34 lines
1.6 KiB
XML
34 lines
1.6 KiB
XML
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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
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<!DOCTYPE pkgmetadata SYSTEM "http://www.gentoo.org/dtd/metadata.dtd">
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<pkgmetadata>
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<herd>toolchain</herd>
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<longdescription lang="en">
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Compilers for high level languages generate code that follow certain
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conventions. These conventions are necessary, in part, for separate
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compilation to work. One such convention is the "calling
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convention". The "calling convention" is essentially a set of
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assumptions made by the compiler about where function arguments will
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be found on entry to a function. A "calling convention" also specifies
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where the return value for a function is found.
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Some programs may not know at the time of compilation what arguments
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are to be passed to a function. For instance, an interpreter may be
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told at run-time about the number and types of arguments used to call
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a given function. Libffi can be used in such programs to provide a
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bridge from the interpreter program to compiled code.
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The libffi library provides a portable, high level programming
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interface to various calling conventions. This allows a programmer to
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call any function specified by a call interface description at run
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time.
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Ffi stands for Foreign Function Interface. A foreign function
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interface is the popular name for the interface that allows code
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written in one language to call code written in another language. The
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libffi library really only provides the lowest, machine dependent
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layer of a fully featured foreign function interface. A layer must
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exist above libffi that handles type conversions for values passed
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between the two languages.
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</longdescription>
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</pkgmetadata>
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