From: Eli Zaretskii Date: Sat, 20 Oct 2012 13:20:44 +0000 (+0200) Subject: Add comments with instructions for creating new Lisp data types. X-Git-Tag: emacs-24.2.90~211^2~27 X-Git-Url: http://git.eshelyaron.com/gitweb/?a=commitdiff_plain;h=c95a42666388351563df91910a4fe791c12c7a1e;p=emacs.git Add comments with instructions for creating new Lisp data types. --- diff --git a/src/lisp.h b/src/lisp.h index 01f6ca5e57c..52b5b685b7d 100644 --- a/src/lisp.h +++ b/src/lisp.h @@ -222,7 +222,9 @@ enum enum_USE_LSB_TAG { USE_LSB_TAG = 0 }; /* Define the fundamental Lisp data structures. */ -/* This is the set of Lisp data types. */ +/* This is the set of Lisp data types. If you want to define a new + data type, read the comments after Lisp_Fwd_Type definition + below. */ /* Lisp integers use 2 tags, to give them one extra bit, thus extending their range from, e.g., -2^28..2^28-1 to -2^29..2^29-1. */ @@ -298,6 +300,53 @@ enum Lisp_Fwd_Type Lisp_Fwd_Kboard_Obj, /* Fwd to a Lisp_Object field of kboards. */ }; +/* If you want to define a new Lisp data type, here are some + instructions. See the thread at + http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2012-10/msg00561.html + for more info. + + First, there are already a couple of Lisp types that can be used if + your new type does not need to be exposed to Lisp programs nor + displayed to users. These are Lisp_Save_Value, a Lisp_Misc + subtype, and PVEC_OTHER, a kind of vectorlike object. The former + is suitable for temporarily stashing away pointers and integers in + a Lisp object (see the existing uses of make_save_value and + XSAVE_VALUE). The latter is useful for vector-like Lisp objects + that need to be used as part of other objects, but which are never + shown to users or Lisp code (search for PVEC_OTHER in xterm.c for + an example). + + These two types don't look pretty when printed, so they are + unsuitable for Lisp objects that can be exposed to users. + + To define a new data type, add one more Lisp_Misc subtype or one + more pseudovector subtype. Pseudovectors are more suitable for + objects with several slots that need to support fast random access, + whil Lisp_Misc types are foreverything else. A pseudovector object + provides one or more slots for Lisp objects, followed by struct + members that are accessible only from C. A Lisp_Misc object is a + wrapper for a C struct that can contain anything you like. + + To add a new pseudovector type, extend the pvec_type enumeration; + to add a new Lisp_Misc, extend the Lisp_Misc_Type enumeration. + + For a Lisp_Misc, you will also need to add your entry to union + Lisp_Misc (but make sure the first word has the same structure as + the others, starting with a 16-bit member of the Lisp_Misc_Type + enumeration and a 1-bit GC markbit) and make sure the overall size + of the union is not increased by your addition. + + Then you will need to add switch branches in print.c (in + print_object, to print your object, and possibly also in + print_preprocess) and to alloc.c, to mark your object (in + mark_object) and to free it (in gc_sweep). The latter is also the + right place to call any code specific to your data type that needs + to run when the object is recycled -- e.g., free any additional + resources allocated for it that are not Lisp objects. You can even + make a pointer to the function that frees the resources a slot in + your object -- this way, the same object could be used to represent + several disparate C structures. */ + #ifdef CHECK_LISP_OBJECT_TYPE typedef struct { EMACS_INT i; } Lisp_Object;