not possible, and
the system has no knowledge of the type's structure. In that case it is the
responsibility of the body to allocate and free the structure itself too.
For the initialization (and release) of an instance variable it is recommended to
use the constructor and destructor arguments of the variable's definition (See
command insvariable) for this instead of using a separate constructor.
This is an optional command. Using it more than once is allowed too and each use
will add another C code fragment to use during construction. I.e. multiple calls
aggregate.
The C code blocks of multiple calls (including the constructors of instance
variable definitions) are executed in order of specification.
The result of the command is the empty string.
The C code in body has access to the following environment:
interp Pointer to the Tcl interpreter (Tcl_Interp*) the instance structure will be
associated with. It enables the generation of a Tcl error message should
construction fail.
instance
Pointer to the instance structure to initialize.
error A C code label the constructor can jump to should it have to signal a
construction failure. It is the responsibility of the constructor to release
any variables already initialized before jumping to this label. This also
why the 'execution in order of specification' is documented and can be
relied on. It gives us the knowledge which other constructors have already
been run and initialized what other fields.
The C code in postbody is responsible construction action to be done after the primary
construction was done and the Tcl-level instance command was successfully created. It has
access to a slightly different environment:
interp Pointer to the Tcl interpreter (Tcl_Interp*) the instance structure will be
associated with. It enables the generation of a Tcl error message should
construction fail.
instance
Pointer to the instance structure to initialize.
cmd The Tcl_Command token of the Tcl-level instance command.
fqn The fully qualified name of the instance command, stored in a Tcl_Obj*.
destructor body
This command specifies a C code block surrounding the release of the instance
variables, i.e. the fields of the instance structure. Note that allocation and
release of the instance structure itself is done by the system and not the
responsibility of the user. On the other hand, if an external type was specified
for the instance structure, then instance variables are not possible, and the
system has no knowledge of the type's structure. In that case it is the
responsibility of the body to allocate and free the structure itself too.
For the initialization (and release) of an instance variable it is recommended to
use the constructor and destructor arguments of the variable's definition (See
command insvariable) for this instead of using a separate constructor.
This is an optional command. Using it more than once is allowed too and each use
will add another C code fragment to use during construction. I.e. multiple calls
aggregate.
The C code blocks of multiple calls (including the constructors of instance
variable definitions) are executed in order of specification.
The result of the command is the empty string.
The C code in body has access to the following environment:
instance
Pointer to the instance structure to release.
CLASS VARIABLES AND METHODS
classvariable ctype name ?comment? ?constructor? ?destructor?
This command specifies a field in the class structure of the class. Multiple
fields can be specified, and are saved in the order specified.
Attention: Specification of a class variable precludes the use of an external C
type for the instance structure.
Attention: Specification of a class variable automatically causes the definition of
an instance variable named class, pointing to the class structure.
Beyond the basic name and C type of the new variable the definition may also
contain a comment describing it, and C code blocks to initialize and release the
variable. These are effectively local forms of the commands classconstructor and
classdestructor. Please read their descriptions for details regarding the C
environment available to the code.
The comment, if specified will be embedded into the generated C code for easier
cross-referencing from generated ".c" file to class specification.
classmethod name command arguments body
This command specifies a class method and the C code block implementing its
functionality. This is the first of three forms. The method is specified like a
critcl::ccommand, with a fixed set of C-level arguments. The body has to perform
everything (i.e. argument extraction, checking, result return, and of course the
actual functionality) by itself.
For this the body has access to
class Pointer to the class structure.
interp Pointer to the Tcl interpreter (Tcl_Interp*) the class structure is
associated with
objc The number of method arguments.
objv The method arguments, as C array of Tcl_Obj pointers.
The arguments of the definition are only a human readable form of the method
arguments and syntax and are not used in the C code, except as comments put into
the generated code. Again, it is the responsibility of the body to check the number
of arguments, extract them, check their types, etc.
classmethod name proc arguments resulttype body
This command specifies a class method and the C code block implementing its
functionality. This is the second of three forms. The method is specified like a
critcl::cproc. Contrary to the first variant here the arguments are computer
readable, expected to be in the same format as the arguments of critcl::cproc. The
same is true for the resulttype. The system automatically generates a wrapper
doing argument checking and conversion, and result conversion, like for
critcl::cproc.
The body has access to
class Pointer to the class structure.
interp Pointer to the Tcl interpreter (Tcl_Interp*) the class structure is
associated with
... All arguments under their specified names and C types as per their
definition.
classmethod name as funname ?arg...?
This command specifies a class method and the C code block implementing its
functionality. This is the third and last of three forms.
The class method is implemented by the external function funname, i.e. a function
which is declared outside of the class code itself, or in a support block.
It is assumed that the first four arguments of that function represent the
parameters
class Pointer to the class structure.
interp Pointer to the Tcl interpreter (Tcl_Interp*) the class structure is
associated with
objc The number of method arguments.
objv The method arguments, as C array of Tcl_Obj pointers.
Any additional arguments specified will be added after these and are passed into
the C code as is, i.e. are considered to be C expressions.
INSTANCE VARIABLES AND METHODS
insvariable ctype name ?comment? ?constructor? ?destructor?
This command specifies a field in the instance structure of the class. Multiple
fields can be specified, and are saved in the order specified.
Attention: Specification of an instance variable precludes the use of an external C
type for the instance structure.
Attention: Specification of an instance variable automatically causes the
definition of an instance variable of type Tcl_Command, and named cmd, holding the
token of the instance command, and the definition of an instance method named
destroy. This implicit instance variable is managed by the system.
Beyond the basic name and C type of the new variable the definition may also
contain a comment describing it, and C code blocks to initialize and release the
variable. These are effectively local forms of the commands constructor and
destructor. Please read their descriptions for details regarding the C environment
available to the code.
The comment, if specified will be embedded into the generated C code for easier
cross-referencing from generated ".c" file to class specification.
method name command arguments body
This command specifies an instance method and the C code block implementing its
functionality. This is the first of three forms. The method is specified like a
critcl::ccommand, with a fixed set of C-level arguments. The body has to perform
everything (i.e. argument extraction, checking, result return, and of course the
actual functionality) by itself.
For this the body has access to
instance
Pointer to the instance structure.
interp Pointer to the Tcl interpreter (Tcl_Interp*) the instance structure is
associated with
objc The number of method arguments.
objv The method arguments, as C array of Tcl_Obj pointers.
The arguments of the definition are only a human readable form of the method
arguments and syntax and are not used in the C code, except as comments put into
the generated code. Again, it is the responsibility of the body to check the number
of arguments, extract them, check their types, etc.
method name proc arguments resulttype body
This command specifies an instance method and the C code block implementing its
functionality. This is the second of three forms. The method is specified like a
critcl::cproc. Contrary to the first variant here the arguments are computer
readable, expected to be in the same format as the arguments of critcl::cproc. The
same is true for the resulttype. The system automatically generates a wrapper
doing argument checking and conversion, and result conversion, like for
critcl::cproc.
The body has access to
instance
Pointer to the instance structure.
interp Pointer to the Tcl interpreter (Tcl_Interp*) the instance structure is
associated with
... All arguments under their specified names and C types as per their
definition.
method name as funname ?arg...?
This command specifies an instance method and the C code block implementing its
functionality. This is the third and last of three forms.
The instance method is implemented by the external function funname, i.e. a
function which is declared outside of the instance code itself, or in a support
block.
It is assumed that the first four arguments of that function represent the
parameters
instance
Pointer to the instance structure.
interp Pointer to the Tcl interpreter (Tcl_Interp*) the instance structure is
associated with
objc The number of method arguments.
objv The method arguments, as C array of Tcl_Obj pointers.
Any additional arguments specified will be added after these and are passed into
the C code as is, i.e. are considered to be C expressions.
method_introspection
This command generates one class- and one instance-method both of which will return
a list of the instance methods of the class, and supporting structures, like the
function to compute the information, and a class variable caching it.
The two methods and the class variable are all named methods.
CONTEXT DEPENDENT INTERACTIONS
This section documents the various interactions between the specification commands. While
these are are all documented with the individual commands here they are pulled together to
see at a glance.
[1] If you are using the command type to specify an external C type to use for the
instance structure you are subject to the following constraints and rules:
[1] You cannot define your own instance variables.
[2] You cannot define your own class variables.
[3] You cannot use method_introspection.
[4] You have to allocate and release the instance structure on your own, through
constructor and destructor code blocks.
[2] If you declare class variables you are subject to the following constraints and
rules:
[1] You cannot use type.
[2] The system generates an instance variable class for you, which points from
instance to class structure. This makes you also subject to the rules below,
for instance variables.
[3] If you declare instance variables (possibly automatic, see above) you are subject
to following constraints and rules:
[1] You cannot use type.
[2] The system generates and manages an instance variable cmd for you, which
holds the Tcl_Command token of the instance command.
[3] The system generates an instance method destroy for you.
[4] The system manages allocation and release of the instance structure for you.
You have to care only about the instance variables themselves.
EXAMPLE
The example shown below is the specification of queue data structure, with most of the
method implementations and support code omitted to keep the size down.
The full implementation can be found in the directory "examples/queue" of the critcl
source distribution/repository.
package require Tcl 8.4
package require critcl 3.1
critcl::buildrequirement {
package require critcl::class ; # DSL, easy spec of Tcl class/object commands.
}
critcl::cheaders util.h
critcl::class::define ::queuec {
include util.h
insvariable Tcl_Obj* unget {
List object unget elements
} {
instance->unget = Tcl_NewListObj (0,NULL);
Tcl_IncrRefCount (instance->unget);
} {
Tcl_DecrRefCount (instance->unget);
}
insvariable Tcl_Obj* queue {
List object holding the main queue
} {
instance->queue = Tcl_NewListObj (0,NULL);
Tcl_IncrRefCount (instance->queue);
} {
Tcl_DecrRefCount (instance->queue);
}
insvariable Tcl_Obj* append {
List object holding new elements
} {
instance->append = Tcl_NewListObj (0,NULL);
Tcl_IncrRefCount (instance->append);
} {
Tcl_DecrRefCount (instance->append);
}
insvariable int at {
Index of next element to return from the main queue
} {
instance->at = 0;
}
support {... queue_peekget, queue_size, etc.}
method clear {} {...}
method destroy {...}
method get as queue_peekget 1
method peek as queue_peekget 0
method put {item ...}
method size {} {
if ((objc != 2)) {
Tcl_WrongNumArgs (interp, 2, objv, NULL);
return TCL_ERROR;
}
Tcl_SetObjResult (interp, Tcl_NewIntObj (queue_size (instance, NULL, NULL, NULL)));
return TCL_OK;
}
method unget {item} {...}
}
package provide queuec 1
AUTHORS
Andreas Kupries
BUGS, IDEAS, FEEDBACK
This document, and the package it describes, will undoubtedly contain bugs and other
problems. Please report such at https://github.com/andreas-kupries/critcl. Please also
report any ideas for enhancements you may have for either package and/or documentation.
KEYWORDS
C class, C code, C instance, C object, Embedded C Code, code generator, compile & run,
compiler, dynamic code generation, dynamic compilation, generate package, linker, on
demand compilation, on-the-fly compilation
CATEGORY
Glueing/Embedded C code
COPYRIGHT
Copyright (c) 2011-2012 Andreas Kupries