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https://github.com/perlffi/ffi-platypus
Write Perl bindings to non-Perl libraries with FFI. No XS required.
https://github.com/perlffi/ffi-platypus
ffi perl perl7
Last synced: 2 days ago
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Write Perl bindings to non-Perl libraries with FFI. No XS required.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/perlffi/ffi-platypus
- Owner: PerlFFI
- Created: 2014-04-16T04:31:10.000Z (almost 11 years ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2025-01-01T12:07:45.000Z (about 1 month ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-01-29T18:47:49.742Z (2 days ago)
- Topics: ffi, perl, perl7
- Language: Perl
- Homepage:
- Size: 3.23 MB
- Stars: 94
- Watchers: 11
- Forks: 23
- Open Issues: 16
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Changelog: Changes
- Contributing: CONTRIBUTING
- Support: SUPPORT
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README
# FFI::Platypus     
Write Perl bindings to non-Perl libraries with FFI. No XS required.
# SYNOPSIS
```perl
use FFI::Platypus 2.00;
# for all new code you should use api => 2
my $ffi = FFI::Platypus->new(
api => 2,
lib => undef, # search libc
);
# call dynamically
$ffi->function( puts => ['string'] => 'int' )->call("hello world");
# attach as a xsub and call (much faster)
$ffi->attach( puts => ['string'] => 'int' );
puts("hello world");
```
# DESCRIPTION
Platypus is a library for creating interfaces to machine code libraries
written in languages like C, [C++](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Lang::CPP),
[Go](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Lang::Go),
[Fortran](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Lang::Fortran),
[Rust](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Lang::Rust),
[Pascal](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Lang::Pascal). Essentially anything that gets
compiled into machine code. This implementation uses [libffi](https://sourceware.org/libffi/) to
accomplish this task. [libffi](https://sourceware.org/libffi/) is battle tested by a number of other
scripting and virtual machine languages, such as Python and Ruby to
serve a similar role. There are a number of reasons why you might want
to write an extension with Platypus instead of XS:
- FFI / Platypus does not require messing with the guts of Perl
XS is less of an API and more of the guts of perl splayed out to do
whatever you want. That may at times be very powerful, but it can also
be a frustrating exercise in hair pulling.
- FFI / Platypus is portable
Lots of languages have FFI interfaces, and it is subjectively easier to
port an extension written in FFI in Perl or another language to FFI in
another language or Perl. One goal of the Platypus Project is to reduce
common interface specifications to a common format like JSON that could
be shared between different languages.
- FFI / Platypus could be a bridge to Raku
One of those "other" languages could be Raku and Raku already has an
FFI interface I am told.
- FFI / Platypus can be reimplemented
In a bright future with multiple implementations of Perl 5, each
interpreter will have its own implementation of Platypus, allowing
extensions to be written once and used on multiple platforms, in much
the same way that Ruby-FFI extensions can be use in Ruby, JRuby and
Rubinius.
- FFI / Platypus is pure perl (sorta)
One Platypus script or module works on any platform where the libraries
it uses are available. That means you can deploy your Platypus script
in a shared filesystem where they may be run on different platforms. It
also means that Platypus modules do not need to be installed in the
platform specific Perl library path.
- FFI / Platypus is not C or C++ centric
XS is implemented primarily as a bunch of C macros, which requires at
least some understanding of C, the C pre-processor, and some C++ caveats
(since on some platforms Perl is compiled and linked with a C++
compiler). Platypus on the other hand could be used to call other
compiled languages, like [Fortran](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Lang::Fortran),
[Go](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Lang::Go),
[Rust](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Lang::Rust),
[Pascal](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Lang::Pascal), [C++](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Lang::CPP),
or even [assembly](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Lang::ASM), allowing you to focus
on your strengths.
- FFI / Platypus does not require a parser
[Inline](https://metacpan.org/pod/Inline) isolates the extension developer from XS to some extent, but
it also requires a parser. The various [Inline](https://metacpan.org/pod/Inline) language bindings are
a great technical achievement, but I think writing a parser for every
language that you want to interface with is a bit of an anti-pattern.
This document consists of an API reference, a set of examples, some
support and development (for contributors) information. If you are new
to Platypus or FFI, you may want to skip down to the
[EXAMPLES](#examples) to get a taste of what you can do with Platypus.
Platypus has extensive documentation of types at [FFI::Platypus::Type](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Type)
and its custom types API at [FFI::Platypus::API](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::API).
You are **strongly** encouraged to use API level 2 for all new code.
There are a number of improvements and design fixes that you get
for free. You should even consider updating existing modules to
use API level 2 where feasible. How do I do that you might ask?
Simply pass in the API level to the platypus constructor.
```perl
my $ffi = FFI::Platypus->new( api => 2 );
```
The Platypus documentation has already been updated to assume API
level 1.
# CONSTRUCTORS
## new
```perl
my $ffi = FFI::Platypus->new( api => 2, %options);
```
Create a new instance of [FFI::Platypus](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus).
Any types defined with this instance will be valid for this instance
only, so you do not need to worry about stepping on the toes of other
CPAN FFI / Platypus Authors.
Any functions found will be out of the list of libraries specified with
the [lib](#lib) attribute.
### options
- api
\[version 0.91\]
Sets the API level. The recommended value for all new code is `2`.
The Platypus documentation assumes API level `2` except for a few
places that specifically document older versions. You should
only use a lower value for a legacy code base that cannot be migrated to
a newer API level. Legal values are:
- `0`
Original API level. See [FFI::Platypus::TypeParser::Version0](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::TypeParser::Version0) for details
on the differences.
- `1`
Enable version 1 API type parser which allows pass-by-value records
and type decoration on basic types.
- `2`
Enable version 2 API.
The Platypus documentation assumes this api level is set.
API version 2 is identical to version 1, except:
- Pointer functions that return `NULL` will return `undef` instead of empty list
This fixes a long standing design bug in Platypus.
- Array references may be passed to pointer argument types
This replicates the behavior of array argument types with no size. So the types `sint8*` and `sint8[]`
behave identically when an array reference is passed in. They differ in that, as before, you can
pass a scalar reference into type `sint8*`.
- The fixed string type can be specified without pointer modifier
That is you can use `string(10)` instead of `string(10)*` as you were previously able to
in API 0.
- lib
Either a pathname (string) or a list of pathnames (array ref of strings)
to pre-populate the [lib](#lib) attribute. Use `[undef]` to search the
current process for symbols.
0.48
`undef` (without the array reference) can be used to search the current
process for symbols.
- ignore\_not\_found
\[version 0.15\]
Set the [ignore\_not\_found](#ignore_not_found) attribute.
- lang
\[version 0.18\]
Set the [lang](#lang) attribute.
# ATTRIBUTES
## lib
```perl
$ffi->lib($path1, $path2, ...);
my @paths = $ffi->lib;
```
The list of libraries to search for symbols in.
The most portable and reliable way to find dynamic libraries is by using
[FFI::CheckLib](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::CheckLib), like this:
```perl
use FFI::CheckLib 0.06;
$ffi->lib(find_lib_or_die lib => 'archive');
# finds libarchive.so on Linux
# libarchive.bundle on OS X
# libarchive.dll (or archive.dll) on Windows
# cygarchive-13.dll on Cygwin
# ...
# and will die if it isn't found
```
[FFI::CheckLib](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::CheckLib) has a number of options, such as checking for specific
symbols, etc. You should consult the documentation for that module.
As a special case, if you add `undef` as a "library" to be searched,
Platypus will also search the current process for symbols. This is
mostly useful for finding functions in the standard C library, without
having to know the name of the standard c library for your platform (as
it turns out it is different just about everywhere!).
You may also use the ["find\_lib"](#find_lib) method as a shortcut:
```perl
$ffi->find_lib( lib => 'archive' );
```
## ignore\_not\_found
\[version 0.15\]
```perl
$ffi->ignore_not_found(1);
my $ignore_not_found = $ffi->ignore_not_found;
```
Normally the [attach](#attach) and [function](#function) methods will
throw an exception if it cannot find the name of the function you
provide it. This will change the behavior such that
[function](#function) will return `undef` when the function is not
found and [attach](#attach) will ignore functions that are not found.
This is useful when you are writing bindings to a library and have many
optional functions and you do not wish to wrap every call to
[function](#function) or [attach](#attach) in an `eval`.
## lang
\[version 0.18\]
```
$ffi->lang($language);
```
Specifies the foreign language that you will be interfacing with. The
default is C. The foreign language specified with this attribute
changes the default native types (for example, if you specify
[Rust](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Lang::Rust), you will get `i32` as an alias for
`sint32` instead of `int` as you do with [C](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Lang::C)).
If the foreign language plugin supports it, this will also enable
Platypus to find symbols using the demangled names (for example, if you
specify [CPP](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Lang::CPP) for C++ you can use method names
like `Foo::get_bar()` with ["attach"](#attach) or ["function"](#function).
## api
\[version 1.11\]
```perl
my $level = $ffi->api;
```
Returns the API level of the Platypus instance.
# METHODS
## type
```perl
$ffi->type($typename);
$ffi->type($typename => $alias);
```
Define a type. The first argument is the native or C name of the type.
The second argument (optional) is an alias name that you can use to
refer to this new type. See [FFI::Platypus::Type](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Type) for legal type
definitions.
Examples:
```perl
$ffi->type('sint32'); # only checks to see that sint32 is a valid type
$ffi->type('sint32' => 'myint'); # creates an alias myint for sint32
$ffi->type('bogus'); # dies with appropriate diagnostic
```
## custom\_type
```perl
$ffi->custom_type($alias => {
native_type => $native_type,
native_to_perl => $coderef,
perl_to_native => $coderef,
perl_to_native_post => $coderef,
});
```
Define a custom type. See [FFI::Platypus::Type#Custom-Types](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Type#Custom-Types) for details.
## load\_custom\_type
```perl
$ffi->load_custom_type($name => $alias, @type_args);
```
Load the custom type defined in the module _$name_, and make an alias
_$alias_. If the custom type requires any arguments, they may be passed
in as _@type\_args_. See [FFI::Platypus::Type#Custom-Types](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Type#Custom-Types) for
details.
If _$name_ contains `::` then it will be assumed to be a fully
qualified package name. If not, then `FFI::Platypus::Type::` will be
prepended to it.
## types
```perl
my @types = $ffi->types;
my @types = FFI::Platypus->types;
```
Returns the list of types that FFI knows about. This will include the
native `libffi` types (example: `sint32`, `opaque` and `double`) and
the normal C types (example: `unsigned int`, `uint32_t`), any types
that you have defined using the [type](#type) method, and custom types.
The list of types that Platypus knows about varies somewhat from
platform to platform, [FFI::Platypus::Type](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Type) includes a list of the core
types that you can always count on having access to.
It can also be called as a class method, in which case, no user defined
or custom types will be included in the list.
## type\_meta
```perl
my $meta = $ffi->type_meta($type_name);
my $meta = FFI::Platypus->type_meta($type_name);
```
Returns a hash reference with the meta information for the given type.
It can also be called as a class method, in which case, you won't be
able to get meta data on user defined types.
The format of the meta data is implementation dependent and subject to
change. It may be useful for display or debugging.
Examples:
```perl
my $meta = $ffi->type_meta('int'); # standard int type
my $meta = $ffi->type_meta('int[64]'); # array of 64 ints
$ffi->type('int[128]' => 'myintarray');
my $meta = $ffi->type_meta('myintarray'); # array of 128 ints
```
## mangler
```
$ffi->mangler(\&mangler);
```
Specify a customer mangler to be used for symbol lookup. This is usually useful
when you are writing bindings for a library where all of the functions have the
same prefix. Example:
```perl
$ffi->mangler(sub {
my($symbol) = @_;
return "foo_$symbol";
});
$ffi->function( get_bar => [] => 'int' ); # attaches foo_get_bar
my $f = $ffi->function( set_baz => ['int'] => 'void' );
$f->call(22); # calls foo_set_baz
```
## function
```perl
my $function = $ffi->function($name => \@argument_types => $return_type);
my $function = $ffi->function($address => \@argument_types => $return_type);
my $function = $ffi->function($name => \@argument_types => $return_type, \&wrapper);
my $function = $ffi->function($address => \@argument_types => $return_type, \&wrapper);
```
Returns an object that is similar to a code reference in that it can be
called like one.
Caveat: many situations require a real code reference, so at the price
of a performance penalty you can get one like this:
```perl
my $function = $ffi->function(...);
my $coderef = sub { $function->(@_) };
```
It may be better, and faster to create a real Perl function using the
[attach](#attach) method.
In addition to looking up a function by name you can provide the address
of the symbol yourself:
```perl
my $address = $ffi->find_symbol('my_function');
my $function = $ffi->function($address => ...);
```
Under the covers, [function](#function) uses [find\_symbol](#find_symbol)
when you provide it with a name, but it is useful to keep this in mind
as there are alternative ways of obtaining a functions address.
Example: a C function could return the address of another C function
that you might want to call.
\[version 0.76\]
If the last argument is a code reference, then it will be used as a
wrapper around the function when called. The first argument to the wrapper
will be the inner function, or if it is later attached an xsub. This can be
used if you need to verify/modify input/output data.
Examples:
```perl
my $function = $ffi->function('my_function_name', ['int', 'string'] => 'string');
my $return_string = $function->(1, "hi there");
```
\[version 0.91\]
```perl
my $function = $ffi->function( $name => \@fixed_argument_types => \@var_argument_types => $return_type);
my $function = $ffi->function( $name => \@fixed_argument_types => \@var_argument_types => $return_type, \&wrapper);
my $function = $ffi->function( $name => \@fixed_argument_types => \@var_argument_types);
my $function = $ffi->function( $name => \@fixed_argument_types => \@var_argument_types => \&wrapper);
```
Version 0.91 and later allows you to creat functions for c variadic functions
(such as printf, scanf, etc) which can take a variable number of arguments.
The first set of arguments are the fixed set, the second set are the variable
arguments to bind with. The variable argument types must be specified in order
to create a function object, so if you need to call variadic function with
different set of arguments then you will need to create a new function object
each time:
```perl
# int printf(const char *fmt, ...);
$ffi->function( printf => ['string'] => ['int'] => 'int' )
->call("print integer %d\n", 42);
$ffi->function( printf => ['string'] => ['string'] => 'int' )
->call("print string %s\n", 'platypus');
```
Some older versions of libffi and possibly some platforms may not support
variadic functions. If you try to create a one, then an exception will be
thrown.
\[version 1.26\]
If the return type is omitted then `void` will be the assumed return type.
## attach
```perl
$ffi->attach($name => \@argument_types => $return_type);
$ffi->attach([$c_name => $perl_name] => \@argument_types => $return_type);
$ffi->attach([$address => $perl_name] => \@argument_types => $return_type);
$ffi->attach($name => \@argument_types => $return_type, \&wrapper);
$ffi->attach([$c_name => $perl_name] => \@argument_types => $return_type, \&wrapper);
$ffi->attach([$address => $perl_name] => \@argument_types => $return_type, \&wrapper);
```
Find and attach a C function as a real live Perl xsub. The advantage of
attaching a function over using the [function](#function) method is that
it is much much much faster since no object resolution needs to be done.
The disadvantage is that it locks the function and the [FFI::Platypus](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus)
instance into memory permanently, since there is no way to deallocate an
xsub.
If just one _$name_ is given, then the function will be attached in
Perl with the same name as it has in C. The second form allows you to
give the Perl function a different name. You can also provide an
address (the third form), just like with the [function](#function)
method.
Examples:
```perl
$ffi->attach('my_function_name', ['int', 'string'] => 'string');
$ffi->attach(['my_c_function_name' => 'my_perl_function_name'], ['int', 'string'] => 'string');
my $string1 = my_function_name($int);
my $string2 = my_perl_function_name($int);
```
\[version 0.20\]
If the last argument is a code reference, then it will be used as a
wrapper around the attached xsub. The first argument to the wrapper
will be the inner xsub. This can be used if you need to verify/modify
input/output data.
Examples:
```perl
$ffi->attach('my_function', ['int', 'string'] => 'string', sub {
my($my_function_xsub, $integer, $string) = @_;
$integer++;
$string .= " and another thing";
my $return_string = $my_function_xsub->($integer, $string);
$return_string =~ s/Belgium//; # HHGG remove profanity
$return_string;
});
```
\[version 0.91\]
```perl
$ffi->attach($name => \@fixed_argument_types => \@var_argument_types, $return_type);
$ffi->attach($name => \@fixed_argument_types => \@var_argument_types, $return_type, \&wrapper);
```
As of version 0.91 you can attach a variadic functions, if it is supported
by the platform / libffi that you are using. For details see the `function`
documentation. If not supported by the implementation then an exception
will be thrown.
## closure
```perl
my $closure = $ffi->closure($coderef);
my $closure = FFI::Platypus->closure($coderef);
```
Prepares a code reference so that it can be used as a FFI closure (a
Perl subroutine that can be called from C code). For details on
closures, see [FFI::Platypus::Type#Closures](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Type#Closures) and [FFI::Platypus::Closure](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Closure).
## cast
```perl
my $converted_value = $ffi->cast($original_type, $converted_type, $original_value);
```
The `cast` function converts an existing _$original\_value_ of type
_$original\_type_ into one of type _$converted\_type_. Not all types
are supported, so care must be taken. For example, to get the address
of a string, you can do this:
```perl
my $address = $ffi->cast('string' => 'opaque', $string_value);
```
Something that won't work is trying to cast an array to anything:
```perl
my $address = $ffi->cast('int[10]' => 'opaque', \@list); # WRONG
```
## attach\_cast
```perl
$ffi->attach_cast("cast_name", $original_type, $converted_type);
$ffi->attach_cast("cast_name", $original_type, $converted_type, \&wrapper);
my $converted_value = cast_name($original_value);
```
This function attaches a cast as a permanent xsub. This will make it
faster and may be useful if you are calling a particular cast a lot.
\[version 1.26\]
A wrapper may be added as the last argument to `attach_cast` and works
just like the wrapper for `attach` and `function` methods.
## sizeof
```perl
my $size = $ffi->sizeof($type);
my $size = FFI::Platypus->sizeof($type);
```
Returns the total size of the given type in bytes. For example to get
the size of an integer:
```perl
my $intsize = $ffi->sizeof('int'); # usually 4
my $longsize = $ffi->sizeof('long'); # usually 4 or 8 depending on platform
```
You can also get the size of arrays
```perl
my $intarraysize = $ffi->sizeof('int[64]'); # usually 4*64
my $intarraysize = $ffi->sizeof('long[64]'); # usually 4*64 or 8*64
# depending on platform
```
Keep in mind that "pointer" types will always be the pointer / word size
for the platform that you are using. This includes strings, opaque and
pointers to other types.
This function is not very fast, so you might want to save this value as
a constant, particularly if you need the size in a loop with many
iterations.
## alignof
\[version 0.21\]
```perl
my $align = $ffi->alignof($type);
```
Returns the alignment of the given type in bytes.
## kindof
\[version 1.24\]
```perl
my $kind = $ffi->kindof($type);
```
Returns the kind of a type. This is a string with a value of one of
- `void`
- `scalar`
- `string`
- `closure`
- `record`
- `record-value`
- `pointer`
- `array`
- `object`
## countof
\[version 1.24\]
```perl
my $count = $ffi->countof($type);
```
For array types returns the number of elements in the array (returns 0 for variable length array).
For the `void` type returns 0. Returns 1 for all other types.
## def
\[version 1.24\]
```perl
$ffi->def($package, $type, $value);
my $value = $ff->def($package, $type);
```
This method allows you to store data for types. If the `$package` is not provided, then the
caller's package will be used. `$type` must be a legal Platypus type for the [FFI::Platypus](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus)
instance.
## unitof
\[version 1.24\]
```perl
my $unittype = $ffi->unitof($type);
```
For array and pointer types, returns the basic type without the array or pointer part.
In other words, for `sin16[]` or `sint16*` it will return `sint16`.
## find\_lib
\[version 0.20\]
```perl
$ffi->find_lib( lib => $libname );
```
This is just a shortcut for calling [FFI::CheckLib#find\_lib](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::CheckLib#find_lib) and
updating the ["lib"](#lib) attribute appropriately. Care should be taken
though, as this method simply passes its arguments to
[FFI::CheckLib#find\_lib](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::CheckLib#find_lib), so if your module or script is depending on a
specific feature in [FFI::CheckLib](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::CheckLib) then make sure that you update your
prerequisites appropriately.
## find\_symbol
```perl
my $address = $ffi->find_symbol($name);
```
Return the address of the given symbol (usually function).
## bundle
\[version 0.96 api = 1+\]
```
$ffi->bundle($package, \@args);
$ffi->bundle(\@args);
$ffi->bundle($package);
$ffi->bundle;
```
This is an interface for bundling compiled code with your
distribution intended to eventually replace the `package` method documented
above. See [FFI::Platypus::Bundle](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Bundle) for details on how this works.
## package
\[version 0.15 api = 0\]
```perl
$ffi->package($package, $file); # usually __PACKAGE__ and __FILE__ can be used
$ffi->package; # autodetect
```
**Note**: This method is officially discouraged in favor of `bundle`
described above.
If you use [FFI::Build](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Build) (or the older deprecated [Module::Build::FFI](https://metacpan.org/pod/Module::Build::FFI)
to bundle C code with your distribution, you can use this method to tell
the [FFI::Platypus](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus) instance to look for symbols that came with the
dynamic library that was built when your distribution was installed.
## abis
```perl
my $href = $ffi->abis;
my $href = FFI::Platypus->abis;
```
Get the legal ABIs supported by your platform and underlying
implementation. What is supported can vary a lot by CPU and by
platform, or even between 32 and 64 bit on the same CPU and platform.
They keys are the "ABI" names, also known as "calling conventions". The
values are integers used internally by the implementation to represent
those ABIs.
## abi
```
$ffi->abi($name);
```
Set the ABI or calling convention for use in subsequent calls to
["function"](#function) or ["attach"](#attach). May be either a string name or integer
value from the ["abis"](#abis) method above.
# EXAMPLES
Here are some examples. These examples are provided in full with the
Platypus distribution in the "examples" directory. There are also some
more examples in [FFI::Platypus::Type](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Type) that are related to types.
## Passing and Returning Integers
### C Source
```
int add(int a, int b) {
return a+b;
}
```
### Perl Source
```perl
use FFI::Platypus 2.00;
use FFI::CheckLib qw( find_lib_or_die );
use File::Basename qw( dirname );
my $ffi = FFI::Platypus->new( api => 2, lib => './add.so' );
$ffi->attach( add => ['int', 'int'] => 'int' );
print add(1,2), "\n"; # prints 3
```
### Execute
```
$ cc -shared -o add.so add.c
$ perl add.pl
3
```
### Discussion
Basic types like integers and floating points are the easiest to pass
across the FFI boundary. Because they are values that are passed on
the stack (or through registers) you don't need to worry about memory
allocations or ownership.
Here we are building our own C dynamic library using the native C
compiler on a Unix like platform. The exact incantation that you
will use to do this would unfortunately depend on your platform and
C compiler.
By default, Platypus uses the
[Platypus C language plugin](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Lang::C), which gives you
easy access to many of the basic types used by C APIs. (for example
`int`, `unsigned long`, `double`, `size_t` and others).
If you are working with another language like
[Fortran](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Lang::Fortran#Passing-and-Returning-Integers),
[Go](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Lang::Go#Passing-and-Returning-Integers),
[Rust](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Lang::Rust#Passing-and-Returning-Integers) or
[Zig](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Lang::Zig#Passing-and-Returning-Integers),
you will find similar examples where you can use the Platypus language
plugin for that language and use the native types.
## String Arguments (with puts)
### C API
[cppreference - puts](https://en.cppreference.com/w/c/io/puts)
### Perl Source
```perl
use FFI::Platypus 2.00;
my $ffi = FFI::Platypus->new( api => 2, lib => undef );
$ffi->attach( puts => ['string'] => 'int' );
puts("hello world");
```
### Execute
```
$ perl puts.pl
hello world
```
### Discussion
Passing strings into a C function as an argument is also pretty easy
using Platypus. Just use the `string` type, which is equivalent to
the C <char \*> or `const char *` types.
In this example we are using the C Standard Library's `puts` function,
so we don't need to build our own C code. We do still need to tell
Platypus where to look for the `puts` symbol though, which is why
we set `lib` to `undef`. This is a special value which tells
Platypus to search the Perl runtime executable itself (including any
dynamic libraries) for symbols. That helpfully includes the C Standard
Library.
## Returning Strings
### C Source
```
#include
#include
const char *
string_reverse(const char *input)
{
static char *output = NULL;
int i, len;
if(output != NULL)
free(output);
if(input == NULL)
return NULL;
len = strlen(input);
output = malloc(len+1);
for(i=0; input[i]; i++)
output[len-i-1] = input[i];
output[len] = '\0';
return output;
}
```
### Perl Source
```perl
use FFI::Platypus 2.00;
my $ffi = FFI::Platypus->new(
api => 2,
lib => './string_reverse.so',
);
$ffi->attach( string_reverse => ['string'] => 'string' );
print string_reverse("\nHello world");
string_reverse(undef);
```
### Execute
```
$ cc -shared -o string_reverse.so string_reverse.c
$ perl string_reverse.pl
dlrow olleH
```
### Discussion
The C code here takes an input ASCII string and reverses it, returning
the result. Note that it retains ownership of the string, the caller
is expected to use it before the next call to `reverse_string`, or
copy it.
The Perl code simply declares the return value as `string` and is very
simple. This does bring up an inconsistency though, strings passed in
to a function as arguments are passed by reference, whereas the return
value is copied! This is usually what you want because C APIs usually
follow this pattern where you are expected to make your own copy of
the string.
At the end of the program we call `reverse_string` with `undef`, which
gets translated to C as `NULL`. This allows it to free the output buffer
so that the memory will not leak.
## Returning and Freeing Strings with Embedded NULLs
### C Source
```
#include
#include
char *
string_crypt(const char *input, int len, const char *key)
{
char *output;
int i, n;
if(input == NULL)
return NULL;
output = malloc(len+1);
output[len] = '\0';
for(i=0, n=0; inew(
api => 2,
lib => './xor_cipher.so',
);
$ffi->attach( string_crypt_free => ['opaque'] );
$ffi->attach( string_crypt => ['string','int','string'] => 'opaque' => sub{
my($xsub, $input, $key) = @_;
my $ptr = $xsub->($input, length($input), $key);
my $output = buffer_to_scalar $ptr, length($input);
string_crypt_free($ptr);
return $output;
});
my $orig = "hello world";
my $key = "foobar";
print YAML::Dump($orig);
my $encrypted = string_crypt($orig, $key);
print YAML::Dump($encrypted);
my $decrypted = string_crypt($encrypted, $key);
print YAML::Dump($decrypted);
```
### Execute
```
$ cc -shared -o xor_cipher.so xor_cipher.c
$ perl xor_cipher.pl
--- hello world
--- "\x0e\n\x03\x0e\x0eR\x11\0\x1d\x0e\x05"
--- hello world
```
### Discussion
The C code here also returns a string, but it has some different expectations,
so we can't just use the `string` type like we did in the previous example
and copy the string.
This C code implements a simple XOR cipher. Given an input string and a key
it returns an encrypted or decrypted output string where the characters are
XORd with the key. There are some challenges here though. First the input
and output strings can have embedded `NULL`s in them. For the string passed
in, we can provide the length of the input string. For the output, the
`string` type expects a `NULL` terminated string, so we can't use that. So
instead we get a pointer to the output using the `opaque` type. Because we
know that the output string is the same length as the input string we can
convert the pointer to a regular Perl string using the `buffer_to_scalar`
function. (For more details about working with buffers and strings see
[FFI::Platypus::Buffer](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Buffer)).
Next, the C code here does not keep the pointer to the output string, as in
the previous example. We are expected to call `string_encrypt_free` when
we are done. Since we are getting the pointer back from the C code instead
of copying the string that is easy to do.
Finally, we are using a wrapper to hide a lot of this complexity from our
caller. The last argument to the `attach` call is a code reference which will
wrap around the C function, which is passed in as the first argument of
the wrapper. This is a good practice when writing modules, to hide the
complexity of C.
## Pointers
### C Source
```
void
swap(int *a, int *b)
{
int tmp = *b;
*b = *a;
*a = tmp;
}
```
### Perl Source
```perl
use FFI::Platypus 2.00;
my $ffi = FFI::Platypus->new(
api => 2,
lib => './swap.so',
);
$ffi->attach( swap => ['int*','int*'] );
my $a = 1;
my $b = 2;
print "[a,b] = [$a,$b]\n";
swap( \$a, \$b );
print "[a,b] = [$a,$b]\n";
```
### Execute
```
$ cc -shared -o swap.so swap.c
$ perl swap.pl
[a,b] = [1,2]
[a,b] = [2,1]
```
### Discussion
Pointers are often use in C APIs to return simple values like this. Platypus
provides access to pointers to primitive types by appending `*` to the
primitive type. Here for example we are using `int*` to create a function
that takes two pointers to integers and swaps their values.
When calling the function from Perl we pass in a reference to a scalar.
Strictly speaking Perl allows modifying the argument values to subroutines, so
we could have allowed just passing in a scalar, but in the design of Platypus
we decided that forcing the use of a reference here emphasizes that you are
passing a reference to the variable, not just the value.
Not pictured in this example, but you can also pass in `undef` for a pointer
value and that will be translated into `NULL` on the C side. You can also
return a pointer to a primitive type from a function, again this will be
returned to Perl as a reference to a scalar. Platypus also supports string
pointers (`string*`). (Though the C equivalent to a `string*` is a double
pointer to char `char**`).
## Opaque Pointers (objects)
### C Source
```
#include
#include
typedef struct person_t {
char *name;
unsigned int age;
} person_t;
person_t *
person_new(const char *name, unsigned int age) {
person_t *self = malloc(sizeof(person_t));
self->name = strdup(name);
self->age = age;
}
const char *
person_name(person_t *self) {
return self->name;
}
unsigned int
person_age(person_t *self) {
return self->age;
}
void
person_free(person_t *self) {
free(self->name);
free(self);
}
```
### Perl Source
```perl
use FFI::Platypus 2.00;
my $ffi = FFI::Platypus->new(
api => 2,
lib => './person.so',
);
$ffi->type( 'opaque' => 'person_t' );
$ffi->attach( person_new => ['string','unsigned int'] => 'person_t' );
$ffi->attach( person_name => ['person_t'] => 'string' );
$ffi->attach( person_age => ['person_t'] => 'unsigned int' );
$ffi->attach( person_free => ['person_t'] );
my $person = person_new( 'Roger Frooble Bits', 35 );
print "name = ", person_name($person), "\n";
print "age = ", person_age($person), "\n";
person_free($person);
```
### Execute
```
$ cc -shared -o person.so person.c
$ perl person.pl
name = Roger Frooble Bits
age = 35
```
### Discussion
An opaque pointer is a pointer (memory address) that is pointing to _something_
but you do not know the structure of that something. In C this is usually a
`void*`, but it could also be a pointer to a `struct` without a defined body.
This is often used to as an abstraction around objects in C. Here in the C
code we have a `person_t` struct with functions to create (a constructor), free
(a destructor) and query it (methods).
The Perl code can then use the constructor, methods and destructors without having
to understand the internals. The `person_t` internals can also be changed
without having to modify the calling code.
We use the Platypus [type method](#type) to create an alias of `opaque` called
`person_t`. While this is not necessary, it does make the Perl code easier
to understand.
In later examples we will see how to hide the use of `opaque` types further
using the `object` type, but for some code direct use of `opaque` is
appropriate.
## Opaque Pointers (buffers and strings)
### C API
- [cppreference - free](https://en.cppreference.com/w/c/memory/free)
- [cppreference - malloc](https://en.cppreference.com/w/c/memory/malloc)
- [cppreference - memcpy](https://en.cppreference.com/w/c/string/byte/memcpy)
- [cppreference - strdup](https://en.cppreference.com/w/c/string/byte/strdup)
### Perl Source
```perl
use FFI::Platypus 2.00;
use FFI::Platypus::Memory qw( malloc free memcpy strdup );
my $ffi = FFI::Platypus->new( api => 2 );
my $buffer = malloc 14;
my $ptr_string = strdup("hello there!!\n");
memcpy $buffer, $ptr_string, 15;
print $ffi->cast('opaque' => 'string', $buffer);
free $ptr_string;
free $buffer;
```
### Execute
```
$ perl malloc.pl
hello there!!
```
### Discussion
Another useful application of the `opaque` type is for dealing with buffers,
and C strings that you do not immediately need to convert into Perl strings.
This example is completely contrived, but we are using `malloc` to create a
buffer of 14 bytes. We create a C string using `strdup`, and then copy it
into the buffer using `memcpy`. When we are done with the `opaque` pointers
we can free them using `free` since they. (This is generally only okay when
freeing memory that was allocated by `malloc`, which is the case for `strdup`).
These memory tools, along with others are provided by the [FFI::Platypus::Memory](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Memory)
module, which is worth reviewing when you need to manipulate memory from
Perl when writing your FFI code.
Just to verify that the `memcpy` did the right thing we convert the
buffer into a Perl string and print it out using the Platypus [cast method](#cast).
## Arrays
### C Source
```
void
array_reverse(int a[], int len) {
int tmp, i;
for(i=0; i < len/2; i++) {
tmp = a[i];
a[i] = a[len-i-1];
a[len-i-1] = tmp;
}
}
void
array_reverse10(int a[10]) {
array_reverse(a, 10);
}
```
### Perl Source
```perl
use FFI::Platypus 2.00;
my $ffi = FFI::Platypus->new(
api => 2,
lib => './array_reverse.so',
);
$ffi->attach( array_reverse => ['int[]','int'] );
$ffi->attach( array_reverse10 => ['int[10]'] );
my @a = (1..10);
array_reverse10( \@a );
print "$_ " for @a;
print "\n";
@a = (1..20);
array_reverse( \@a, 20 );
print "$_ " for @a;
print "\n";
```
### Execute
```
$ cc -shared -o array_reverse.so array_reverse.c
$ perl array_reverse.pl
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
```
### Discussion
Arrays in C are passed as pointers, so the C code here reverses the array
in place, rather than returning it. Arrays can also be fixed or variable
length. If the array is variable length the length of the array must be
provided in some way. In this case we explicitly pass in a length. Another
way might be to end the array with `0`, if you don't otherwise expect any
`0` to appear in your data. For this reason, Platypus adds a zero (or
`NULL` in the case of pointers) element at the end of the array when passing
it into a variable length array type, although we do not use it here.
With Platypus you can declare an array type as being either fixed or variable
length. Because Perl stores arrays in completely differently than C, a
temporary array is created by Platypus, passed into the C function as a pointer.
When the function returns the array is re-read by Platypus and the Perl array
is updated with the new values. The temporary array is then freed.
You can use any primitive type for arrays, even `string`. You can also
return an array from a function. As in our discussion about strings, when
you return an array the value is copied, which is usually what you want.
## Pointers as Arrays
### C Source
```
#include
int
array_sum(const int *a) {
int i, sum;
if(a == NULL)
return -1;
for(i=0, sum=0; a[i] != 0; i++)
sum += a[i];
return sum;
}
```
### Perl Source
```perl
use FFI::Platypus 2.00;
my $ffi = FFI::Platypus->new(
api => 2,
lib => './array_sum.so',
);
$ffi->attach( array_sum => ['int*'] => 'int' );
print array_sum(undef), "\n"; # -1
print array_sum([0]), "\n"; # 0
print array_sum([1,2,3,0]), "\n"; # 6
```
### Execute
```
$ cc -shared -o array_sum.so array_sum.c
$ perl array_sum.pl
-1
0
6
```
### Discussion
Starting with the Platypus version 2 API, you can also pass an array reference
in to a pointer argument.
In C pointer and array arguments are often used somewhat interchangeably. In
this example we have an `array_sum` function that takes a zero terminated
array of integers and computes the sum. If the pointer to the array is zero
(`0`) then we return `-1` to indicate an error.
This is the main advantage from Perl for using pointer argument rather than
an array one: the array argument will not let you pass in `undef` / `NULL`.
## Sending Strings to GUI on Unix with libnotify
### C API
[Libnotify Reference Manual](https://developer-old.gnome.org/libnotify/unstable)
### Perl Source
```perl
use FFI::CheckLib;
use FFI::Platypus 2.00;
my $ffi = FFI::Platypus->new(
api => 2,
lib => find_lib_or_die(lib => 'notify'),
);
$ffi->attach( notify_init => ['string'] );
$ffi->attach( notify_uninit => [] );
$ffi->attach( notify_notification_new => ['string', 'string', 'string'] => 'opaque' );
$ffi->attach( notify_notification_show => ['opaque', 'opaque'] );
my $message = join "\n",
"Hello from Platypus!",
"Welcome to the fun",
"world of FFI";
notify_init('Platypus Hello');
my $n = notify_notification_new('Platypus Hello World', $message, 'dialog-information');
notify_notification_show($n, undef);
notify_uninit();
```
### Execute
```
$ perl notify.pl
```
And this is what it will look like:
### Discussion
The GNOME project provides an API to send notifications to its desktop environment.
Nothing here is particularly new: all of the types and techniques are ones that we
have seen before, except we are using a third party library, instead of using our
own C code or the standard C library functions.
When using a third party library you have to know the name or location of it, which
is not typically portable, so here we use [FFI::CheckLib](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::CheckLib)'s
[find\_lib\_or\_die function](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::CheckLib#find_lib_or_die). If the library is not
found the script will die with a useful diagnostic. [FFI::CheckLib](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::CheckLib) has a number
of useful features and will integrate nicely with [Alien::Build](https://metacpan.org/pod/Alien::Build) based [Alien](https://metacpan.org/pod/Alien)s.
## The Win32 API with MessageBoxW
### Win32 API
[MessageBoxW function (winuser.h)](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/winuser/nf-winuser-messageboxw)
### Perl Source
```perl
use utf8;
use FFI::Platypus 2.00;
my $ffi = FFI::Platypus->new(
api => 2,
lib => [undef],
);
# see FFI::Platypus::Lang::Win32
$ffi->lang('Win32');
# Send a Unicode string to the Windows API MessageBoxW function.
use constant MB_OK => 0x00000000;
use constant MB_DEFAULT_DESKTOP_ONLY => 0x00020000;
$ffi->attach( [MessageBoxW => 'MessageBox'] => [ 'HWND', 'LPCWSTR', 'LPCWSTR', 'UINT'] => 'int' );
MessageBox(undef, "I ❤️ Platypus", "Confession", MB_OK|MB_DEFAULT_DESKTOP_ONLY);
```
### Execute
```
$ perl win32_messagebox.pl
```
And this is what it will look like:
### Discussion
The API used by Microsoft Windows presents some unique
challenges. On 32 bit systems a different ABI is used than what
is used by the standard C library. It also provides a rats nest of
type aliases. Finally if you want to talk Unicode to any of the
Windows API you will need to use `UTF-16LE` instead of `UTF-8`
which is native to Perl. (The Win32 API refers to these as
`LPWSTR` and `LPCWSTR` types). As much as possible the Win32
"language" plugin attempts to handle these challenges transparently.
For more details see [FFI::Platypus::Lang::Win32](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Lang::Win32).
### Discussion
The libnotify library is a desktop GUI notification system for the
GNOME Desktop environment. This script sends a notification event that
should show up as a balloon, for me it did so in the upper right hand
corner of my screen.
## Structured Data Records (by pointer or by reference)
### C API
[cppreference - localtime](https://en.cppreference.com/w/c/chrono/localtime)
### Perl Source
```perl
use FFI::Platypus 2.00;
use FFI::C;
my $ffi = FFI::Platypus->new(
api => 2,
lib => [undef],
);
FFI::C->ffi($ffi);
package Unix::TimeStruct {
FFI::C->struct(tm => [
tm_sec => 'int',
tm_min => 'int',
tm_hour => 'int',
tm_mday => 'int',
tm_mon => 'int',
tm_year => 'int',
tm_wday => 'int',
tm_yday => 'int',
tm_isdst => 'int',
tm_gmtoff => 'long',
_tm_zone => 'opaque',
]);
# For now 'string' is unsupported by FFI::C, but we
# can cast the time zone from an opaque pointer to
# string.
sub tm_zone {
my $self = shift;
$ffi->cast('opaque', 'string', $self->_tm_zone);
}
# attach the C localtime function
$ffi->attach( localtime => ['time_t*'] => 'tm', sub {
my($inner, $class, $time) = @_;
$time = time unless defined $time;
$inner->(\$time);
});
}
# now we can actually use our Unix::TimeStruct class
my $time = Unix::TimeStruct->localtime;
printf "time is %d:%d:%d %s\n",
$time->tm_hour,
$time->tm_min,
$time->tm_sec,
$time->tm_zone;
```
### Execute
```
$ perl time_struct.pl
time is 3:48:19 MDT
```
### Discussion
C and other machine code languages frequently provide interfaces that
include structured data records (defined using the `struct` keyword
in C). Some libraries will provide an API which you are expected to read
or write before and/or after passing them along to the library.
For C pointers to `strict`, `union`, nested `struct` and nested
`union` structures, the easiest interface to use is via [FFI::C](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::C).
If you are working with a `struct` that must be passed by value
(not pointers), then you will want to use [FFI::Platypus::Record](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Record)
class instead. We will discuss an example of that next.
The C `localtime` function takes a pointer to a C struct. We simply define
the members of the struct using the [FFI::C](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::C) `struct` method. Because
we used the `ffi` method to tell [FFI::C](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::C) to use our local instance of
[FFI::Platypus](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus) it registers the `tm` type for us, and we can just start
using it as a return type!
## Structured Data Records (on stack or by value)
### C Source
```
#include
#include
typedef struct color_t {
char name[8];
uint8_t red;
uint8_t green;
uint8_t blue;
} color_t;
color_t
color_increase_red(color_t color, uint8_t amount)
{
strcpy(color.name, "reddish");
color.red += amount;
return color;
}
```
### Perl Source
```perl
use FFI::Platypus 2.00;
my $ffi = FFI::Platypus->new(
api => 2,
lib => './color.so'
);
package Color {
use FFI::Platypus::Record;
use overload
'""' => sub { shift->as_string },
bool => sub { 1 }, fallback => 1;
record_layout_1($ffi,
'string(8)' => 'name', qw(
uint8 red
uint8 green
uint8 blue
));
sub as_string {
my($self) = @_;
sprintf "%s: [red:%02x green:%02x blue:%02x]",
$self->name, $self->red, $self->green, $self->blue;
}
}
$ffi->type('record(Color)' => 'color_t');
$ffi->attach( color_increase_red => ['color_t','uint8'] => 'color_t' );
my $gray = Color->new(
name => 'gray',
red => 0xDC,
green => 0xDC,
blue => 0xDC,
);
my $slightly_red = color_increase_red($gray, 20);
print "$gray\n";
print "$slightly_red\n";
```
### Execute
```
$ cc -shared -o color.so color.c
$ perl color.pl
gray: [red:dc green:dc blue:dc]
reddish: [red:f0 green:dc blue:dc]
```
### Discussion
In the C source of this example, we pass a C `struct` by value by
copying it onto the stack. On the Perl side we create a `Color` class
using [FFI::Platypus::Record](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Record), which allows us to pass the structure
the way the C source wants us to.
Generally you should only reach for [FFI::Platypus::Record](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Record) if you
need to pass small records on the stack like this. For more complicated
(including nested) data you want to use [FFI::C](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::C) using pointers.
## Avoiding Copy Using Memory Windows (with libzmq3)
### C API
[ØMQ/3.2.6 API Reference](http://api.zeromq.org/3-2:_start)
### Perl Source
```perl
use constant ZMQ_IO_THREADS => 1;
use constant ZMQ_MAX_SOCKETS => 2;
use constant ZMQ_REQ => 3;
use constant ZMQ_REP => 4;
use FFI::CheckLib qw( find_lib_or_die );
use FFI::Platypus 2.00;
use FFI::Platypus::Memory qw( malloc );
use FFI::Platypus::Buffer qw( scalar_to_buffer window );
my $endpoint = "ipc://zmq-ffi-$$";
my $ffi = FFI::Platypus->new(
api => 2,
lib => find_lib_or_die lib => 'zmq',
);
$ffi->attach(zmq_version => ['int*', 'int*', 'int*'] => 'void');
my($major,$minor,$patch);
zmq_version(\$major, \$minor, \$patch);
print "libzmq version $major.$minor.$patch\n";
die "this script only works with libzmq 3 or better" unless $major >= 3;
$ffi->type('opaque' => 'zmq_context');
$ffi->type('opaque' => 'zmq_socket');
$ffi->type('opaque' => 'zmq_msg_t');
$ffi->attach(zmq_ctx_new => [] => 'zmq_context');
$ffi->attach(zmq_ctx_set => ['zmq_context', 'int', 'int'] => 'int');
$ffi->attach(zmq_socket => ['zmq_context', 'int'] => 'zmq_socket');
$ffi->attach(zmq_connect => ['opaque', 'string'] => 'int');
$ffi->attach(zmq_bind => ['zmq_socket', 'string'] => 'int');
$ffi->attach(zmq_send => ['zmq_socket', 'opaque', 'size_t', 'int'] => 'int');
$ffi->attach(zmq_msg_init => ['zmq_msg_t'] => 'int');
$ffi->attach(zmq_msg_recv => ['zmq_msg_t', 'zmq_socket', 'int'] => 'int');
$ffi->attach(zmq_msg_data => ['zmq_msg_t'] => 'opaque');
$ffi->attach(zmq_errno => [] => 'int');
$ffi->attach(zmq_strerror => ['int'] => 'string');
my $context = zmq_ctx_new();
zmq_ctx_set($context, ZMQ_IO_THREADS, 1);
my $socket1 = zmq_socket($context, ZMQ_REQ);
zmq_connect($socket1, $endpoint);
my $socket2 = zmq_socket($context, ZMQ_REP);
zmq_bind($socket2, $endpoint);
{ # send
our $sent_message = "hello there";
my($pointer, $size) = scalar_to_buffer $sent_message;
my $r = zmq_send($socket1, $pointer, $size, 0);
die zmq_strerror(zmq_errno()) if $r == -1;
}
{ # recv
my $msg_ptr = malloc 100;
zmq_msg_init($msg_ptr);
my $size = zmq_msg_recv($msg_ptr, $socket2, 0);
die zmq_strerror(zmq_errno()) if $size == -1;
my $data_ptr = zmq_msg_data($msg_ptr);
window(my $recv_message, $data_ptr, $size);
print "recv_message = $recv_message\n";
}
```
### Execute
```
$ perl zmq3.pl
libzmq version 4.3.4
recv_message = hello there
```
### Discussion
ØMQ is a high-performance asynchronous messaging library. There are a
few things to note here.
Firstly, sometimes there may be multiple versions of a library in the
wild and you may need to verify that the library on a system meets your
needs (alternatively you could support multiple versions and configure
your bindings dynamically). Here we use `zmq_version` to ask libzmq
which version it is.
`zmq_version` returns the version number via three integer pointer
arguments, so we use the pointer to integer type: `int *`. In order to
pass pointer types, we pass a reference. In this case it is a reference
to an undefined value, because zmq\_version will write into the pointers
the output values, but you can also pass in references to integers,
floating point values and opaque pointer types. When the function
returns the `$major` variable (and the others) has been updated and we
can use it to verify that it supports the API that we require.
Finally we attach the necessary functions, send and receive a message.
When we receive we use the [FFI::Platypus::Buffer](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Buffer) function `window`
instead of `buffer_to_scalar`. They have a similar effect in that
the provide a scalar from a region of memory, but `window` doesn't
have to copy any data, so it is cheaper to call. The only downside
is that a windowed scalar like this is read-only.
## libarchive
### C Documentation
[https://www.libarchive.org/](https://www.libarchive.org/)
### Perl Source
```perl
use FFI::Platypus 2.00;
use FFI::CheckLib qw( find_lib_or_die );
# This example uses FreeBSD's libarchive to list the contents of any
# archive format that it suppors. We've also filled out a part of
# the ArchiveWrite class that could be used for writing archive formats
# supported by libarchive
my $ffi = FFI::Platypus->new(
api => 2,
lib => find_lib_or_die(lib => 'archive'),
);
$ffi->type('object(Archive)' => 'archive_t');
$ffi->type('object(ArchiveRead)' => 'archive_read_t');
$ffi->type('object(ArchiveWrite)' => 'archive_write_t');
$ffi->type('object(ArchiveEntry)' => 'archive_entry_t');
package Archive {
# base class is "abstract" having no constructor or destructor
$ffi->mangler(sub {
my($name) = @_;
"archive_$name";
});
$ffi->attach( error_string => ['archive_t'] => 'string' );
}
package ArchiveRead {
our @ISA = qw( Archive );
$ffi->mangler(sub {
my($name) = @_;
"archive_read_$name";
});
$ffi->attach( new => ['string'] => 'archive_read_t' );
$ffi->attach( [ free => 'DESTROY' ] => ['archive_t'] );
$ffi->attach( support_filter_all => ['archive_t'] => 'int' );
$ffi->attach( support_format_all => ['archive_t'] => 'int' );
$ffi->attach( open_filename => ['archive_t','string','size_t'] => 'int' );
$ffi->attach( next_header2 => ['archive_t', 'archive_entry_t' ] => 'int' );
$ffi->attach( data_skip => ['archive_t'] => 'int' );
# ... define additional read methods
}
package ArchiveWrite {
our @ISA = qw( Archive );
$ffi->mangler(sub {
my($name) = @_;
"archive_write_$name";
});
$ffi->attach( new => ['string'] => 'archive_write_t' );
$ffi->attach( [ free => 'DESTROY' ] => ['archive_write_t'] );
# ... define additional write methods
}
package ArchiveEntry {
$ffi->mangler(sub {
my($name) = @_;
"archive_entry_$name";
});
$ffi->attach( new => ['string'] => 'archive_entry_t' );
$ffi->attach( [ free => 'DESTROY' ] => ['archive_entry_t'] );
$ffi->attach( pathname => ['archive_entry_t'] => 'string' );
# ... define additional entry methods
}
use constant ARCHIVE_OK => 0;
# this is a Perl version of the C code here:
# https://github.com/libarchive/libarchive/wiki/Examples#List_contents_of_Archive_stored_in_File
my $archive_filename = shift @ARGV;
unless(defined $archive_filename)
{
print "usage: $0 archive.tar\n";
exit;
}
my $archive = ArchiveRead->new;
$archive->support_filter_all;
$archive->support_format_all;
my $r = $archive->open_filename($archive_filename, 1024);
die "error opening $archive_filename: ", $archive->error_string
unless $r == ARCHIVE_OK;
my $entry = ArchiveEntry->new;
while($archive->next_header2($entry) == ARCHIVE_OK)
{
print $entry->pathname, "\n";
$archive->data_skip;
}
```
### Execute
```
$ perl archive_object.pl archive.tar
archive.pl
archive_object.pl
```
### Discussion
libarchive is the implementation of `tar` for FreeBSD provided as a
library and available on a number of platforms.
One interesting thing about libarchive is that it provides a kind of
object oriented interface via opaque pointers. This example creates an
abstract class `Archive`, and concrete classes `ArchiveWrite`,
`ArchiveRead` and `ArchiveEntry`. The concrete classes can even be
inherited from and extended just like any Perl classes because of the
way the custom types are implemented. We use Platypus's `object`
type for this implementation, which is a wrapper around an `opaque`
(can also be an integer) type that is blessed into a particular class.
Another advanced feature of this example is that we define a mangler
to modify the symbol resolution for each class. This means we can do
this when we define a method for Archive:
```perl
$ffi->attach( support_filter_all => ['archive_t'] => 'int' );
```
Rather than this:
```perl
$ffi->attach(
[ archive_read_support_filter_all => 'support_read_filter_all' ] =>
['archive_t'] => 'int' );
);
```
As nice as `libarchive` is, note that we have to shoehorn then
`archive_free` function name into the Perl convention of using
`DESTROY` as the destructor. We can easily do that for just this
one function with:
```perl
$ffi->attach( [ free => 'DESTROY' ] => ['archive_t'] );
```
The `libarchive` is a large library with hundreds of methods.
For comprehensive FFI bindings for `libarchive` see [Archive::Libarchive](https://metacpan.org/pod/Archive::Libarchive).
## unix open
### C API
[Input-output system calls in C](https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/input-output-system-calls-c-create-open-close-read-write/)
### Perl Source
```perl
use FFI::Platypus 2.00;
{
package FD;
use constant O_RDONLY => 0;
use constant O_WRONLY => 1;
use constant O_RDWR => 2;
use constant IN => bless \do { my $in=0 }, __PACKAGE__;
use constant OUT => bless \do { my $out=1 }, __PACKAGE__;
use constant ERR => bless \do { my $err=2 }, __PACKAGE__;
my $ffi = FFI::Platypus->new( api => 2, lib => [undef]);
$ffi->type('object(FD,int)' => 'fd');
$ffi->attach( [ 'open' => 'new' ] => [ 'string', 'int', 'mode_t' ] => 'fd' => sub {
my($xsub, $class, $fn, @rest) = @_;
my $fd = $xsub->($fn, @rest);
die "error opening $fn $!" if $$fd == -1;
$fd;
});
$ffi->attach( write => ['fd', 'string', 'size_t' ] => 'ssize_t' );
$ffi->attach( read => ['fd', 'string', 'size_t' ] => 'ssize_t' );
$ffi->attach( close => ['fd'] => 'int' );
}
my $fd = FD->new("file_handle.txt", FD::O_RDONLY);
my $buffer = "\0" x 10;
while(my $br = $fd->read($buffer, 10))
{
FD::OUT->write($buffer, $br);
}
$fd->close;
```
### Execute
```
$ perl file_handle.pl
Hello World
```
### Discussion
The Unix file system calls use an integer handle for each open file.
We can use the same `object` type that we used for libarchive above,
except we let platypus know that the underlying type is `int` instead
of `opaque` (the latter being the default for the `object` type).
Mainly just for demonstration since Perl has much better IO libraries,
but now we have an OO interface to the Unix IO functions.
## Varadic Functions (with libcurl)
### C API
- [curl\_easy\_init](https://curl.se/libcurl/c/curl_easy_init.html)
- [curl\_easy\_setopt](https://curl.se/libcurl/c/curl_easy_setopt.html)
- [curl\_easy\_perform](https://curl.se/libcurl/c/curl_easy_perform.html)
- [curl\_easy\_cleanup](https://curl.se/libcurl/c/curl_easy_cleanup.html)
- [CURLOPT\_URL](https://curl.se/libcurl/c/CURLOPT_URL.html)
### Perl Source
```perl
use FFI::Platypus 2.00;
use FFI::CheckLib qw( find_lib_or_die );
use constant CURLOPT_URL => 10002;
my $ffi = FFI::Platypus->new(
api => 2,
lib => find_lib_or_die(lib => 'curl'),
);
my $curl_handle = $ffi->function( 'curl_easy_init' => [] => 'opaque' )
->call;
$ffi->function( 'curl_easy_setopt' => ['opaque', 'enum' ] => ['string'] )
->call($curl_handle, CURLOPT_URL, "https://pl.atypus.org" );
$ffi->function( 'curl_easy_perform' => ['opaque' ] => 'enum' )
->call($curl_handle);
$ffi->function( 'curl_easy_cleanup' => ['opaque' ] )
->call($curl_handle);
```
### Execute
```
$ perl curl.pl
pl.atypus.org - Home for the Perl Platypus Project
...
```
### Discussion
The [libcurl](https://curl.se/) library makes extensive use of "varadic" functions.
The C programming language and ABI have the concept of "varadic" functions
that can take a variable number and variable type of arguments. Assuming
you have a `libffi` that supports it (and most modern systems should),
then you can create bindings to a varadic function by providing two sets
of array references, one for the fixed arguments (for reasons, C varadic
functions must have at least one) and one for variable arguments. In
this example we call `curl_easy_setopt` as a varadic function.
For functions that have a large or infinite number of possible signatures
it may be impracticable or impossible to attach them all. You can instead
do as we did in this example, create a function object using the
[function method](#function) and call it immediately. This is not as
performant either when you create or call as using the [attach method](#attach),
but in some cases the performance penalty may be worth it or unavoidable.
## Callbacks (with libcurl)
### C API
- [curl\_easy\_init](https://curl.se/libcurl/c/curl_easy_init.html)
- [curl\_easy\_setopt](https://curl.se/libcurl/c/curl_easy_setopt.html)
- [curl\_easy\_perform](https://curl.se/libcurl/c/curl_easy_perform.html)
- [curl\_easy\_cleanup](https://curl.se/libcurl/c/curl_easy_cleanup.html)
- [CURLOPT\_URL](https://curl.se/libcurl/c/CURLOPT_URL.html)
- [CURLOPT\_WRITEFUNCTION](https://curl.se/libcurl/c/CURLOPT_WRITEFUNCTION.html)
### Perl Source
```perl
use FFI::Platypus 2.00;
use FFI::CheckLib qw( find_lib_or_die );
use FFI::Platypus::Buffer qw( window );
use constant CURLOPT_URL => 10002;
use constant CURLOPT_WRITEFUNCTION => 20011;
my $ffi = FFI::Platypus->new(
api => 2,
lib => find_lib_or_die(lib => 'curl'),
);
my $curl_handle = $ffi->function( 'curl_easy_init' => [] => 'opaque' )
->call;
$ffi->function( 'curl_easy_setopt' => [ 'opaque', 'enum' ] => ['string'] )
->call($curl_handle, CURLOPT_URL, "https://pl.atypus.org" );
my $html;
my $closure = $ffi->closure(sub {
my($ptr, $len, $num, $user) = @_;
window(my $buf, $ptr, $len*$num);
$html .= $buf;
return $len*$num;
});
$ffi->function( 'curl_easy_setopt' => [ 'opaque', 'enum' ] => ['(opaque,size_t,size_t,opaque)->size_t'] => 'enum' )
->call($curl_handle, CURLOPT_WRITEFUNCTION, $closure);
$ffi->function( 'curl_easy_perform' => [ 'opaque' ] => 'enum' )
->call($curl_handle);
$ffi->function( 'curl_easy_cleanup' => [ 'opaque' ] )
->call($curl_handle);
if($html =~ /(.*?)<\/title>/) {
print "$1\n";
}
```
### Execute
```
$ perl curl_callback.pl
pl.atypus.org - Home for the Perl Platypus Project
```
### Discussion
This example is similar to the previous one, except instead of letting
[libcurl](https://curl.se) write the content body to `STDOUT`, we give
it a callback to send the data to instead. The [closure method](#closure)
can be used to create a callback function pointer that can be called from
C. The type for the callback is in the form `(arg_type,arg_type,etc)->return_type`
where the argument types are in parentheticals with an arrow between the
argument types and the return type.
Inside the closure or callback we use the [window function](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Buffer#window)
from [FFI::Platypus::Buffer](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Buffer) again to avoid an _extra_ copy. We still
have to copy the buffer to append it to `$hmtl` but it is at least one
less copy.
## bundle your own code
### C Source
`ffi/foo.c`:
```
#include
#include
typedef struct {
char *name;
int value;
} foo_t;
foo_t*
foo__new(const char *class_name, const char *name, int value) {
(void)class_name;
foo_t *self = malloc( sizeof( foo_t ) );
self->name = strdup(name);
self->value = value;
return self;
}
const char *
foo__name(foo_t *self) {
return self->name;
}
int
foo__value(foo_t *self) {
return self->value;
}
void
foo__DESTROY(foo_t *self) {
free(self->name);
free(self);
}
```
### Perl Source
`lib/Foo.pm`:
```perl
package Foo;
use strict;
use warnings;
use FFI::Platypus 2.00;
my $ffi = FFI::Platypus->new( api => 2 );
$ffi->type('object(Foo)' => 'foo_t');
$ffi->mangler(sub {
my $name = shift;
$name =~ s/^/foo__/;
$name;
});
$ffi->bundle;
$ffi->attach( new => [ 'string', 'string', 'int' ] => 'foo_t' );
$ffi->attach( name => [ 'foo_t' ] => 'string' );
$ffi->attach( value => [ 'foo_t' ] => 'int' );
$ffi->attach( DESTROY => [ 'foo_t' ] => 'void' );
1;
```
`t/foo.t`:
```perl
use Test2::V0;
use Foo;
my $foo = Foo->new("platypus", 10);
isa_ok $foo, 'Foo';
is $foo->name, "platypus";
is $foo->value, 10;
done_testing;
```
`Makefile.PL`:
```perl
use ExtUtils::MakeMaker;
use FFI::Build::MM;
my $fbmm = FFI::Build::MM->new;
WriteMakefile(
$fbmm->mm_args(
NAME => 'Foo',
DISTNAME => 'Foo',
VERSION => '1.00',
# ...
)
);
sub MY::postamble
{
$fbmm->mm_postamble;
}
```
### Execute
With prove:
```
$ prove -lvm
t/foo.t ..
# Seeded srand with seed '20221105' from local date.
ok 1 - Foo=SCALAR->isa('Foo')
ok 2
ok 3
1..3
ok
All tests successful.
Files=1, Tests=3, 0 wallclock secs ( 0.00 usr 0.00 sys + 0.10 cusr 0.00 csys = 0.10 CPU)
Result: PASS
```
With [ExtUtils::MakeMaker](https://metacpan.org/pod/ExtUtils::MakeMaker):
```
$ perl Makefile.PL
Generating a Unix-style Makefile
Writing Makefile for Foo
Writing MYMETA.yml and MYMETA.json
$ make
cp lib/Foo.pm blib/lib/Foo.pm
"/home/ollisg/opt/perl/5.37.5/bin/perl5.37.5" -MFFI::Build::MM=cmd -e fbx_build
CC ffi/foo.c
LD blib/lib/auto/share/dist/Foo/lib/libFoo.so
$ make test
"/home/ollisg/opt/perl/5.37.5/bin/perl5.37.5" -MFFI::Build::MM=cmd -e fbx_build
"/home/ollisg/opt/perl/5.37.5/bin/perl5.37.5" -MFFI::Build::MM=cmd -e fbx_test
PERL_DL_NONLAZY=1 "/home/ollisg/opt/perl/5.37.5/bin/perl5.37.5" "-MExtUtils::Command::MM" "-MTest::Harness" "-e" "undef *Test::Harness::Switches; test_harness(0, 'blib/lib', 'blib/arch')" t/*.t
t/foo.t .. ok
All tests successful.
Files=1, Tests=3, 1 wallclock secs ( 0.00 usr 0.00 sys + 0.03 cusr 0.00 csys = 0.03 CPU)
Result: PASS
```
### Discussion
You can bundle your own C code with your Perl extension. There are a number
of reasons you might want to do this Sometimes you need to optimize a
tight loop for speed. Or you might need a little bit of glue code for your
bindings to a library that isn't inherently FFI friendly. Either way
what you want is the [FFI::Build](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Build) system on the install step and the
[FFI::Platypus::Bundle](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Bundle) interface on the runtime step. If you are using
[Dist::Zilla](https://metacpan.org/pod/Dist::Zilla) for your distribution, you will also want to check out the
[Dist::Zilla::Plugin::FFI::Build](https://metacpan.org/pod/Dist::Zilla::Plugin::FFI::Build) plugin to make this as painless as possible.
One of the nice things about the bundle interface is that it is smart enough to
work with either [App::Prove](https://metacpan.org/pod/App::Prove) or [ExtUtils::MakeMaker](https://metacpan.org/pod/ExtUtils::MakeMaker). This means, unlike
XS, you do not need to explicitly compile your C code in development mode, that
will be done for you when you call `$ffi->bundle`
# FAQ
## How do I get constants defined as macros in C header files
This turns out to be a challenge for any language calling into C, which
frequently uses `#define` macros to define constants like so:
```
#define FOO_STATIC 1
#define FOO_DYNAMIC 2
#define FOO_OTHER 3
```
As macros are expanded and their definitions are thrown away by the C pre-processor
there isn't any way to get the name/value mappings from the compiled dynamic
library.
You can manually create equivalent constants in your Perl source:
```perl
use constant FOO_STATIC => 1;
use constant FOO_DYNAMIC => 2;
use constant FOO_OTHER => 3;
```
If there are a lot of these types of constants you might want to consider using
a tool ([Convert::Binary::C](https://metacpan.org/pod/Convert::Binary::C) can do this) that can extract the constants for you.
See also the "Integer constants" example in [FFI::Platypus::Type](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Type).
You can also use the new Platypus bundle interface to define Perl constants
from C space. This is more reliable, but does require a compiler at install
time. It is recommended mainly for writing bindings against libraries that
have constants that can vary widely from platform to platform. See
[FFI::Platypus::Constant](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Constant) for details.
## What about enums?
The C enum types are integers. The underlying type is up to the platform, so
Platypus provides `enum` and `senum` types for unsigned and singed enums
respectively. At least some compilers treat signed and unsigned enums as
different types. The enum _values_ are essentially the same as macro constants
described above from an FFI perspective. Thus the process of defining enum values
is identical to the process of defining macro constants in Perl.
For more details on enumerated types see ["Enum types" in FFI::Platypus::Type](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Type#Enum-types).
There is also a type plugin ([FFI::Platypus::Type::Enum](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Type::Enum)) that can be helpful
in writing interfaces that use enums.
## Memory leaks
There are a couple places where memory is allocated, but never deallocated that may
look like memory leaks by tools designed to find memory leaks like valgrind. This
memory is intended to be used for the lifetime of the perl process so there normally
this isn't a problem unless you are embedding a Perl interpreter which doesn't closely
match the lifetime of your overall application.
Specifically:
- type cache
some types are cached and not freed. These are needed as long as there are FFI
functions that could be called.
- attached functions
Attaching a function as an xsub will definitely allocate memory that won't be freed
because the xsub could be called at any time, including in `END` blocks.
The Platypus team plans on adding a hook to free some of this "leaked" memory
for use cases where Perl and Platypus are embedded in a larger application
where the lifetime of the Perl process is significantly smaller than the
overall lifetime of the whole process.
## I get seg faults on some platforms but not others with a library using pthreads.
On some platforms, Perl isn't linked with `libpthreads` if Perl threads are not
enabled. On some platforms this doesn't seem to matter, `libpthreads` can be
loaded at runtime without much ill-effect. (Linux from my experience doesn't seem
to mind one way or the other). Some platforms are not happy about this, and about
the only thing that you can do about it is to build Perl such that it links with
`libpthreads` even if it isn't a threaded Perl.
This is not really an FFI issue, but a Perl issue, as you will have the same
problem writing XS code for the such libraries.
## Doesn't work on Perl 5.10.0.
The first point release of Perl 5.10 was buggy, and is not supported by Platypus.
Please upgrade to a newer Perl.
# CAVEATS
Platypus and Native Interfaces like libffi rely on the availability of
dynamic libraries. Things not supported include:
- Systems that lack dynamic library support
Like MS-DOS
- Systems that are not supported by libffi
Like OpenVMS
- Languages that do not support using dynamic libraries from other languages
This used to be the case with Google's Go, but is no longer the case. This is
a problem for C / XS code as well.
- Languages that do not compile to machine code
Like .NET based languages and Java.
The documentation has a bias toward using FFI / Platypus with C. This
is my fault, as my background mainly in C/C++ programmer (when I am
not writing Perl). In many places I use "C" as a short form for "any
language that can generate machine code and is callable from C". I
welcome pull requests to the Platypus core to address this issue. In an
attempt to ease usage of Platypus by non C programmers, I have written a
number of foreign language plugins for various popular languages (see
the SEE ALSO below). These plugins come with examples specific to those
languages, and documentation on common issues related to using those
languages with FFI. In most cases these are available for easy adoption
for those with the know-how or the willingness to learn. If your
language doesn't have a plugin YET, that is just because you haven't
written it yet.
# SUPPORT
The intent of the `FFI-Platypus` team is to support the same versions of
Perl that are supported by the Perl toolchain. As of this writing that
means 5.16 and better.
IRC: #native on irc.perl.org
[(click for instant chat room login)](http://chat.mibbit.com/#[email protected])
If something does not work the way you think it should, or if you have a
feature request, please open an issue on this project's GitHub Issue
tracker:
[https://github.com/perlFFI/FFI-Platypus/issues](https://github.com/perlFFI/FFI-Platypus/issues)
# CONTRIBUTING
If you have implemented a new feature or fixed a bug then you may make a
pull request on this project's GitHub repository:
[https://github.com/PerlFFI/FFI-Platypus/pulls](https://github.com/PerlFFI/FFI-Platypus/pulls)
This project is developed using [Dist::Zilla](https://metacpan.org/pod/Dist::Zilla). The project's git
repository also comes with the `Makefile.PL` file necessary
for building, testing (and even installing if necessary) without
[Dist::Zilla](https://metacpan.org/pod/Dist::Zilla). Please keep in mind though that these files are
generated so if changes need to be made to those files they should be
done through the project's `dist.ini` file. If you do use
[Dist::Zilla](https://metacpan.org/pod/Dist::Zilla) and already have the necessary plugins installed, then I
encourage you to run `dzil test` before making any pull requests. This
is not a requirement, however, I am happy to integrate especially
smaller patches that need tweaking to fit the project standards. I may
push back and ask you to write a test case or alter the formatting of a
patch depending on the amount of time I have and the amount of code that
your patch touches.
This project's GitHub issue tracker listed above is not Write-Only. If
you want to contribute then feel free to browse through the existing
issues and see if there is something you feel you might be good at and
take a whack at the problem. I frequently open issues myself that I
hope will be accomplished by someone in the future but do not have time
to immediately implement myself.
Another good area to help out in is documentation. I try to make sure
that there is good document coverage, that is there should be
documentation describing all the public features and warnings about
common pitfalls, but an outsider's or alternate view point on such
things would be welcome; if you see something confusing or lacks
sufficient detail I encourage documentation only pull requests to
improve things.
The Platypus distribution comes with a test library named `libtest`
that is normally automatically built by `./Build test`. If you prefer
to use `prove` or run tests directly, you can use the `./Build
libtest` command to build it. Example:
```
% perl Makefile.PL
% make
% make ffi-test
% prove -bv t
# or an individual test
% perl -Mblib t/ffi_platypus_memory.t
```
The build process also respects these environment variables:
- FFI\_PLATYPUS\_DEBUG\_FAKE32
When building Platypus on 32 bit Perls, it will use the [Math::Int64](https://metacpan.org/pod/Math::Int64) C
API and make [Math::Int64](https://metacpan.org/pod/Math::Int64) a prerequisite. Setting this environment
variable will force Platypus to build with both of those options on a 64
bit Perl as well.
```
% env FFI_PLATYPUS_DEBUG_FAKE32=1 perl Makefile.PL
DEBUG_FAKE32:
+ making Math::Int64 a prereq
+ Using Math::Int64's C API to manipulate 64 bit values
Generating a Unix-style Makefile
Writing Makefile for FFI::Platypus
Writing MYMETA.yml and MYMETA.json
%
```
- FFI\_PLATYPUS\_NO\_ALLOCA
Platypus uses the non-standard and somewhat controversial C function
`alloca` by default on platforms that support it. I believe that
Platypus uses it responsibly to allocate small amounts of memory for
argument type parameters, and does not use it to allocate large
structures like arrays or buffers. If you prefer not to use `alloca`
despite these precautions, then you can turn its use off by setting this
environment variable when you run `Makefile.PL`:
```perl
helix% env FFI_PLATYPUS_NO_ALLOCA=1 perl Makefile.PL
NO_ALLOCA:
+ alloca() will not be used, even if your platform supports it.
Generating a Unix-style Makefile
Writing Makefile for FFI::Platypus
Writing MYMETA.yml and MYMETA.json
```
- V
When building platypus may hide some of the excessive output when
probing and building, unless you set `V` to a true value.
```
% env V=1 perl Makefile.PL
% make V=1
...
```
## Coding Guidelines
- Do not hesitate to make code contribution. Making useful contributions
is more important than following byzantine bureaucratic coding
regulations. We can always tweak things later.
- Please make an effort to follow existing coding style when making pull
requests.
- The intent of the `FFI-Platypus` team is to support the same versions of
Perl that are supported by the Perl toolchain. As of this writing that
means 5.16 and better. As such, please do not include any code that
requires a newer version of Perl.
## Performance Testing
As Mark Twain was fond of saying there are four types of lies: lies,
damn lies, statistics and benchmarks. That being said, it can sometimes
be helpful to compare the runtime performance of Platypus if you are
making significant changes to the Platypus Core. For that I use
\`FFI-Performance\`, which can be found in my GitHub repository here:
- [https://github.com/Perl5-FFI/FFI-Performance](https://github.com/Perl5-FFI/FFI-Performance)
## System integrators
This distribution uses [Alien::FFI](https://metacpan.org/pod/Alien::FFI) in fallback mode, meaning if
the system doesn't provide `pkg-config` and `libffi` it will attempt
to download `libffi` and build it from source. If you are including
Platypus in a larger system (for example a Linux distribution) you
only need to make sure to declare `pkg-config` or `pkgconf` and
the development package for `libffi` as prereqs for this module.
# SEE ALSO
## Extending Platypus
- [FFI::Platypus::Type](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Type)
Type definitions for Platypus.
- [FFI::C](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::C)
Interface for defining structured data records for use with
Platypus. It supports C `struct`, `union`, nested structures
and arrays of all of those. It only supports passing these
types by reference or pointer, so if you need to pass structured
data by value see [FFI::Platypus::Record](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Record) below.
- [FFI::Platypus::Record](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Record)
Interface for defining structured data records for use with
Platypus. Included in the Platypus core. Supports pass by
value which is uncommon in C, but frequently used in languages
like Rust and Go. Consider using [FFI::C](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::C) instead if you
don't need to pass by value.
- [FFI::Platypus::API](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::API)
The custom types API for Platypus.
- [FFI::Platypus::Memory](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Memory)
Memory functions for FFI.
## Languages
- [FFI::Platypus::Lang::C](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Lang::C)
Documentation and tools for using Platypus with the C programming
language
- [FFI::Platypus::Lang::CPP](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Lang::CPP)
Documentation and tools for using Platypus with the C++ programming
language
- [FFI::Platypus::Lang::Fortran](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Lang::Fortran)
Documentation and tools for using Platypus with Fortran
- [FFI::Platypus::Lang::Go](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Lang::Go)
Documentation and tools for using Platypus with Go
- [FFI::Platypus::Lang::Pascal](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Lang::Pascal)
Documentation and tools for using Platypus with Free Pascal
- [FFI::Platypus::Lang::Rust](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Lang::Rust)
Documentation and tools for using Platypus with the Rust programming
language
- [FFI::Platypus::Lang::ASM](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Lang::ASM)
Documentation and tools for using Platypus with the Assembly
- [FFI::Platypus::Lang::Win32](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Lang::Win32)
Documentation and tools for using Platypus with the Win32 API.
- [FFI::Platypus::Lang::Zig](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus::Lang::Zig)
Documentation and tools for using Platypus with the Zig programming
language
- [Wasm](https://metacpan.org/pod/Wasm) and [Wasm::Wasmtime](https://metacpan.org/pod/Wasm::Wasmtime)
Modules for writing WebAssembly bindings in Perl. This allows you to call
functions written in any language supported by WebAssembly. These modules
are also implemented using Platypus.
## Other Tools Related Tools Useful for FFI
- [FFI::CheckLib](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::CheckLib)
Find dynamic libraries in a portable way.
- [Convert::Binary::C](https://metacpan.org/pod/Convert::Binary::C)
A great interface for decoding C data structures, including `struct`s,
`enum`s, `#define`s and more.
- [pack and unpack](https://metacpan.org/pod/perlpacktut)
Native to Perl functions that can be used to decode C `struct` types.
- [C::Scan](https://metacpan.org/pod/C::Scan)
This module can extract constants and other useful objects from C header
files that may be relevant to an FFI application. One downside is that
its use may require development packages to be installed.
## Other Foreign Function Interfaces
- [Dyn](https://metacpan.org/pod/Dyn)
A wrapper around [dyncall](https://dyncall.org), which is itself an alternative to
[libffi](https://sourceware.org/libffi/).
- [NativeCall](https://metacpan.org/pod/NativeCall)
Promising interface to Platypus inspired by Raku.
- [Win32::API](https://metacpan.org/pod/Win32::API)
Microsoft Windows specific FFI style interface.
- [FFI](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI)
Older, simpler, less featureful FFI. It used to be implemented
using FSF's `ffcall`. Because `ffcall` has been unsupported for
some time, I reimplemented this module using [FFI::Platypus](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus).
- [C::DynaLib](https://metacpan.org/pod/C::DynaLib)
Another FFI for Perl that doesn't appear to have worked for a long time.
- [C::Blocks](https://metacpan.org/pod/C::Blocks)
Embed a tiny C compiler into your Perl scripts.
- [P5NCI](https://metacpan.org/pod/P5NCI)
Yet another FFI like interface that does not appear to be supported or
under development anymore.
## Other
- [Alien::FFI](https://metacpan.org/pod/Alien::FFI)
Provides libffi for Platypus during its configuration and build stages.
# ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
In addition to the contributors mentioned below, I would like to
acknowledge Brock Wilcox (AWWAIID) and Meredith Howard (MHOWARD) whose
work on `FFI::Sweet` not only helped me get started with FFI but
significantly influenced the design of Platypus.
Dan Book, who goes by Grinnz on IRC for answering user questions about
FFI and Platypus.
In addition I'd like to thank Alessandro Ghedini (ALEXBIO) whose work
on another Perl FFI library helped drive some of the development ideas
for [FFI::Platypus](https://metacpan.org/pod/FFI::Platypus).
# AUTHOR
Author: Graham Ollis
Contributors:
Bakkiaraj Murugesan (bakkiaraj)
Dylan Cali (calid)
pipcet
Zaki Mughal (zmughal)
Fitz Elliott (felliott)
Vickenty Fesunov (vyf)
Gregor Herrmann (gregoa)
Shlomi Fish (shlomif)
Damyan Ivanov
Ilya Pavlov (Ilya33)
Petr Písař (ppisar)
Mohammad S Anwar (MANWAR)
Håkon Hægland (hakonhagland, HAKONH)
Meredith (merrilymeredith, MHOWARD)
Diab Jerius (DJERIUS)
Eric Brine (IKEGAMI)
szTheory
José Joaquín Atria (JJATRIA)
Pete Houston (openstrike, HOUSTON)
Lukas Mai (MAUKE)
# COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE
This software is copyright (c) 2015-2022 by Graham Ollis.
This is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under
the same terms as the Perl 5 programming language system itself.