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diff --git a/swigweb/exec.ht b/swigweb/exec.ht deleted file mode 100644 index a1a998718..000000000 --- a/swigweb/exec.ht +++ /dev/null @@ -1,112 +0,0 @@ -Executive Summary - -<p> -<img src="images/exec.png" alt="Executive Summary"> - -<p> -SWIG is an interface compiler that connects programs written in C and -C++ with scripting languages such as Perl, Python, Ruby, and Tcl. It -works by taking the declarations found in C/C++ header files and using -them to generate the wrapper code that scripting languages need to -access the underlying C/C++ code. In addition, SWIG provides a -variety of customization features that let you tailor the wrapping -process to suit your application. - -<p> -John Ousterhout (creator of Tcl) has written a -<a href="http://home.pacbell.net/ouster/scripting.html">paper</a> -that describes the -benefits of scripting languages. SWIG makes it fairly easy to connect scripting -languages with C/C++ code. - -<p>SWIG is used in a number of ways: - -<ul> -<li><p><b>Building more powerful C/C++ programs</b>. Using SWIG, you can -replace the main() function of a C program with a scripting -interpreter from which you can control the application. This adds -quite a lot of flexibility and makes the program "programmable." That -is, the scripting interface allows users and developers to easily -modifiy the behavior of the program without having to modify low-level -C/C++ code. The benefits of this are numerous. In fact think of all -of the large software packages that you use every day---nearly all of -them include special a macro language, configuration language, or even -a scripting engine that allows users to make customizations. - -<li><p><b>Rapid prototyping and debugging</b>. SWIG allows C/C++ programs to be placed in -a scripting environment that can be used for testing and debugging. -For example, you might test a library with a collection of scripts or use the scripting -interpreter as an interactive debugger. Since SWIG requires no modifications to the -underlying C/C++ code, it can be used even if the final product does not rely upon scripting. - -<li><p><b>Systems integration</b>. Scripting languages work fairly well -for controlling and gluing loosely-coupled software components -together. With SWIG, different C/C++ programs can be turned into -scripting language extension modules. These modules can then be -combined together to create new and interesting applications. - -<li><p><b>Construction of scripting language extension modules</b>. SWIG -can be used to turn common C/C++ libraries into components for use in -popular scripting languages. Of course, you will still want to make -sure that no-one else has already created a module before doing this. -</ul> - -SWIG is sometimes compared to interface definition language (IDL) -compilers such as those you find with systems such as CORBA and COM. -Although there are a few similarities, the whole point of SWIG is to -make it so you don't have to add an extra layer of IDL specifications -to your application. If anything, it's much more of a rapid -application development and prototyping tool. Specifically: - -<ul> -<li><p><b>ANSI C/C++ syntax</b>. SWIG parses ANSI C++ that has been -extended with a number of special directives. As a result, interfaces -are usually built by grabbing a header file and tweaking it a little -bit. This particular approach is especially useful when the -underlying C/C++ program undergoes frequent modification. - -<li><p><b>SWIG is not a stub generator</b>. SWIG produces code that you -simply compile and run. You don't have to fill in any stubs or write -special client/server code as you do with RPC-like systems. - -<li><p><b>SWIG does not define a protocol nor is it a component -framework.</b> SWIG does not define mechanisms or enforce rules -regarding the way in which software components are supposed to -interact with each other. Nor is it a specialized runtime library -or alternative scripting language API. SWIG is merely a code generator -that provides the glue necessary to hook C/C++ to other languages. - -<li><p><b>Designed to work with existing C/C++ code</b>. SWIG -requires little, if any, modifications to existing code. For the most -part, it encourages you to keep a clean separation between C/C++ and -its scripting interface. - -<li><p><b>Extensibility</b>. SWIG provides a variety of customization options that -allow you to blow your whole leg off if that's what you want to do. -SWIG is not here to enforce programming morality. -</ul> - -Finally, it is worth noting that even though SWIG is occasionally compared -to other more specialized scripting language extension building tools -(e.g., Perl XS, Python bgen, etc.), its primary audience is C/C++ -programmers who want to add a scripting language component to their -applications. Because of this, SWIG tends to have a slightly -different focus than tools designed to build small modules for -widespread use in a scripting language distribution. applications. - -<p> -A number of <a href="doc.html">papers and tutorials</a> describing SWIG are available. -You can also view a simple <a href="tutorial.html">tutorial</a> to see an -example of SWIG in action, or check out how other people are using SWIG -in their <a href="projects.html">projects</a>. - -<p> -SWIG has been freely available in various forms since February, 1996 -and a large number of developers have made contributions. Today, SWIG -remains an all-volunteer effort. Approximately 875 people subscribe -to the <a href="mail.html">swig</a> mailing list and a public CVS -repository is available at SourceForge. Versions of -SWIG can now be found in most Linux distributions (however, you'll almost -certainly want to get the latest version here). - - |