critcl_app(n) C Runtime In Tcl (CriTcl) critcl_app(n)______________________________________________________________________________NAMEcritcl_app - CriTcl Application
SYNOPSIS
critcl ?option...? ?file...?
______________________________________________________________________________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 command. Its
intended audience are people having to build packages using critcl for
deployment. Writers of packages with embedded C code can ignore this
document. If you are in need of an overview of the whole system
instead, please go and read the Introduction To CriTcl.
This application resides in the Application Layer of CriTcl.
*================*
|Applications |
| critcl |
| critcl::app |
*================*
+----------------+
|Core Packages |
| critcl |
| critcl::util |
+----------------+
+----------------+
|Support Packages|
| stubs::* |
| md5, platform |
| ... |
+----------------+
. The application supports the following general command line:
critcl ?option...? ?file...?
The exact set of options supported, their meaning, and interac‐
tion is detailed in section Application Options below. For a
larger set of examples please see section "Building Critcl Pack‐
ages" in the document about Using CriTcl.
APPLICATION OPTIONS
The following options are understood
-v
--version
These options cause critcl to print its version to stdout and
then exit.
-I path
This option specifies an additional global include path to use
during compilation of ".critcl" files. All values are used if
this is specified multiple times.
This option is irrelevant when generating a TEA package (see
option -tea below).
-L path
This option specifies an additional global library searh path to
use during linking of ".critcl" files. All values are used if
this is specified multiple times.
This option is irrelevant when generating a TEA package (see
option -tea below).
-cache path
This option specifies the path to the directory to use as the
result cache. If not specified it defaults to "~/.critcl/<plat‐
form>", or, when generating a package (see option -pkg below),
to "~/.critcl/<pid>.<epoch>", When specified multiple times the
last value is used.
This option is irrelevant when generating a TEA package (see
option -tea below).
-clean When specified the result cache is emptied, i.e. all files and
directories found inside are deleted) before compilation begins.
This option is irrelevant when generating a package (see option
-pkg below) because this mode starts out with a unique and empty
result cache.
This option is irrelevant when generating a TEA package (see
option -tea below).
-config path
This option specifies the path to a custom configuration file,
allowing the user to use their own target specifications. If not
specified a hardwired default configuration embedded in the sys‐
tem core is used instead. When specified multiple times the
last value is used.
This option is irrelevant when generating a TEA package (see
option -tea below).
-debug mode
This option activates compilation with debugging. It accepts the
modes below. When specified multiple times the combination of
all modes is used.
This option is irrelevant when generating a TEA package (see
option -tea below).
memory This mode activates memory debugging of allocations made
through the Tcl core.
symbols
This mode activates building of all ".c" files with
debugging symbols.
all This mode activates both memory and symbols.
-disable name
This option sets the value of the custom build configuration
option name to false. It is equivalent to "-with-name 0".
The information is validated only if one of the ".critcl" input
files actually defines and uses a custom build configuration
option with that name.
This option is irrelevant when generating a TEA package (see
option -tea below).
-enable name
This option sets the value of the custom build configuration
option name to true. It is equivalent to "-with-name 1".
The information is validated only if one of the ".critcl" input
files actually defines and uses a custom build configuration
option with that name.
This option is irrelevant when generating a TEA package (see
option -tea below).
-force When specified compilation is always done, even if a shared
library for the file exists already. This effect can be had
through cleaning the cache (see above) as well, except that it
is lazy in the destruction of files and will not destroy files
unrelated to the ones we are building.
This option is irrelevant when generating a package (see option
-pkg below) because this mode starts out with a unique and empty
result cache.
This option is irrelevant when generating a TEA package (see
option -tea below).
-help This option will cause the system to print a short help about
command line syntax and options and then exit the application.
-keep This option will cause the system to keep the ".c" files gener‐
ated by a run in the result cache. When generating a package
(see option -pkg below) this also prevents the deletion of the
unique result cache used by the run. This option is intended
for the debugging of critcl itself, where it may be necessary to
inspect the generated C code.
This option is irrelevant when generating a TEA package (see
option -tea below).
-libdir path
This option specifies the path under which the packages gener‐
ated via option -pkg are saved. It also specifies a path to
search libraries in, like for -L. When specified multiple times
the last value is used. When not specified at all the default,
"lib", is used. Note how this is a relative path, placing the
result into the current working directory.
-includedir path
This option specifies the path under which any generated package
headers are saved. It also specifies a path to search include
files in, like for -I. When specified multiple times the last
value is used as destination, however all previous values are
kept on the include search path. When not specified at all the
default, "include", is used. Note how this is a relative path,
placing the result into the current working directory.
This option is irrelevant when generating a TEA package (see
option -tea below).
-pkg The default mode of the application is to build the ".critcl"
files listed on the command line and save the results in the
result cache. Essentially pre-filling the cache with important
packages, cutting down on the time needed to use these packages.
This option activates one of the other modes, package genera‐
tion. In this mode the input files are processed first as
usual, however after that they are bundled into a single library
and additional files are generated to make this library usable
as a regular Tcl package.
The option -tea, see below, invokes the last mode, TEA genera‐
tion. If both options, i.e. -pkg and -tea are specified the last
one specified wins.
In this mode the options -clean and -force are irrelevant and
ignored. In contrast, the option -libdir is relevant in both
this and -tea mode.
When this option is specified the basename of the first file
argument after the options is used as the name of the package to
generate. If the extension of that file indicates a shared
library (".so", ".sl", ".dylib", and ".dll") it is also removed
from the set of input files. A ".tcl" file is kept as part of
the input. A single file without extension is assumed to actu‐
ally have a ".tcl" extension. A file without extension, but
other input files following is treated like the name of a shared
library proper, and removed from the set of input files.
Examples:
... -pkg ... foo
=> Package name is: foo
=> Input file is: foo.tcl
... -pkg ... foo bar.tcl
=> Package name is: foo
=> Input file is: bar.tcl
... -pkg ... foo.tcl
=> Package name is: foo
=> Input file is: foo.tcl
... -pkg ... foo.so bar.tcl
=> Package name is: foo
=> Input file is: bar.tcl
-show This option, when specified, will cause the system to print the
configuration of the chosen target to stdout and then exit. The
choice of target can be influenced through the option -target
(see below).
-showall
This option, when specified, will cause the system to print the
whole chosen configuration file to stdout and then exit. The
choice of configuration file can be influenced through the
option -config (see above).
-target name
This option overrides the default choice of build target with
the user's choice. When specified multiple times the last value
is used. The named target must exist in the chosen configura‐
tion file. Use option -targets (see below) to get a list of the
acceptable targets. The choice of configuration file can be
influenced through the option -config (see above).
This option is irrelevant when generating a TEA package (see
option -tea below).
-targets
This option, when specified, will cause the system to print the
list of all known targets from the chosen configuration file to
stdout and then exit. The choice of configuration file can be
influenced through the option -config (see above).
-tea Similar to option -pkg, except that the invoked mode does not
generate binaries, but a directory hierarchy containing the
".critcl" file, its companion files, and a TEA-lookalike build
system with most of the needed support code (incliding copies of
the critcl packages).
If both options, i.e. -pkg and -tea are specified the last one
specified wins.
In this mode the options -I, -L, -clean, -force, -cache,
-includedir, -enable, -disable, and -with-FOO are irrelevant and
ignored. In contrast, the option -libdir is relevant in both
this and -pkg mode.
When this option is specified the basename of the first file
argument after the options is used as the name of the package to
generate. If the extension of that file indicates a shared
library (".so", ".sl", ".dylib", and ".dll") it is also removed
from the set of input files. A ".tcl" file is kept as part of
the input. A single file without extension is assumed to actu‐
ally have a ".tcl" extension. A file without extension, but
other input files following is treated like the name of a shared
library proper, and removed from the set of input files.
Examples:
... -tea ... foo
=> Package name is: foo
=> Input file is: foo.tcl
... -tea ... foo bar.tcl
=> Package name is: foo
=> Input file is: bar.tcl
... -tea ... foo.tcl
=> Package name is: foo
=> Input file is: foo.tcl
... -tea ... foo.so bar.tcl
=> Package name is: foo
=> Input file is: bar.tcl
-with-name value
This option sets the value of the custom build configuration
option name to value.
The information is validated only if one of the ".critcl" input
files actually defines and uses a custom build configuration
option with that name.
This option is irrelevant when generating a TEA package (see
option -tea above).
PACKAGE STRUCTURE
Packages generated by critcl have the following basic structure:
<TOP>
+- pkgIndex.tcl
+- critcl-rt.tcl
+- license.terms (optional)
|
+- tcl (optional)
| +- <tsources files>
|
+- <platform>
+- <shared library>
Notes
[1] The file "pkgIndex.tcl" is the standard package index file
expected by Tcl's package management. It is sourced during a
search for packages, and declares the package to Tcl with its
files, and how to handle them.
[2] The file "critcl-rt.tcl" is a helper file containing the common
code used by "pkgIndex.tcl" to perform its tasks.
[3] The file "license.terms" is optional and appears only if the
".critcl" file the package is generated from used the command
critcl::license to declare package author and license.
[4] All files declared with the command critcl::tsources are put
into the sub-directory "tcl".
[5] The shared library generated by critcl is put into a platform-
specific sub-directory.
The whole structure, and especially the last point, enable us to later
merge the results (for the same package, and version) for multiple tar‐
get platforms into a single directory structure without conflict, by
simply copying the top directories over each other. The only files
which can conflict are in the <TOP> and "tcl" directories, and for
these we know that they are identical across targets. The result of
such a merge would look like:
<TOP>
+- pkgIndex.tcl
+- critcl-rt.tcl
+- license.terms (optional)
|
+- tcl (optional)
| +- <tsources files>
|
+- <platform1>
| +- <shared library1>
+- <platform2>
| +- <shared library2>
...
+- <platformN>
+- <shared libraryN>
The latest changes are found at the top.
CHANGES FOR VERSION 3.1.15
[1] Fixed version number bogosity with 3.1.14.
CHANGES FOR VERSION 3.1.14
[1] Fixed issue #36. Added message to target all of the Makefile
generated for TEA mode. Additionally tweaked other parts of the
output to be less noisy.
[2] Accepted request implied in issue #54. Unconditionally save the
compiler/linker build log into key log of the dictionary
returned by cresults, and save a copy of only the execution out‐
put in the new key exl ("execution log").
[3] Fixed issue #53. Clarified the documentation of commands
critcl::load and critcl::failed with regard to their results and
the throwing of errors (does not happen).
[4] Fixed issue #48. Modified mode "compile & run" to allow new dec‐
larations in a file, after it was build, instead of erroring
out. The new decls are build when needed. Mode "precompile" is
unchanged and will continue to trap the situation.
[5] Fixed issue #52. Updated the local Tcl/Tk headers to 8.4.20,
8.5.13, and 8.6.4.
[6] Fixed issue #45. New feature command critcl::cconst.
[7] critcl::util: New command locate to find a file across a set of
paths, and report an error when not found. This is for use in
autoconf-like header-searches and similar configuration tests.
[8] Modified 'AbortWhenCalledAfterBuild' to dump the entire stack
(info frame!). This should make it easier to determine the loca‐
tion of the troubling declaration.
CHANGES FOR VERSION 3.1.13
[1] Merged PR #43. Fixed bug loading adjunct Tcl sources.
[2] Fixes in documentation and generated code of package
"critcl::enum". Bumped to version 1.0.1.
[3] Fixes in documentation of package "critcl::bitmap".
[4] New package "critcl::emap". In essence a variant or cross of
"critcl::bitmap" with behaviour like "critcl::enum".
[5] Merged PR #49. Fixed documentation typo.
[6] Merged PR #46. Fixed documentation typo.
[7] Merged PR #47. Fixes to test results to match the accumulated
code changes. Also made portable across Tcl versions (varying
error syntax).
[8] New predefined argument- and result-type "wideint" mapping to
Tcl_WideInt.
[9] New predefined argument-type "bytes" mapping to tuple of byte-
array data and length. Note: The existing "bytearray" type (and
its aliases) was left untouched, to keep backward compatibility.
[10] Modified the internal interface between the Tcl shim and C func‐
tion underneath "critcl::cproc" with respect to the handling of
optional arguments. An optional argument "X" now induces the
use of two C arguments, "X" and "has_X". The new argument
"has_X" is of boolean (int) type. It is set to true when X is
set, and set to false when X has the default value. C code which
cares about knowing if the argument is default or not is now
able to check that quickly, without having to code the default
value inside. NOTE: This change is visible in the output of the
advanced commands "argcnames", "argcsignature", "argvardecls",
and "argconversion".
[11] Fixed issue #50 and documented the availability of variable
"interp" (type Tcl_Interp*) within "critcl::cinit" C code frag‐
ments. Note that while the old, undocumented name of the vari‐
able, "ip", is still usable, it is deprecated. It will be fully
removed in two releases, i.e. for release 3.1.15. The variable
name was changed to be consistent with other code environments.
[12] Fixed issue #51. Disabled the generation of #line directives for
"critcl::config lines 0" coming from template files, or code
generated with them before the final value of this setting was
known.
[13] Fixed issue with handling of namespaced package names in
"critcl::iassoc". Equivalent to a bug in "critcl::class" fixed
for critcl 3.1.1, critcl::class 1.0.1. Note: "literals",
"enum", "emap", and "bitmap" do not require a fix as they are
all built on top of "iassoc".
CHANGES FOR VERSION 3.1.12
[1] Fixed issue 42. Clear ::errorInfo immediately after startup to
prevent leakage of irrelevant (caught) errors into our script
and confusing the usage code.
[2] Fixed issue 40. Keep the order of libraries, and allow dupli‐
cates. Both are things which are occasionally required for
proper linking.
[3] Extended the utility package critcl::literals to declare a cproc
result-type for a pool.
Further fixed the generated header to handle multiple inclusion.
Bumped version to 1.1.
[4] Fixed issue with utility package critcl::bitmap.
Fixed the generated header to handle multiple inclusion.
Bumped version to 1.0.1.
[5] Created new utility package critcl::enum for the quick and easy
setup and use of mappings between C values and Tcl strings.
Built on top of critcl::literals.
[6] Added examples demonstrating the use of the utility packages
critcl::literals, critcl::bitmap, and critcl::enum
CHANGES FOR VERSION 3.1.11
[1] Fixed issue #37, via pull request #38, with thanks to Jos
DeCoster. Information was stored into the v::delproc and
v::clientdata arrays using a different key than when retrieving
the same information, thus failing the latter.
[2] New convenience command critcl::include for easy inclusion of
headers and other C files.
[3] New command critcl::make to generate a local header of other C
files for use by other parts of a package through inclusion.
[4] New utility package critcl::literals for quick and easy setup of
and access to pools of fixed Tcl_Obj* strings. Built on top of
critcl::iassoc.
[5] New utility package critcl::bitmap for quick and easy setup and
use of mappings between C bitsets and Tcl lists whose string
elements represent that set. Built on top of critcl::iassoc.
CHANGES FOR VERSION 3.1.10
[1] Fixed code version numbering forgotten with 3.1.9.
[2] Fixed issue #35. In package mode (-pkg) the object cache direc‐
tory is unique to the process, thus we do not need content-hash‐
ing to generate unique file names. A simple counter is suffi‐
cient and much faster.
Note that mode "compile & run" is not as blessed and still uses
content-hasing with md5 to ensure unique file names in its per-
user object cache.
[3] Fixed issue where the ccommand forgot to use its body as input
for the UUID generation. Thus ignoring changes to it in mode
compile & run, and not rebuilding a library for changed sources.
Bug and fix reported by Peter Spjuth.
CHANGES FOR VERSION 3.1.9
[1] Fixed issue #27. Added missing platform definitions for various
alternate linux and OS X targets.
[2] Fixed issue #28. Added missing -mXX flags for linking at the
linux-{32,64}-* targets.
[3] Fixed issue #29. Replaced the use of raw "cheaders" information
in the processing of "cdefines" with the proper include direc‐
tives derived from it.
[4] Fixed the issue behind rejected pull request #30 by Andrew
Shadura. Dynamically extract the stubs variable declarations
from the Tcl header files and generate matching variable defini‐
tions for use in the package code. The generated code will now
be always consistent with the headers, even when critcl's own
copy of them is replaced by system headers.
[5] Fixed issue #31. Accepted patch by Andrew Shadura, with changes
(comments), for easier integration of critcl with OS package
systems, replacing critcl's copies of Tcl headers with their
own.
[6] Fixed issue #32. Merged pull request by Andrew Shadura. Various
typos in documentation and comments.
[7] Fixed issue #34. Handle files starting with a dot better.
CHANGES FOR VERSION 3.1.8
[1] Fixed issue with package indices generated for Tcl 8.4. Join
the list of commands with semi-colon, not newline.
[2] Fixed issue #26 which brought up use-cases I had forgotten to
consider while fixing bug #21 (see critcl 3.1.6).
CHANGES FOR VERSION 3.1.7
[1] Fixed issue #24. Extract and unconditionally display compiler
warnings found in the build log. Prevents users from missing
warnings which, while not causing the build to fail, may still
indicate problems.
[2] New feature. Output hook. All non-messaging user output is now
routed through the command critcl::print, and users are allowed
to override it when using the critcl application-as-package.
[3] New feature, by Ashok P. Nadkarni. Platform configurations can
inherit values from configurations defined before them.
CHANGES FOR VERSION 3.1.6
[1] Fixed issue #21. While the multi-definition of the stub-table
pointer variables was ok with for all the C linkers seen so far
C++ linkers did not like this at all. Reworked the code to
ensure that this set of variables is generated only once, in the
wrapper around all the pieces to assemble.
[2] Fixed issue #22, the handling of the command identifier argu‐
ments of critcl::ccommand, critcl::cproc, and critcl::cdata. We
now properly allow any Tcl identifier and generate proper inter‐
nal C identifiers from them.
As part of this the signature of command critcl::name2c changed.
The command now delivers a list of four values instead of three.
The new value was added at the end.
Further adapted the implementation of package critcl::class, a
user of critcl::name2c. This package is now at version 1.0.6
and requires critcl 3.1.6
Lastly fixed the mis-handling of option -cname in critcl::ccom‐
mand, and critcl::cproc.
[3] Fixed issue #23.
CHANGES FOR VERSION 3.1.5
[1] Fixed issue #19. Made the regular expression extracting the MSVC
version number more general to make it work on german language
systems. This may have to be revisited in the future, for other
Windows locales.
[2] Fixed issue #20. Made option -tea work on windows, at least in a
unix emulation environment like msys/mingw.
CHANGES FOR VERSION 3.1.4
[1] Bugfix in package critcl::class. Generate a dummy field in the
class structure if the class has no class variables. Without
this change the structure would be empty, and a number of com‐
pilers are not able to handle such a type.
[2] Fixed a typo which broke the win64 configuration.
[3] Fixed issue #16, a typo in the documentation of command
critcl::class.
CHANGES FOR VERSION 3.1.3
[1] Enhancement. In detail:
[2] Added new argument type "pstring", for "Pascal String", a
counted string, i.e. a combination of string pointer and string
length.
[3] Added new methods critcl::argtypesupport and ::critcl::argsup‐
port to define and use additional supporting code for an argu‐
ment type, here used by "pstring" above to define the necessary
structure.
[4] Semi-bugfixes in the packages critcl::class and critcl::iassoc.
Pragmas for the AS meta data scanner to ensure that the template
files are made part of the package. Versions bumped to 1.0.4
and 1.0.1 respectively.
CHANGES FOR VERSION 3.1.2
[1] Enhancement. In detail:
[2] Extended critcl::cproc to be able to handle optional arguments,
in a limited way. This is automatically available to
critcl::class cproc-based methods as well.
[3] Bugfix in lassign emulation for Tcl 8.4. Properly set unused
variables to the empty string. Bumped version of emulation
package lassign84 to 1.0.1.
CHANGES FOR VERSION 3.1.1
[1] Bugfixes all around. In detail:
[2] Fixed the generation of wrong#args errors for critcl::cproc and
derived code (critcl::class cproc-based methods). Use NULL if
there are no arguments, and take the offset into account.
[3] Fixed the handling of package names by critcl::class. Forgot
that they may contain namespace separators. Bumped to version
1.0.1.
[4] Extended a critcl::class generated error message in instance
creation for clarity. Bumped to version 1.0.2.
CHANGES FOR VERSION 3.1
[1] Added a new higher-level package critcl::iassoc.
This package simplifies the creation of code associating data
with an interpreter via Tcl's Tcl_(Get|Set)AssocData() APIs. The
user can concentrate on his data while all the necessary boiler‐
plate C code to support this is generated by the package.
This package uses several of the new features which were added
to the core critcl package, see below.
[2] Added the higher-level package critcl::class.
This package simplifies the creation of C level objects with
class and instance commands. The user can write a class defini‐
tion with class- and instance-variables and -methods similar to
a TclOO class, with all the necessary boilerplate C code to sup‐
port this generated by the package.
This package uses several of the new features which were added
to the core critcl package, see below.
[3] Extended the API for handling TEApot metadata. Added the command
critcl::meta? to query the stored information. Main use cur‐
rently envisioned is retrieval of the current package's name by
utility commands, for use in constructed names. This particular
information is always available due to the static scan of the
package file on execution of the first critcl command.
The new packages critcl::iassoc and critcl::class (see above)
are users of this command.
[4] Extended the API with a command, critcl::name2c, exposing the
process of converting a Tcl name into base name, namespace, and
C namespace. This enables higher-level code generators to gener‐
ate the same type of C identifiers as critcl itself.
The new package critcl::class (see above) is a user of this com‐
mand.
[5] Extended the API with a command, critcl::source, executing
critcl commands found in a separate file in the context of the
current file. This enables easier management of larger bodies of
code as it allows the user to split such up into easier to
digest smaller chunks without causing the generation of multiple
packages.
[6] Related to the previous item, extended the API with commands to
divert collection of generated C code into memory. This makes it
easier to use the commands for embedded C code in higher-level
code generators.
See the section Advanced: Diversions for details of the provided
commands.
The new package critcl::class (see above) is a user of these
facilities.
[7] Extended the API with commands helping developers with the gen‐
eration of proper C #line directives. This allows higher-level
code generators to generate and insert their own directives,
ensuring that compile errors in their code are properly attrib‐
uted.
See the section Advanced: Location management for details of the
provided commands.
The new packages critcl::iassoc and critcl::class (see above)
are users of these facilities.
[8] Extended the API with commands giving users the ability to
define custom argument and result types for ::critcl::cproc.
See the section Advanced: Extending cproc for details of the
provided commands.
CHANGES FOR VERSION 3.0.7
[1] Fixed the code generated by critcl::c++command. The emitted
code handed a non-static string table to Tcl_GetIndexFromObj, in
violation of the contract, which requires the table to have a
fixed address. This was a memory smash waiting to happen. Thanks
to Brian Griffin for alrerting us to the general problem.
CHANGES FOR VERSION 3.0.6
[1] Fixed github issue 10. The critcl application now delivers a
proper exit code (1) on build failure, instead of always indi‐
cating success (status 0).
[2] Fixed github issue 13. Handling of bufferoverflowU.lib for
release builds was inconsistent with handling for debug builds.
It is now identically handled (conditional) by both cases.
[3] Documentation cleanup, mainly in the installation guide, and the
README.md shown by github
CHANGES FOR VERSION 3.0.5
[1] Fixed bug in the new code for #line pragmas triggered when spec‐
ifying C code without leading whitespace.
[2] Extended the documentation to have manpages for the license,
source retrieval, installer, and developer's guides.
CHANGES FOR VERSION 3.0.4
[1] Fixed generation of the package's initname when the incoming
code is read from stdin and has no proper path.
[2] Fixed github issue 11. Now using /LIBPATH instead of -L on Win‐
dows (libinclude configuration setting).
[3] Extended critcl to handle -l:path format of -l options. GNU ld
2.22+ handles this by searching for the path as is. Good when
specifying static libraries, as plain -l looks for shared
libraries in preference over static. critcl handles it now, as
older GNU ld's do not understand it, nor the various vendor-spe‐
cific linkers.
[4] Fixed github issue #12. Critcl now determines the version of
MSVC in use and uses it to switch between various link debug
options. Simplified the handling of bufferoverflowU.lib also,
making use of the same mechanism and collapsing the two configu‐
rations sections we had back into one.
[5] Reworked the insertion of #line pragmas into the generated C
code to avoid limitations on the line number argument imposed by
various compilers, and be more accurate.
[6] Modified argument processing. Option -libdir now also implies -L
for its argument.
[7] Extended handling of option -show (critcl::showconfig) to list
the path of the configuration file the data is coming from. Good
for debugging configuration processing.
[8] Extended the build script with targets to regenerate the embed‐
ded documentation, and diagrams, and to generate a release.
CHANGES FOR VERSION 3.0.3
[1] Fixed github issues 5 and 8, for the example build.tcl scripts.
Working around a missing variable ::errorInfo. It should always
be present, however there seem to be revisions of Tcl around
which violate this assumption.
CHANGES FOR VERSION 3.0.2
[1] Fixed issue in compile-and-run mode where commands put into the
auto_index are not found by Tcl's [unknown] command.
[2] Fixed an array key mismatch breaking usage of client data and
delete function for procedure. Reported by Jos DeCoster, with
patch.
[3] Implemented a command line option -L, an equivalent of option
-I, just for library search paths.
[4] Fixed github issues 5 and 8. Working around a missing variable
::errorInfo. It should always be present, however there seem to
be revisions of Tcl around which violate this assumption.
CHANGES FOR VERSION 3.0.1
[1] Bugfixes all around. In detail:
[2] Fixed recording of Tcl version requirements. Keep package name
and version together, unbreaking generated meta data and gener‐
ated package load command.
[3] Fixed the build scripts: When installing, or wrapping for TEA,
generate any missing directories
[4] Modified the build scripts to properly exit the application when
the window of their GUI is closed through the (X) button.
[5] Removed an 8.5-ism (open wb) which had slipped into the main
build script.
[6] Modified the example build scripts to separate the output for
the different examples (and packages) by adding empty lines.
[7] stack::c example bugfix: Include API declarations for use in the
companion files.
[8] Extended the documentation: Noted the need for a working instal‐
lation of a C compiler.
[9] Extended the Windows target definitions and code to handle the
manifest files used by modern MS development environments. Note
that this code handles both possibilities, environment using
manifests, and (old(er)) environments without.
[10] Extended the Windows 64bit target definitions and code to auto-
detect the need for the helper library "bufferoverflowU.lib" and
reconfigure the compile and link commands appropriately. We
assume that the library must be linked when present. This should
be no harm if the library is present, yet not needed. Just
superfluous. We search for the library in the paths specified by
the environment variable LIB.
CHANGES FOR VERSION 3
[1] The command critcl::platform was deprecated in version 2.1,
superceded by critcl::targetplatform, yet kept for compatibil‐
ity. Now it has been removed.
[2] The command critcl::compiled was kept with in version 2.1 with
semantics in contradiction to its, for compatibility. This con‐
tradiction has been removed, changing the visible semantics of
the command to be in line with its name.
[3] The change to version 3 became necessary because of the two
incompatible visible changes above.
[4] Extended the application package with code handling a new option
-tea. Specifying this option invokes a special mode where critcl
generates a TEA package, i.e. wraps the input into a directory
hierarchy and support files which provide it TEA-lookalike
buildsystem.
This new option, and -pkg, exclude each other. If both are spec‐
ified the last used option takes precedence.
The generated package directory hierarchy is mostly self-con‐
tained, but not fully. It requires not only a working installa‐
tion of Tcl, but also working installations of the packages md5
and cmdline. Both of these are provided by the Tcllib bundle.
Not required, but recommended to have installed are any of the
packages which can accelerate md5's operation, i.e. cryptkit,
tcllibc, or Trf.
[5] Extended the critcl package with a new command critcl::scan tak‐
ing the path to a ".critcl" file, statically scanning it, and
returning license, version, a list of its companion files, list
of imported APIs, and list of developer-specified custom config‐
uration options. This data is the foundation for the TEA wrap‐
ping described above.
Note that this is a static scan. While the other build modes can
(must) execute the ".critcl" file and make platform-specific
decisions regarding the assembled C code, companion files, etc.
the TEA wrap mode is not in a position to make platform-specific
decisions. It has to wrap everything which might conceivably be
needed when actually building. Hence the static scan. This has
however its own set of problems, namely the inability to figure
out any dynamic construction of companion file paths, at least
on its own. Thus:
[6] Extended the API used by critcl-based packages with the command
critcl::owns. While this command is ignored by the regular build
modes the static scanner described above takes its arguments as
the names of companion files which have to be wrapped into the
TEA package and could not be figured by the scanner otherwise,
like because of dynamic paths to critcl::tsources,
critcl::csources, getting sourced directly, or simply being
adjunct datafiles.
[7] Extended the API used by critcl-based packages with the command
critcl::api for the management of stubs tables, be it their use,
and/or declaration and export.
Please see section Stubs Table Management of the critcl package
documentation for details.
[8] Extended the API used by critcl-based packages with the command
critcl::userconfig for the management of developer-specified
custom configuration options, be it their use and/or declara‐
tion.
Please see section Custom Build Configuration of the critcl
package documentation for details.
[9] Extended the API used by critcl-based packages with the commands
critcl::description, critcl::summary, critcl::subject,
critcl::meta, and critcl::buildrequirement for the declaration
of TEApot meta data for/about the package.
Please see section Package Meta Data of the critcl package docu‐
mentation for details.
CHANGES FOR VERSION 2.1
[1] Fixed bug where critcl::tsources interpreted relative paths as
relative to the current working directory instead of relative to
the ".critcl" file using the command, as all other commands of
this type do.
[2] Fixed internals, preventing information collected for multiple
".critcl" files to leak between them. Notably, critcl::tk is not
a global configuration option anymore.
[3] Fixed the command critcl::license to be a null-operation in mode
"compile & run", instead of throwing an error.
[4] Fixed the critcl application's interference with the "compile &
run" result cache in -pkg mode by having it use a wholly sepa‐
rate (and by default transient) directory for that mode.
[5] Fixed bug where changes to a ".critcl" file did not result in a
rebuild for mode "compile & run". All relevant API commands now
ensure UUID changes.
[6] Fixed bug in the backend handling of critcl::debug where the
companion c-sources of a ".critcl" file were not compiled with
debug options, although the ".critcl" file was.
[7] Fixed bug in critcl::debug which prevented recognition of mode
"all" when it was not the first argument to the command.
[8] Fixed bug in "preload.c" preventing its compilation on non-win‐
dows platforms.
[9] Fixed long-standing bug in the handling of namespace qualifiers
in the command name argument of critcl::cproc and critcl::ccom‐
mand. It is now possible to specify a fully qualified command
name without issues.
[10] Extended/reworked critcl::tsources to be the canonical way of
declaring ".tcl" companion files even for mode "compile & run".
[11] Extended/reworked critcl::tsources to allow the use of a
".critcl" file as its own Tcl companion file.
[12] Extended critcl::framework to internally check for OS X build
target, and to ignore the declaration if its not.
[13] Extended critcl::failed to be callable more than once in a
".critcl" file. The first call forces the build, if it was not
done already, to get the result. Further calls return the cached
result of the first call.
[14] Extended the handling of environment variable CC in the code
determining the compiler to use to deal with (i.e. remove) paths
to the compiler, compiler file extensions, and compiler options
specified after the compiler itself, leaving only the bare name
of the compiler.
[15] Extended the code handling the search for preloaded libraries to
print the paths it searched, making debugging of a search fail‐
ure easier.
[16] A new command critcl::tcl can be used to declare the version of
Tcl minimally needed to build and run the ".critcl" file and
package. Defaults to 8.4 if not declared. Extended critcl to
have the stubs and headers for all of Tcl 8.4, 8.5, and 8.6.
[17] A new command critcl::load forces the build and load of a
".critcl" file. This is the official way for overriding critcl's
default lazy-build-&-load-on-demand scheme for mode "compile &
run".
Note that after using critcl::load / critcl::failed in a
".critcl" file it is not possible to use critcl commands in that
file anymore. Doing so will throw an error.
[18] Extended the generation of '#line' pragmas to use info frame (if
available) to provide the C compiler with exact line numbers
into the ".critcl" file for the reporting of warnings and
errors.
[19] Extended critcl::check with logging to help with debugging
build-time checks of the environment, plus an additional
optional argument to provide labeling.
[20] Added a new command critcl::checklink which not only tries to
check the environment via compiling the code, but also its link‐
ability.
[21] Added a new command critcl::msg for messaging, like command
critcl::error is for error reporting. Likewise this is a hook a
user of the package is allowed to override. The default imple‐
mentation, used by mode compile & run does nothing. The imple‐
mentation for mode generate package prints the message to std‐
out.
Envisioned use is for the reporting of results determined by
critcl::check and critcl::checklink during building, to help
with debugging when something goes wrong with a check.
[22] Exposed the argument processing internals of critcl::proc for
use by advanced users. The new commands are
[1] critcl::argnames
[2] critcl::argcnames
[3] critcl::argcsignature
[4] critcl::argvardecls
[5] critcl::argconversion
Please see section Advanced Embedded C Code of the critcl pack‐
age documentation for details.
[23] Extended the critcl package to intercept package provide and
record the file -> package name mapping. Plus other internal
changes now allow the use of namespaced package names while
still using proper path names and init function.
[24] Dropped the unused commands critcl::optimize and
critcl::include.
[25] Dropped -lib mode from the critcl application.
[26] Dropped remnants of support for Tcl 8.3 and before.
AUTHORS
Jean Claude Wippler, Steve Landers, Andreas Kupries
BUGS, IDEAS, FEEDBACK
This document, and the package it describes, will undoubtedly contain
bugs and other problems. Please report them at
https://github.com/andreas-kupries/critcl/issues. Ideas for enhance‐
ments you may have for either package, application, and/or the documen‐
tation are also very welcome and should be reported at
https://github.com/andreas-kupries/critcl/issues as well.
KEYWORDS
C code, 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) Jean-Claude Wippler
Copyright (c) Steve Landers
Copyright (c) 2011-2015 Andreas Kupries
doc 3.1.15 critcl_app(n)
