Re: To gh_ or not to gh_?

[Bobby D. Bryant]

Sam Tregar wrote:

> On Fri, 4 May 2001, Bobby D. Bryant wrote:
>
> > I did a draft set of Guile->Ada bindings back during my winter break (which
> > I continue to hack on at a slower pace), and I've found that the gh_ stuff
> > provides most of the basic Scheme functionality, and the limited scope of
> > gh_ made it very easy to get the necessary traction for getting something
> > useful working in a finite amount of time.
>
> Is there anywhere I can take a look at what you've produced?  It could be
> quite helpful.

There's a throw-down page for it at
http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/bdbryant/guile-for-ada/index.html, with links for
viewing most of the code on line.  Or you can download the kit from the same 
site
and poke through it off line.

Files named *.ads are specifications (interfaces) and *.adb are the associated
bodies (implementations).  A *.adb file without an associated *.ads is a main
program.

What's there is version 0.8.2, which is actually usable, but needs to have a few
more functions bound, plus a few other things (such as the ever-laggard
documentation).  There is a modicum of in-line documentation, so you should be
able to get at least the gist of what I'm doing.  The 'ppp' appearing in 
numerous
comments is just an eyecatcher for self-reminders.

I have some changes that I've done since then, which will probably bring it up 
to
a justifiable 0.9 or so, but I need to look at a patch someone sent me before I
put out another release.  However, I will send you my current TODO as a separate
message off-list.


> > Let's don't pretend I'm an expert, but FWIW I think you'll find that you can
> > use gh_ for the core of your interface, and then add in some additional scm_
> > stuff if you want to support more functionality.
>
> That sounds like a good approach.  My only fear about that was the
> ominously empty section of the in-progress docs titled something like
> "Combining gh_ and scm_ calls".  It made me think maybe that wasn't such
> a good idea.

It wouldn't be the first time I painted myself into a corner.  I hope I live 
long
enough that it's not the last, either!

Bobby Bryant
Austin, Texas

p.s. - Once you get it semi-working, be sure and get it posted to
http://www.gnu.org/software/guile/gnu-guile-projects.html, so others can find it
easily.  I believe yours will go down in the "Exports" section with mine.  There
used to be an automated mechanism for posting things, but a note at the top of
the page says you should query the list for a how-to (because, I believe, 
someone
is doing a major rework of the project tracking system).