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Libraries are useful for organizing the sources within your application as well as for providing a set of routines for other applications to use. Libraries can be either object libraries or shareable libraries. Use an object library when you want the library code to be contained within an application's image; use shareable libraries when you want multiple applications to share the same library code.
Creating a library from nontemplate code is straightforward: you simply compile each library source file and place the resulting object file in your library.
Creating a library from template code requires that you explicitly request the instantiations that you want to provide in your library. See Chapter 6 for details on how to do this.
If you make your library available to other users, you must also supply the corresponding declarations and definitions that are needed at compile time. For nontemplate interfaces, you must supply the header files that declare your classes, functions, and global data. For template interfaces, you must provide your template declaration files as well as your template definition files.
For more information on creating libraries, see the ar(1) reference page and the loader(1) reference page.
3.5 Using 32-bit Pointers (xtaso)
Normally, DEC C++ uses 64 bits for all pointers in generated code. The eXtended Truncated Address Support Option (xtaso), and other #pragma directives and compiler options, let code with 32-bit pointers coexist within this 64-bit operating system environment. Such a capability can be useful when the data layout used for pointers must be compatible with the layout on a 32-bit processor.
The 32-bit pointer data type lets application developers minimize the amount of memory used by dynamically allocated pointers. Using 32-bit pointers can sometimes improve performance if the volume of data occupied by pointers is large. In certain instances, the capability can be helpful in porting applications that contain assumptions about pointer sizes, although the following precautions apply:
To use 32-bit pointers, you must use a combination of #pragma preprocessor directives and command-line compiler options. These #pragmas are described in Section 2.2.1 and are summarized in the following table:
| pragma Directive | Description |
|---|---|
| pointer_size |
Controls the pointer size of all pointers except virtual function and
virtual base pointers in a C++ class object.
Has an effect only if you specify one or more of the pointer-size compiler options. |
| required_pointer_size | Has the same effect as #pragma pointer_size but is always enabled, whether or not you specify any pointer-size compiler options. |
| required_vptr_size |
Controls the size of virtual function and virtual base pointers in a
C++ class object.
Always enabled, whether or not you specify any pointer size compiler options. |
The pointer size compiler options are -xtaso, -xtaso_short, -vptr_size, and -vptr_size_short. Whenever any of these options are specified on the command line, the following actions occur:
Additionally, the pointer size options individually have following effects:
| Compiler Option | Description |
|---|---|
| -xtaso | Sets the default pointer size of the compilation unit to 64 bits (for all pointers except virtual function and virtual base pointers in a C++ class object). This is the normal default unless overridden by -xtaso_short . |
| -xtaso_short | Sets the default pointer size of the compilation unit to 32 bits (for all pointers except virtual function and virtual base pointers in a C++ class object). |
| -vptr_size | Makes 64 bits the default size of virtual function and virtual base pointers in a C++ class object. This is the normal default unless overridden by -vptr_size_short . |
| -vptr_size_short | Makes 32 bits the default size of virtual function and virtual base pointers in a C++ class object. |
Note that you cannot reset the size of the this pointer. The this pointer always remains the system default pointer size, which is 64 bits.
When using these #pragma directives and compiler options, you must take particular care if you call functions in any library compiled with different pointer sizes. The approaches that you can use to mix 32- and 64-bit pointers are as follows:
The second approach generally is more difficult because of problems in combining your code with code that expects 64-bit pointers. The sections that follow discuss these approaches in more detail.
Approach 1: Making 64 bits the default pointer size
With this approach, most pointers in your application are 64 bits, and 32 bits are used for selected pointers. To use this approach, you must compile with -xtaso to enable #pragma pointer_size and cause the cxx command to pass -taso to the linker. In addition, you use #pragma pointer_size, #pragma required_pointer_size, and #pragma required_vptr_size to control the pointer sizes for particular declarations. For example, to save space in an object, you can declare a class as follows:
#pragma pointer_size save
#pragma required_vptr_size save
#pragma pointer_size short
#pragma required_vptr_size long
class Table_Node {
char *table; // 32-bit pointers
Table_Node *next;
Table_Node *(Table_Node::*search)(char *);
// pointer to member has
// 2 32-bit fields
public:
#pragma pointer_size long
void insert_node(char *);
Table_Node *extract_node(char *);
Table_Node *search_forward(char *);
Table_Node *search_backward(char *);
};
#pragma pointer_size restore
#pragma required_vptr_size restore
|
With this approach, you must take care to specify the pointer size #pragma directives after any #include directives, so that header files that assume 64-bit pointer sizes are not affected.
Approach 2: Making 32 bits the default pointer size
To use this approach, compile using the -xtaso_short and -vptr_size_short options on the cxx command. With this approach, the default pointer size is 32 bits; you must take care when interfacing to code that expects 64-bit pointers.
Specifically, you must protect header files so that the pointer size assumptions made in compiling the header file are the same as those made when the associated code was compiled. None of the system header files, including those for the standard C library, are protected. For more information, see Section 3.5.1.
Regardless of which approach you use, you must take particular care when passing any data that contains pointers (for example, an array of pointers or a struct that contains pointers) to be sure that the pointer size is the same as expected by the called function.
DEC C++ does not permit overloading based on pointer sizes. To
minimize problems, you should declare functions, including member
functions with long pointer sizes. During calls to such functions,
DEC C++ promotes short pointers to long pointers.
When compiling with the -xtaso_short
option, you must protect header files so that pointer size assumptions
that are made when the header file is included into a compilation unit
using the #include directive are the same
as those made when the code associated with the header file was
compiled.
None of the system header files are protected. Thus, most programs will
not work correctly when compiled with the -xtaso_short option, unless you protect the
system header files and any other header files associated with code
that assumes 64-bit pointers.
To provide the necessary protection you can one of the following:
If you choose to modify each header file needing protection, you can
use the #pragma environment directive, as
in the following example:
3.5.1 Protecting Header Files When Using -xtaso_short
#pragma __environment save // Save pointer size #pragma __environment header_defaults // set to system defaults // existing header file #pragma__environment restore // Restore pointer size |
See Section 2.2.1.2 for more information about using this pragma.
Header File Protection Option
With this option, you can place special header files in a directory. DEC C++ processes these special header files before and after each file included with the #include directive from this directory. These special header files are named:
The compiler checks for files with these special names when processing #include directives. If the special prologue file exists in the same directory as a file with the #include directive, the contents of the prologue file are processed just before the file included with the #include directive. Similarly, if the epilogue file exists in the same directory as the file included with the #include directive, it is processed just after that file.
For convenience, you can protect header files using the script supplied in the following directory:
/usr/lib/cmplrs/cxx/protect_system_headers.sh |
This script creates, in all directories in a directory tree that contain header files, symbolic links to special header prologue and epilogue files.
The default directory tree root assumed by the script is /usr/include, but you can specify other roots.
3.6 Hints for Designing Upwardly Compatible C++ Classes
If you produce a library of C++ classes and expect to release future revisions of your library, you should consider the upward compatibility of your library. Having your library upwardly compatible makes upgrading to higher versions of your library easier for users. And if you design your library properly from the start, you can accomplish upward compatibility with minimal development costs.
The levels of compatibility discussed in this section are as follows:
The format in which your library ships determines the levels of compatibility that apply:
| If you ship your library in ... | The following apply: |
|---|---|
| Source format | Source compatibility only |
| Object format | Source and link compatibility |
| Shareable library format | All three kinds of compatibility |
If you break compatibility between releases, you should at least
document the incompatible changes and provide hints for upgrading
between releases.
3.6.1 Source Compatibility
Achieving source compatibility means that users of your library will not have to make any source code changes when they upgrade to your new library release. Their applications will compile cleanly against your updated header files and will have the same run-time behavior as with your previous release.
To maintain source compatibility, you must ensure that existing functions continue to have the same semantics from the user's standpoint. In general, you can make the following changes to your library and still maintain source compatibility:
Achieving link compatibility means that users of your library can relink an application against your new object or shareable library and not be required to recompile their sources.
What can change
To maintain link compatibility, the internal representation of class objects and interfaces must remain constant. In general, you can make the following changes to your library and still maintain link compatibility:
What cannot change
Because the user may be linking object modules from your previous release with object modules from your new release, the layout and size of class objects must be consistent between releases. Any user-visible interfaces must also be unchanged; even the seemingly innocent change of adding const to an existing function will change the mangled name and thus break link compatibility.
The following are changes that you cannot make in your library:
Designing Your C++ Classes for Link Compatibility
Although the changes you are allowed to make in your library are severely restricted when you aim for link compatibility, you can take steps to prepare for this and thereby reduce the restrictions. DIGITAL suggests using one of the following design approaches:
Achieving run compatibility means that users of your library can run an application against your new shareable library and not be required to recompile or relink the application.
This requires that you follow the guidelines for link compatibility as
well as any operating system guidelines for shareable libraries. For
example, you need to ensure your version identifier is upwardly
compatible between releases. Refer to the reference pages for ld for information on creating a shareable
library.
3.6.4 Additional Reading
The C++ Programming Language, 2nd Edition offers some advice on compatibility issues; the information is sprinkled throughout the book, but a good summary can be found at the end of section 5.3.1. Another good reference is Designing and Coding Reusable C++, Chapter 7, by Martin D. Carroll and Margaret E. Ellis.
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