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<a class = mltona href="Home">MLton MLTONWIKIVERSION</a>
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ForeignFunctionInterfaceSyntax
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MLton extends the syntax of SML with expressions that enable a <a href="ForeignFunctionInterface">ForeignFunctionInterface</a> to C. The following description of the syntax uses some abbreviations.
<div>
<table>
<tr>
<td>
C base type </td>
<td>
<em>cBaseTy</em> </td>
<td>
<a href="ForeignFunctionInterfaceTypes"> Foreign Function Interface types</a> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
C argument type </td>
<td>
<em>cArgTy</em> </td>
<td>
<em>cBaseTy</em><sub>1</sub><tt> * </tt>...<tt> * </tt><em>cBaseTy</em><sub>n</sub> or <tt>unit</tt> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
C return type </td>
<td>
<em>cRetTy</em> </td>
<td>
<em>cBaseTy</em> or <tt>unit</tt> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
C function type </td>
<td>
<em>cFuncTy</em> </td>
<td>
<em>cArgTy</em><tt> -> </tt><em>cRetTy</em> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
C pointer type </td>
<td>
<em>cPtrTy</em> </td>
<td>
<tt>MLton.Pointer.t</tt> </td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>
<p>
The type annotation and the semicolon are not optional in the syntax of <a href="ForeignFunctionInterface">ForeignFunctionInterface</a> expressions. However, the type is lexed, parsed, and elaborated as an SML type, so any type (including type abbreviations) may be used, so long as it elaborates to a type of the correct form.
</p>
<h2 id="head-d70f93df5e8f9b55be44fbeee9d203972e3383d4">Address</h2>
<pre>_address "CFunctionOrVariableName" attr... : cPtrTy;
</pre><p>
Denotes the address of the C function or variable.
</p>
<p>
<tt>attr...</tt> denotes a (possibly empty) sequence of attributes. The following attributes are recognized:
</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
<tt>external</tt> : import with external symbol scope (see <a href="LibrarySupport">LibrarySupport</a>) (default).
</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>
<tt>private</tt> : import with private symbol scope (see <a href="LibrarySupport">LibrarySupport</a>).
</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>
<tt>public</tt> : import with public symbol scope (see <a href="LibrarySupport">LibrarySupport</a>).
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>
See <a href="MLtonPointer"> MLtonPointer</a> for functions that manipulate C pointers.
</p>
<h2 id="head-3f84ef531f9db996694ad09a8fdddbca1440577e">Symbol</h2>
<pre>_symbol "CVariableName" attr... : (unit -> cBaseTy) * (cBaseTy -> unit);
</pre><p>
Denotes the <em>getter</em> and <em>setter</em> for a C variable. The <em>cBaseTy</em>s must be identical.
</p>
<p>
<tt>attr...</tt> denotes a (possibly empty) sequence of attributes. The following attributes are recognized:
</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
<tt>alloc</tt> : allocate storage (and export a symbol) for the C variable.
</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>
<tt>external</tt> : import or export with external symbol scope (see <a href="LibrarySupport">LibrarySupport</a>) (default if not <tt>alloc</tt>).
</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>
<tt>private</tt> : import or export with private symbol scope (see <a href="LibrarySupport">LibrarySupport</a>).
</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>
<tt>public</tt> : import or export with public symbol scope (see <a href="LibrarySupport">LibrarySupport</a>) (default if <tt>alloc</tt>).
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<pre>_symbol * : cPtrTy -> (unit -> cBaseTy) * (cBaseTy -> unit);
</pre><p>
Denotes the <em>getter</em> and <em>setter</em> for a C pointer to a variable. The <em>cBaseTy</em>s must be identical.
</p>
<h2 id="head-d6fbc9d2bdd580e18ed0bc5805dc26db323d6f5f">Import</h2>
<pre>_import "CFunctionName" attr... : cFuncTy;
</pre><p>
Denotes an SML function whose behavior is implemented by calling the C function. See <a href="CallingFromSMLToC"> Calling from SML to C</a> for more details.
</p>
<p>
<tt>attr...</tt> denotes a (possibly empty) sequence of attributes. The following attributes are recognized:
</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
<tt>cdecl</tt> : call with the <tt>cdecl</tt> calling convention (default).
</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>
<tt>external</tt> : import with external symbol scope (see <a href="LibrarySupport">LibrarySupport</a>) (default).
</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>
<tt>private</tt> : import with private symbol scope (see <a href="LibrarySupport">LibrarySupport</a>).
</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>
<tt>public</tt> : import with public symbol scope (see <a href="LibrarySupport">LibrarySupport</a>).
</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>
<tt>stdcall</tt> : call with the <tt>stdcall</tt> calling convention (ignored except on Cygwin and MinGW).
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<pre>_import * attr... : cPtrTy -> cFuncTy;
</pre><p>
Denotes an SML function whose behavior is implemented by calling a C function through a C function pointer.
</p>
<p>
<tt>attr...</tt> denotes a (possibly empty) sequence of attributes. The following attributes are recognized:
</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
<tt>cdecl</tt> : call with the <tt>cdecl</tt> calling convention (default).
</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>
<tt>stdcall</tt> : call with the <tt>stdcall</tt> calling convention (ignored except on Cygwin and MinGW).
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>
See <a href="CallingFromSMLToCFunctionPointer"> Calling from SML to C function pointer</a> for more details.
</p>
<h2 id="head-f3e4fadb9e370a1e2c0c622c01fc8c77daf93a2c">Export</h2>
<pre>_export "CFunctionName" attr... : cFuncTy -> unit;
</pre><p>
Exports a C function with the name <tt>CFunctionName</tt> that can be used to call an SML function of the type <em>cFuncTy</em>. When the function denoted by the export expression is applied to an SML function <tt>f</tt>, subsequent C calls to <tt>CFunctionName</tt> will call <tt>f</tt>. It is an error to call <tt>CFunctionName</tt> before the export has been applied. The export may be applied more than once, with each application replacing any previous definition of <tt>CFunctionName</tt>.
</p>
<p>
<tt>attr...</tt> denotes a (possibly empty) sequence of attributes. The following attributes are recognized:
</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
<tt>cdecl</tt> : call with the <tt>cdecl</tt> calling convention (default).
</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>
<tt>private</tt> : export with private symbol scope (see <a href="LibrarySupport">LibrarySupport</a>).
</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>
<tt>public</tt> : export with public symbol scope (see <a href="LibrarySupport">LibrarySupport</a>) (default).
</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>
<tt>stdcall</tt> : call with the <tt>stdcall</tt> calling convention (ignored except on Cygwin and MinGW).
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>
See <a href="CallingFromCToSML"> Calling from C to SML</a> for more details.
</p>
</div>
<p>
<hr>
Last edited on 2009-06-22 16:17:40 by <span title="c-67-165-143-160.hsd1.il.comcast.net"><a href="MatthewFluet">MatthewFluet</a></span>.
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