Table of Contents

{

NAME

perlguts - Perl's Internal Functions

DESCRIPTION

This document attempts to describe some of the internal functions of the Perl executable. It is far from complete and probably contains many errors. Please refer any questions or comments to the author below.

Datatypes

Perl has three typedefs that handle Perl's three main data types:

SV Scalar Value
AV Array Value
HV Hash Value

Each typedef has specific routines that manipulate the various data types.

What is an L

Perl uses a special typedef IV which is large enough to hold either an integer or a pointer.

Perl also uses two special typedefs, I32 and I16, which will always be at least 32-bits and 16-bits long, respectively.

Working with SV's

An SV can be created and loaded with one command. There are four types of values that can be loaded: an integer value (IV), a double (NV), a string, (PV), and another scalar (SV).

The four routines are:

SV* newSViv(IV);
SV* newSVnv(double);
SV* newSVpv(char*, int);
SV* newSVsv(SV*);

To change the value of an *already-existing* SV, there are five routines:

void sv_setiv(SV*, IV);
void sv_setnv(SV*, double);
void sv_setpvn(SV*, char*, int)
void sv_setpv(SV*, char*);
void sv_setsv(SV*, SV*);

Notice that you can choose to specify the length of the string to be assigned by using CWsv_setpvn or CWnewSVpv, or you may allow Perl to calculate the length by using CWsv_setpv or by specifying 0 as the second argument to CWnewSVpv. Be warned, though, that Perl will determine the string's length by using CWstrlen, which depends on the string terminating with a NUL character.

To access the actual value that an SV points to, you can use the macros:

SvIV(SV*)
SvNV(SV*)
SvPV(SV*, STRLEN len)

which will automatically coerce the actual scalar type into an IV, double, or string.

In the CWSvPV macro, the length of the string returned is placed into the variable CWlen (this is a macro, so you do not use CW&len). If you do not care what the length of the data is, use the global variable CWna. Remember, however, that Perl allows arbitrary strings of data that may both contain NUL's and not be terminated by a NUL.

If you simply want to know if the scalar value is TRUE, you can use:

SvTRUE(SV*)

Although Perl will automatically grow strings for you, if you need to force Perl to allocate more memory for your SV, you can use the macro

SvGROW(SV*, STRLEN newlen)

which will determine if more memory needs to be allocated. If so, it will call the function CWsv_grow. Note that CWSvGROW can only increase, not decrease, the allocated memory of an SV.

If you have an SV and want to know what kind of data Perl thinks is stored in it, you can use the following macros to check the type of SV you have.

SvIOK(SV*)
SvNOK(SV*)
SvPOK(SV*)

You can get and set the current length of the string stored in an SV with the following macros:

SvCUR(SV*)
SvCUR_set(SV*, I32 val)

You can also get a pointer to the end of the string stored in the SV with the macro:

SvEND(SV*)

But note that these last three macros are valid only if CWSvPOK() is true.

If you want to append something to the end of string stored in an CWSV*, you can use the following functions:

void sv_catpv(SV*, char*);
void sv_catpvn(SV*, char*, int);
void sv_catsv(SV*, SV*);

The first function calculates the length of the string to be appended by using CWstrlen. In the second, you specify the length of the string yourself. The third function extends the string stored in the first SV with the string stored in the second SV. It also forces the second SV to be interpreted as a string.

If you know the name of a scalar variable, you can get a pointer to its SV by using the following:

SV* perl_get_sv("varname", FALSE);

This returns NULL if the variable does not exist.

If you want to know if this variable (or any other SV) is actually CWdefined, you can call:

SvOK(SV*)

The scalar CWundef value is stored in an SV instance called CWsv_undef. Its address can be used whenever an CWSV* is needed.

There are also the two values CWsv_yes and CWsv_no, which contain Boolean TRUE and FALSE values, respectively. Like CWsv_undef, their addresses can be used whenever an CWSV* is needed.

Do not be fooled into thinking that CW(SV *) 0 is the same as CW&sv_undef. Take this code:

SV* sv = (SV*) 0;
if (I-am-to-return-a-real-value) {
sv = sv_2mortal(newSViv(42));
}
sv_setsv(ST(0), sv);

This code tries to return a new SV (which contains the value 42) if it should return a real value, or undef otherwise. Instead it has returned a null pointer which, somewhere down the line, will cause a segmentation violation, or just weird results. Change the zero to CW&sv_undef in the first line and all will be well.

To free an SV that you've created, call CWSvREFCNT_dec(SV*). Normally this call is not necessary. See the section on MORTALITY.

What's Really Stored in an SV?

Recall that the usual method of determining the type of scalar you have is to use CWSv*OK macros. Since a scalar can be both a number and a string, usually these macros will always return TRUE and calling the CWSv*V macros will do the appropriate conversion of string to integer/double or integer/double to string.

If you really need to know if you have an integer, double, or string pointer in an SV, you can use the following three macros instead:

SvIOKp(SV*)
SvNOKp(SV*)
SvPOKp(SV*)

These will tell you if you truly have an integer, double, or string pointer stored in your SV. The ``p'' stands for private.

In general, though, it's best to just use the CWSv*V macros.

Working with AV's

There are two ways to create and load an AV. The first method just creates an empty AV:

AV* newAV();

The second method both creates the AV and initially populates it with SV's:

AV* av_make(I32 num, SV **ptr);

The second argument points to an array containing CWnum CWSV*'s. Once the AV has been created, the SV's can be destroyed, if so desired.

Once the AV has been created, the following operations are possible on AV's:

void av_push(AV*, SV*);
SV* av_pop(AV*);
SV* av_shift(AV*);
void av_unshift(AV*, I32 num);

These should be familiar operations, with the exception of CWav_unshift. This routine adds CWnum elements at the front of the array with the CWundef value. You must then use CWav_store (described below) to assign values to these new elements.

Here are some other functions:

I32 av_len(AV*); /* Returns highest index value in array */

SV** av_fetch(AV*, I32 key, I32 lval);
/* Fetches value at key offset, but it stores an undef value
at the offset if lval is non-zero */
SV** av_store(AV*, I32 key, SV* val);
/* Stores val at offset key */

Take note that CWav_fetch and CWav_store return CWSV**'s, not CWSV*'s.

void av_clear(AV*);
/* Clear out all elements, but leave the array */
void av_undef(AV*);
/* Undefines the array, removing all elements */
void av_extend(AV*, I32 key);
/* Extend the array to a total of key elements */

If you know the name of an array variable, you can get a pointer to its AV by using the following:

AV* perl_get_av("varname", FALSE);

This returns NULL if the variable does not exist.

Working with HV's

To create an HV, you use the following routine:

HV* newHV();

Once the HV has been created, the following operations are possible on HV's:

SV** hv_store(HV*, char* key, U32 klen, SV* val, U32 hash);
SV** hv_fetch(HV*, char* key, U32 klen, I32 lval);

The CWklen parameter is the length of the key being passed in. The CWval argument contains the SV pointer to the scalar being stored, and CWhash is the pre-computed hash value (zero if you want CWhv_store to calculate it for you). The CWlval parameter indicates whether this fetch is actually a part of a store operation.

Remember that CWhv_store and CWhv_fetch return CWSV**'s and not just CWSV*. In order to access the scalar value, you must first dereference the return value. However, you should check to make sure that the return value is not NULL before dereferencing it.

These two functions check if a hash table entry exists, and deletes it.

bool hv_exists(HV*, char* key, U32 klen);
SV* hv_delete(HV*, char* key, U32 klen, I32 flags);

And more miscellaneous functions:

void hv_clear(HV*);
/* Clears all entries in hash table */
void hv_undef(HV*);
/* Undefines the hash table */

Perl keeps the actual data in linked list of structures with a typedef of HE. These contain the actual key and value pointers (plus extra administrative overhead). The key is a string pointer; the value is an CWSV*. However, once you have an CWHE*, to get the actual key and value, use the routines specified below.

I32 hv_iterinit(HV*);
/* Prepares starting point to traverse hash table */
HE* hv_iternext(HV*);
/* Get the next entry, and return a pointer to a
structure that has both the key and value */
char* hv_iterkey(HE* entry, I32* retlen);
/* Get the key from an HE structure and also return
the length of the key string */
SV* hv_iterval(HV*, HE* entry);
/* Return a SV pointer to the value of the HE
structure */
SV* hv_iternextsv(HV*, char** key, I32* retlen);
/* This convenience routine combines hv_iternext,
hv_iterkey, and hv_iterval. The key and retlen
arguments are return values for the key and its
length. The value is returned in the SV* argument */

If you know the name of a hash variable, you can get a pointer to its HV by using the following:

HV* perl_get_hv("varname", FALSE);

This returns NULL if the variable does not exist.

The hash algorithm, for those who are interested, is:

i = klen;
hash = 0;
s = key;
while (i--)
hash = hash * 33 + *s++;


References

References are a special type of scalar that point to other data types (including references).

To create a reference, use the following command:

SV* newRV((SV*) thing);

The CWthing argument can be any of an CWSV*, CWAV*, or CWHV*. Once you have a reference, you can use the following macro to dereference the reference:

SvRV(SV*)

then call the appropriate routines, casting the returned CWSV* to either an CWAV* or CWHV*, if required.

To determine if an SV is a reference, you can use the following macro:

SvROK(SV*)

To actually discover what the reference refers to, you must use the following macro and then check the value returned.

SvTYPE(SvRV(SV*))

The most useful types that will be returned are:

SVt_IV Scalar
SVt_NV Scalar
SVt_PV Scalar
SVt_PVAV Array
SVt_PVHV Hash
SVt_PVCV Code
SVt_PVMG Blessed Scalar


Blessed References and Class Objects

References are also used to support object-oriented programming. In the OO lexicon, an object is simply a reference that has been blessed into a package (or class). Once blessed, the programmer may now use the reference to access the various methods in the class.

A reference can be blessed into a package with the following function:

SV* sv_bless(SV* sv, HV* stash);

The CWsv argument must be a reference. The CWstash argument specifies which class the reference will belong to. See the section on the Stashes manpage for information on converting class names into stashes.

/* Still under construction */

Upgrades rv to reference if not already one. Creates new SV for rv to point to. If classname is non-null, the SV is blessed into the specified class. SV is returned.

SV* newSVrv(SV* rv, char* classname);

Copies integer or double into an SV whose reference is rv. SV is blessed if classname is non-null.

SV* sv_setref_iv(SV* rv, char* classname, IV iv);
SV* sv_setref_nv(SV* rv, char* classname, NV iv);

Copies pointer (not a string!) into an SV whose reference is rv. SV is blessed if classname is non-null.

SV* sv_setref_pv(SV* rv, char* classname, PV iv);

Copies string into an SV whose reference is rv. Set length to 0 to let Perl calculate the string length. SV is blessed if classname is non-null.

SV* sv_setref_pvn(SV* rv, char* classname, PV iv, int length);

int sv_isa(SV* sv, char* name);
int sv_isobject(SV* sv);

Creating New Variables

To create a new Perl variable, which can be accessed from your Perl script, use the following routines, depending on the variable type.

SV* perl_get_sv("varname", TRUE);
AV* perl_get_av("varname", TRUE);
HV* perl_get_hv("varname", TRUE);

Notice the use of TRUE as the second parameter. The new variable can now be set, using the routines appropriate to the data type.

There are additional bits that may be OR'ed with the TRUE argument to enable certain extra features. Those bits are:

0x02 Marks the variable as multiply defined, thus preventing the
"Indentifier <varname> used only once: possible typo" warning.
0x04 Issues a "Had to create <varname> unexpectedly" warning if
the variable didn't actually exist. This is useful if
you expected the variable to already exist and want to propagate
this warning back to the user.

If the CWvarname argument does not contain a package specifier, it is created in the current package.

XSUB's and the Argument Stack

The XSUB mechanism is a simple way for Perl programs to access C subroutines. An XSUB routine will have a stack that contains the arguments from the Perl program, and a way to map from the Perl data structures to a C equivalent.

The stack arguments are accessible through the CWST(n) macro, which returns the CWn'th stack argument. Argument 0 is the first argument passed in the Perl subroutine call. These arguments are CWSV*, and can be used anywhere an CWSV* is used.

Most of the time, output from the C routine can be handled through use of the RETVAL and OUTPUT directives. However, there are some cases where the argument stack is not already long enough to handle all the return values. An example is the POSIX tzname() call, which takes no arguments, but returns two, the local timezone's standard and summer time abbreviations.

To handle this situation, the PPCODE directive is used and the stack is extended using the macro:

EXTEND(sp, num);

where CWsp is the stack pointer, and CWnum is the number of elements the stack should be extended by.

Now that there is room on the stack, values can be pushed on it using the macros to push IV's, doubles, strings, and SV pointers respectively:

PUSHi(IV)
PUSHn(double)
PUSHp(char*, I32)
PUSHs(SV*)

And now the Perl program calling CWtzname, the two values will be assigned as in:

($standard_abbrev, $summer_abbrev) = POSIX::tzname;

An alternate (and possibly simpler) method to pushing values on the stack is to use the macros:

XPUSHi(IV)
XPUSHn(double)
XPUSHp(char*, I32)
XPUSHs(SV*)

These macros automatically adjust the stack for you, if needed.

For more information, consult the perlxs manpage.

Mortality

In Perl, values are normally ``immortal'' -- that is, they are not freed unless explicitly done so (via the Perl CWundef call or other routines in Perl itself).

Add cruft about reference counts.    int SvREFCNT(SV* sv);    void SvREFCNT_inc(SV* sv);    void SvREFCNT_dec(SV* sv);

In the above example with CWtzname, we needed to create two new SV's to push onto the argument stack, that being the two strings. However, we don't want these new SV's to stick around forever because they will eventually be copied into the SV's that hold the two scalar variables.

An SV (or AV or HV) that is ``mortal'' acts in all ways as a normal ``immortal'' SV, AV, or HV, but is only valid in the ``current context''. When the Perl interpreter leaves the current context, the mortal SV, AV, or HV is automatically freed. Generally the ``current context'' means a single Perl statement.

To create a mortal variable, use the functions:

SV* sv_newmortal()
SV* sv_2mortal(SV*)
SV* sv_mortalcopy(SV*)

The first call creates a mortal SV, the second converts an existing SV to a mortal SV, the third creates a mortal copy of an existing SV.

The mortal routines are not just for SV's -- AV's and HV's can be made mortal by passing their address (and casting them to CWSV*) to the CWsv_2mortal or CWsv_mortalcopy routines.

>From Ilya: Beware that the sv_2mortal() call is eventually equivalent to svREFCNT_dec(). A value can happily be mortal in two different contexts, and it will be svREFCNT_dec()ed twice, once on exit from these contexts. It can also be mortal twice in the same context. This means that you should be very careful to make a value mortal exactly as many times as it is needed. The value that go to the Perl stack should be mortal.

You should be careful about creating mortal variables. It is possible for strange things to happen should you make the same value mortal within multiple contexts.

Stashes

A stash is a hash table (associative array) that contains all of the different objects that are contained within a package. Each key of the stash is a symbol name (shared by all the different types of objects that have the same name), and each value in the hash table is called a GV (for Glob Value). This GV in turn contains references to the various objects of that name, including (but not limited to) the following:

Scalar Value
Array Value
Hash Value
File Handle
Directory Handle
Format
Subroutine

Perl stores various stashes in a separate GV structure (for global variable) but represents them with an HV structure. The keys in this larger GV are the various package names; the values are the CWGV*'s which are stashes. It may help to think of a stash purely as an HV, and that the term ``GV'' means the global variable hash.

To get the stash pointer for a particular package, use the function:

HV* gv_stashpv(char* name, I32 create)
HV* gv_stashsv(SV*, I32 create)

The first function takes a literal string, the second uses the string stored in the SV. Remember that a stash is just a hash table, so you get back an CWHV*. The CWcreate flag will create a new package if it is set.

The name that CWgv_stash*v wants is the name of the package whose symbol table you want. The default package is called CWmain. If you have multiply nested packages, pass their names to CWgv_stash*v, separated by CW:: as in the Perl language itself.

Alternately, if you have an SV that is a blessed reference, you can find out the stash pointer by using:

HV* SvSTASH(SvRV(SV*));

then use the following to get the package name itself:

char* HvNAME(HV* stash);

If you need to return a blessed value to your Perl script, you can use the following function:

SV* sv_bless(SV*, HV* stash)

where the first argument, an CWSV*, must be a reference, and the second argument is a stash. The returned CWSV* can now be used in the same way as any other SV.

For more information on references and blessings, consult the perlref manpage.

Magic

[This section still under construction. Ignore everything here. Post no bills. Everything not permitted is forbidden.]

# Version 6, 1995/1/27

Any SV may be magical, that is, it has special features that a normal SV does not have. These features are stored in the SV structure in a linked list of CWstruct magic's, typedef'ed to CWMAGIC.

struct magic {
MAGIC* mg_moremagic;
MGVTBL* mg_virtual;
U16 mg_private;
char mg_type;
U8 mg_flags;
SV* mg_obj;
char* mg_ptr;
I32 mg_len;
};

Note this is current as of patchlevel 0, and could change at any time.

Assigning Magic

Perl adds magic to an SV using the sv_magic function:

void sv_magic(SV* sv, SV* obj, int how, char* name, I32 namlen);

The CWsv argument is a pointer to the SV that is to acquire a new magical feature.

If CWsv is not already magical, Perl uses the CWSvUPGRADE macro to set the CWSVt_PVMG flag for the CWsv. Perl then continues by adding it to the beginning of the linked list of magical features. Any prior entry of the same type of magic is deleted. Note that this can be overriden, and multiple instances of the same type of magic can be associated with an SV.

The CWname and CWnamlem arguments are used to associate a string with the magic, typically the name of a variable. CWnamlem is stored in the CWmg_len field and if CWname is non-null and CWnamlem >= 0 a malloc'd copy of the name is stored in CWmg_ptr field.

The sv_magic function uses CWhow to determine which, if any, predefined ``Magic Virtual Table'' should be assigned to the CWmg_virtual field. See the ``Magic Virtual Table'' section below. The CWhow argument is also stored in the CWmg_type field.

The CWobj argument is stored in the CWmg_obj field of the CWMAGIC structure. If it is not the same as the CWsv argument, the reference count of the CWobj object is incremented. If it is the same, or if the CWhow argument is ``#'', or if it is a null pointer, then CWobj is merely stored, without the reference count being incremented.

There is also a function to add magic to an CWHV:

void hv_magic(HV *hv, GV *gv, int how);

This simply calls CWsv_magic and coerces the CWgv argument into an CWSV.

To remove the magic from an SV, call the function sv_unmagic:

void sv_unmagic(SV *sv, int type);

The CWtype argument should be equal to the CWhow value when the CWSV was initially made magical.

Magic Virtual Tables

The CWmg_virtual field in the CWMAGIC structure is a pointer to a CWMGVTBL, which is a structure of function pointers and stands for ``Magic Virtual Table'' to handle the various operations that might be applied to that variable.

The CWMGVTBL has five pointers to the following routine types:

int (*svt_get)(SV* sv, MAGIC* mg);
int (*svt_set)(SV* sv, MAGIC* mg);
U32 (*svt_len)(SV* sv, MAGIC* mg);
int (*svt_clear)(SV* sv, MAGIC* mg);
int (*svt_free)(SV* sv, MAGIC* mg);

This MGVTBL structure is set at compile-time in CWperl.h and there are currently 19 types (or 21 with overloading turned on). These different structures contain pointers to various routines that perform additional actions depending on which function is being called.

Function pointer Action taken
---------------- ------------
svt_get Do something after the value of the SV is retrieved.
svt_set Do something after the SV is assigned a value.
svt_len Report on the SV's length.
svt_clear Clear something the SV represents.
svt_free Free any extra storage associated with the SV.

For instance, the MGVTBL structure called CWvtbl_sv (which corresponds to an CWmg_type of '\0') contains:

{ magic_get, magic_set, magic_len, 0, 0 }

Thus, when an SV is determined to be magical and of type '\0', if a get operation is being performed, the routine CWmagic_get is called. All the various routines for the various magical types begin with CWmagic_.

The current kinds of Magic Virtual Tables are:

mg_type MGVTBL Type of magicalness
------- ------ -------------------
\0 vtbl_sv Regexp???
A vtbl_amagic Operator Overloading
a vtbl_amagicelem Operator Overloading
c 0 Used in Operator Overloading
B vtbl_bm Boyer-Moore???
E vtbl_env %ENV hash
e vtbl_envelem %ENV hash element
g vtbl_mglob Regexp /g flag???
I vtbl_isa @ISA array
i vtbl_isaelem @ISA array element
L 0 (but sets RMAGICAL) Perl Module/Debugger???
l vtbl_dbline Debugger?
P vtbl_pack Tied Array or Hash
p vtbl_packelem Tied Array or Hash element
q vtbl_packelem Tied Scalar or Handle
S vtbl_sig Signal Hash
s vtbl_sigelem Signal Hash element
t vtbl_taint Taintedness
U vtbl_uvar ???
v vtbl_vec Vector
x vtbl_substr Substring???
* vtbl_glob GV???
# vtbl_arylen Array Length
. vtbl_pos $. scalar variable
~ Reserved for extensions, but multiple extensions may clash

When an upper-case and lower-case letter both exist in the table, then the upper-case letter is used to represent some kind of composite type (a list or a hash), and the lower-case letter is used to represent an element of that composite type.

Finding Magic

MAGIC* mg_find(SV*, int type); /* Finds the magic pointer of that type */

This routine returns a pointer to the CWMAGIC structure stored in the SV. If the SV does not have that magical feature, CWNULL is returned. Also, if the SV is not of type SVt_PVMG, Perl may core-dump.

int mg_copy(SV* sv, SV* nsv, char* key, STRLEN klen);

This routine checks to see what types of magic CWsv has. If the mg_type field is an upper-case letter, then the mg_obj is copied to CWnsv, but the mg_type field is changed to be the lower-case letter.

Double-Typed SV's

Scalar variables normally contain only one type of value, an integer, double, pointer, or reference. Perl will automatically convert the actual scalar data from the stored type into the requested type.

Some scalar variables contain more than one type of scalar data. For example, the variable CW$! contains either the numeric value of CWerrno or its string equivalent from either CWstrerror or CWsys_errlist[].

To force multiple data values into an SV, you must do two things: use the CWsv_set*v routines to add the additional scalar type, then set a flag so that Perl will believe it contains more than one type of data. The four macros to set the flags are:

SvIOK_on
SvNOK_on
SvPOK_on
SvROK_on

The particular macro you must use depends on which CWsv_set*v routine you called first. This is because every CWsv_set*v routine turns on only the bit for the particular type of data being set, and turns off all the rest.

For example, to create a new Perl variable called ``dberror'' that contains both the numeric and descriptive string error values, you could use the following code:

extern int dberror;
extern char *dberror_list;

SV* sv = perl_get_sv("dberror", TRUE);
sv_setiv(sv, (IV) dberror);
sv_setpv(sv, dberror_list[dberror]);
SvIOK_on(sv);

If the order of CWsv_setiv and CWsv_setpv had been reversed, then the macro CWSvPOK_on would need to be called instead of CWSvIOK_on.

Calling Perl Routines from within C Programs

There are four routines that can be used to call a Perl subroutine from within a C program. These four are:

I32 perl_call_sv(SV*, I32);
I32 perl_call_pv(char*, I32);
I32 perl_call_method(char*, I32);
I32 perl_call_argv(char*, I32, register char**);

The routine most often used is CWperl_call_sv. The CWSV* argument contains either the name of the Perl subroutine to be called, or a reference to the subroutine. The second argument consists of flags that control the context in which the subroutine is called, whether or not the subroutine is being passed arguments, how errors should be trapped, and how to treat return values.

All four routines return the number of arguments that the subroutine returned on the Perl stack.

When using any of these routines (except CWperl_call_argv), the programmer must manipulate the Perl stack. These include the following macros and functions:

dSP
PUSHMARK()
PUTBACK
SPAGAIN
ENTER
SAVETMPS
FREETMPS
LEAVE
XPUSH*()
POP*()

For more information, consult the perlcall manpage.

Memory Allocation

It is strongly suggested that you use the version of malloc that is distributed with Perl. It keeps pools of various sizes of unallocated memory in order to more quickly satisfy allocation requests. However, on some platforms, it may cause spurious malloc or free errors.

New(x, pointer, number, type);
Newc(x, pointer, number, type, cast);
Newz(x, pointer, number, type);

These three macros are used to initially allocate memory. The first argument CWx was a ``magic cookie'' that was used to keep track of who called the macro, to help when debugging memory problems. However, the current code makes no use of this feature (Larry has switched to using a run-time memory checker), so this argument can be any number.

The second argument CWpointer will point to the newly allocated memory. The third and fourth arguments CWnumber and CWtype specify how many of the specified type of data structure should be allocated. The argument CWtype is passed to CWsizeof. The final argument to CWNewc, CWcast, should be used if the CWpointer argument is different from the CWtype argument.

Unlike the CWNew and CWNewc macros, the CWNewz macro calls CWmemzero to zero out all the newly allocated memory.

Renew(pointer, number, type);
Renewc(pointer, number, type, cast);
Safefree(pointer)

These three macros are used to change a memory buffer size or to free a piece of memory no longer needed. The arguments to CWRenew and CWRenewc match those of CWNew and CWNewc with the exception of not needing the ``magic cookie'' argument.

Move(source, dest, number, type);
Copy(source, dest, number, type);
Zero(dest, number, type);

These three macros are used to move, copy, or zero out previously allocated memory. The CWsource and CWdest arguments point to the source and destination starting points. Perl will move, copy, or zero out CWnumber instances of the size of the CWtype data structure (using the CWsizeof function).

API LISTING

This is a listing of functions, macros, flags, and variables that may be useful to extension writers or that may be found while reading other extensions.
AvFILL
See CWav_len.
av_clear
Clears an array, making it empty.

void av_clear _((AV* ar));


av_extend
Pre-extend an array. The CWkey is the index to which the array should be extended.

void av_extend _((AV* ar, I32 key));


av_fetch
Returns the SV at the specified index in the array. The CWkey is the index. If CWlval is set then the fetch will be part of a store. Check that the return value is non-null before dereferencing it to a CWSV*.

SV** av_fetch _((AV* ar, I32 key, I32 lval));


av_len
Returns the highest index in the array. Returns -1 if the array is empty.

I32 av_len _((AV* ar));


av_make
Creats a new AV and populates it with a list of SVs. The SVs are copied into the array, so they may be freed after the call to av_make.

AV* av_make _((I32 size, SV** svp));


av_pop
Pops an SV off the end of the array. Returns CW&sv_undef if the array is empty.

SV* av_pop _((AV* ar));


av_push
Pushes an SV onto the end of the array.

void av_push _((AV* ar, SV* val));


av_shift
Shifts an SV off the beginning of the array.

SV* av_shift _((AV* ar));


av_store
Stores an SV in an array. The array index is specified as CWkey. The return value will be null if the operation failed, otherwise it can be dereferenced to get the original CWSV*.

SV** av_store _((AV* ar, I32 key, SV* val));


av_undef
Undefines the array.

void av_undef _((AV* ar));


av_unshift
Unshift an SV onto the beginning of the array.

void av_unshift _((AV* ar, I32 num));


CLASS
Variable which is setup by CWxsubpp to indicate the class name for a C++ XS constructor. This is always a CWchar*. See CWTHIS and the perlxs manpage.
Copy
The XSUB-writer's interface to the C CWmemcpy function. The CWs is the source, CWd is the destination, CWn is the number of items, and CWt is the type.

(void) Copy( s, d, n, t );


croak
This is the XSUB-writer's interface to Perl's CWdie function. Use this function the same way you use the C CWprintf function. See CWwarn.
CvSTASH
Returns the stash of the CV.

HV * CvSTASH( SV* sv )


DBsingle
When Perl is run in debugging mode, with the -d switch, this SV is a boolean which indicates whether subs are being single-stepped. Single-stepping is automatically turned on after every step. See CWDBsub.
DBsub
When Perl is run in debugging mode, with the -d switch, this GV contains the SV which holds the name of the sub being debugged. See CWDBsingle. The sub name can be found by

SvPV( GvSV( DBsub ), na )


dMARK
Declare a stack marker for the XSUB. See CWMARK and CWdORIGMARK.
dORIGMARK
Saves the original stack mark for the XSUB. See CWORIGMARK.
dSP
Declares a stack pointer for the XSUB. See CWSP.
dXSARGS
Sets up stack and mark pointers for an XSUB, calling dSP and dMARK. This is usually handled automatically by CWxsubpp. Declares the CWitems variable to indicate the number of items on the stack.
ENTER
Opening bracket on a callback. See CWLEAVE and the perlcall manpage.

ENTER;


EXTEND
Used to extend the argument stack for an XSUB's return values.

EXTEND( sp, int x );


FREETMPS
Closing bracket for temporaries on a callback. See CWSAVETMPS and the perlcall manpage.

FREETMPS;


G_ARRAY
Used to indicate array context. See CWGIMME and the perlcall manpage.
G_DISCARD
Indicates that arguments returned from a callback should be discarded. See the perlcall manpage.
G_EVAL
Used to force a Perl CWeval wrapper around a callback. See the perlcall manpage.
GIMME
The XSUB-writer's equivalent to Perl's CWwantarray. Returns CWG_SCALAR or CWG_ARRAY for scalar or array context.
G_NOARGS
Indicates that no arguments are being sent to a callback. See the perlcall manpage.
G_SCALAR
Used to indicate scalar context. See CWGIMME and the perlcall manpage.
gv_stashpv
Returns a pointer to the stash for a specified package. If CWcreate is set then the package will be created if it does not already exist. If CWcreate is not set and the package does not exist then NULL is returned.

HV* gv_stashpv _((char* name, I32 create));


gv_stashsv
Returns a pointer to the stash for a specified package. See CWgv_stashpv.

HV* gv_stashsv _((SV* sv, I32 create));


GvSV
Return the SV from the GV.
he_free
Releases a hash entry from an iterator. See CWhv_iternext.
hv_clear
Clears a hash, making it empty.

void hv_clear _((HV* tb));


hv_delete
Deletes a key/value pair in the hash. The value SV is removed from the hash and returned to the caller. The CWlken is the length of the key. The CWflags value will normally be zero; if set to G_DISCARD then null will be returned.

SV* hv_delete _((HV* tb, char* key, U32 klen, I32 flags));


hv_exists
Returns a boolean indicating whether the specified hash key exists. The CWlken is the length of the key.

bool hv_exists _((HV* tb, char* key, U32 klen));


hv_fetch
Returns the SV which corresponds to the specified key in the hash. The CWlken is the length of the key. If CWlval is set then the fetch will be part of a store. Check that the return value is non-null before dereferencing it to a CWSV*.

SV** hv_fetch _((HV* tb, char* key, U32 klen, I32 lval));


hv_iterinit
Prepares a starting point to traverse a hash table.

I32 hv_iterinit _((HV* tb));


hv_iterkey
Returns the key from the current position of the hash iterator. See CWhv_iterinit.

char* hv_iterkey _((HE* entry, I32* retlen));


hv_iternext
Returns entries from a hash iterator. See CWhv_iterinit.

HE* hv_iternext _((HV* tb));


hv_iternextsv
Performs an CWhv_iternext, CWhv_iterkey, and CWhv_iterval in one operation.

SV * hv_iternextsv _((HV* hv, char** key, I32* retlen));


hv_iterval
Returns the value from the current position of the hash iterator. See CWhv_iterkey.

SV* hv_iterval _((HV* tb, HE* entry));


hv_magic
Adds magic to a hash. See CWsv_magic.

void hv_magic _((HV* hv, GV* gv, int how));


HvNAME
Returns the package name of a stash. See CWSvSTASH, CWCvSTASH.

char *HvNAME (HV* stash)


hv_store
Stores an SV in a hash. The hash key is specified as CWkey and CWklen is the length of the key. The CWhash parameter is the pre-computed hash value; if it is zero then Perl will compute it. The return value will be null if the operation failed, otherwise it can be dereferenced to get the original CWSV*.

SV** hv_store _((HV* tb, char* key, U32 klen, SV* val, U32 hash));


hv_undef
Undefines the hash.

void hv_undef _((HV* tb));


isALNUM
Returns a boolean indicating whether the C CWchar is an ascii alphanumeric character or digit.

int isALNUM (char c)


isALPHA
Returns a boolean indicating whether the C CWchar is an ascii alphanumeric character.

int isALPHA (char c)


isDIGIT
Returns a boolean indicating whether the C CWchar is an ascii digit.

int isDIGIT (char c)


isLOWER
Returns a boolean indicating whether the C CWchar is a lowercase character.

int isLOWER (char c)


isSPACE
Returns a boolean indicating whether the C CWchar is whitespace.

int isSPACE (char c)


isUPPER
Returns a boolean indicating whether the C CWchar is an uppercase character.

int isUPPER (char c)


items
Variable which is setup by CWxsubpp to indicate the number of items on the stack. See the perlxs manpage.
LEAVE
Closing bracket on a callback. See CWENTER and the perlcall manpage.

LEAVE;


MARK
Stack marker for the XSUB. See CWdMARK.
mg_clear
Clear something magical that the SV represents. See CWsv_magic.

int mg_clear _((SV* sv));


mg_copy
Copies the magic from one SV to another. See CWsv_magic.

int mg_copy _((SV *, SV *, char *, STRLEN));


mg_find
Finds the magic pointer for type matching the SV. See CWsv_magic.

MAGIC* mg_find _((SV* sv, int type));


mg_free
Free any magic storage used by the SV. See CWsv_magic.

int mg_free _((SV* sv));


mg_get
Do magic after a value is retrieved from the SV. See CWsv_magic.

int mg_get _((SV* sv));


mg_len
Report on the SV's length. See CWsv_magic.

U32 mg_len _((SV* sv));


mg_magical
Turns on the magical status of an SV. See CWsv_magic.

void mg_magical _((SV* sv));


mg_set
Do magic after a value is assigned to the SV. See CWsv_magic.

int mg_set _((SV* sv));


Move
The XSUB-writer's interface to the C CWmemmove function. The CWs is the source, CWd is the destination, CWn is the number of items, and CWt is the type.

(void) Move( s, d, n, t );


na
A variable which may be used with CWSvPV to tell Perl to calculate the string length.
New
The XSUB-writer's interface to the C CWmalloc function.

void * New( x, void *ptr, int size, type )


Newc
The XSUB-writer's interface to the C CWmalloc function, with cast.

void * Newc( x, void *ptr, int size, type, cast )


Newz
The XSUB-writer's interface to the C CWmalloc function. The allocated memory is zeroed with CWmemzero.

void * Newz( x, void *ptr, int size, type )


newAV
Creates a new AV. The refcount is set to 1.

AV* newAV _((void));


newHV
Creates a new HV. The refcount is set to 1.

HV* newHV _((void));


newRV
Creates an RV wrapper for an SV. The refcount for the original SV is incremented.

SV* newRV _((SV* ref));


newSV
Creates a new SV. The CWlen parameter indicates the number of bytes of pre-allocated string space the SV should have. The refcount for the new SV is set to 1.

SV* newSV _((STRLEN len));


newSViv
Creates a new SV and copies an integer into it. The refcount for the SV is set to 1.

SV* newSViv _((IV i));


newSVnv
Creates a new SV and copies a double into it. The refcount for the SV is set to 1.

SV* newSVnv _((NV i));


newSVpv
Creates a new SV and copies a string into it. The refcount for the SV is set to 1. If CWlen is zero then Perl will compute the length.

SV* newSVpv _((char* s, STRLEN len));


newSVrv
Creates a new SV for the RV, CWrv, to point to. If CWrv is not an RV then it will be upgraded one. If CWclassname is non-null then the new SV will be blessed in the specified package. The new SV is returned and its refcount is 1.

SV* newSVrv _((SV* rv, char* classname));


newSVsv
Creates a new SV which is an exact duplicate of the orignal SV.

SV* newSVsv _((SV* old));


newXS
Used by CWxsubpp to hook up XSUBs as Perl subs.
newXSproto
Used by CWxsubpp to hook up XSUBs as Perl subs. Adds Perl prototypes to the subs.
Nullav
Null AV pointer.
Nullch
Null character pointer.
Nullcv
Null CV pointer.
Nullhv
Null HV pointer.
Nullsv
Null SV pointer.
ORIGMARK
The original stack mark for the XSUB. See CWdORIGMARK.
perl_alloc
Allocates a new Perl interpreter. See the perlembed manpage.
perl_call_argv
Performs a callback to the specified Perl sub. See the perlcall manpage.

I32 perl_call_argv _((char* subname, I32 flags, char** argv));


perl_call_method
Performs a callback to the specified Perl method. The blessed object must be on the stack. See the perlcall manpage.

I32 perl_call_method _((char* methname, I32 flags));


perl_call_pv
Performs a callback to the specified Perl sub. See the perlcall manpage.

I32 perl_call_pv _((char* subname, I32 flags));


perl_call_sv
Performs a callback to the Perl sub whose name is in the SV. See the perlcall manpage.

I32 perl_call_sv _((SV* sv, I32 flags));


perl_construct
Initializes a new Perl interpreter. See the perlembed manpage.
perl_destruct
Shuts down a Perl interpreter. See the perlembed manpage.
perl_eval_sv
Tells Perl to CWeval the string in the SV.

I32 perl_eval_sv _((SV* sv, I32 flags));


perl_free
Releases a Perl interpreter. See the perlembed manpage.
perl_get_av
Returns the AV of the specified Perl array. If CWcreate is set and the Perl variable does not exist then it will be created. If CWcreate is not set and the variable does not exist then null is returned.

AV* perl_get_av _((char* name, I32 create));


perl_get_cv
Returns the CV of the specified Perl sub. If CWcreate is set and the Perl variable does not exist then it will be created. If CWcreate is not set and the variable does not exist then null is returned.

CV* perl_get_cv _((char* name, I32 create));


perl_get_hv
Returns the HV of the specified Perl hash. If CWcreate is set and the Perl variable does not exist then it will be created. If CWcreate is not set and the variable does not exist then null is returned.

HV* perl_get_hv _((char* name, I32 create));


perl_get_sv
Returns the SV of the specified Perl scalar. If CWcreate is set and the Perl variable does not exist then it will be created. If CWcreate is not set and the variable does not exist then null is returned.

SV* perl_get_sv _((char* name, I32 create));


perl_parse
Tells a Perl interpreter to parse a Perl script. See the perlembed manpage.
perl_require_pv
Tells Perl to CWrequire a module.

void perl_require_pv _((char* pv));


perl_run
Tells a Perl interpreter to run. See the perlembed manpage.
POPi
Pops an integer off the stack.

int POPi();


POPl
Pops a long off the stack.

long POPl();


POPp
Pops a string off the stack.

char * POPp();


POPn
Pops a double off the stack.

double POPn();


POPs
Pops an SV off the stack.

SV* POPs();


PUSHMARK
Opening bracket for arguments on a callback. See CWPUTBACK and the perlcall manpage.

PUSHMARK(p)


PUSHi
Push an integer onto the stack. The stack must have room for this element. See CWXPUSHi.

PUSHi(int d)


PUSHn
Push a double onto the stack. The stack must have room for this element. See CWXPUSHn.

PUSHn(double d)


PUSHp
Push a string onto the stack. The stack must have room for this element. The CWlen indicates the length of the string. See CWXPUSHp.

PUSHp(char *c, int len )


PUSHs
Push an SV onto the stack. The stack must have room for this element. See CWXPUSHs.

PUSHs(sv)


PUTBACK
Closing bracket for XSUB arguments. This is usually handled by CWxsubpp. See CWPUSHMARK and the perlcall manpage for other uses.

PUTBACK;


Renew
The XSUB-writer's interface to the C CWrealloc function.

void * Renew( void *ptr, int size, type )


Renewc
The XSUB-writer's interface to the C CWrealloc function, with cast.

void * Renewc( void *ptr, int size, type, cast )


RETVAL
Variable which is setup by CWxsubpp to hold the return value for an XSUB. This is always the proper type for the XSUB. See the perlxs manpage.
safefree
The XSUB-writer's interface to the C CWfree function.
safemalloc
The XSUB-writer's interface to the C CWmalloc function.
saferealloc
The XSUB-writer's interface to the C CWrealloc function.
savepv
Copy a string to a safe spot. This does not use an SV.

char* savepv _((char* sv));


savepvn
Copy a string to a safe spot. The CWlen indicates number of bytes to copy. This does not use an SV.

char* savepvn _((char* sv, I32 len));


SAVETMPS
Opening bracket for temporaries on a callback. See CWFREETMPS and the perlcall manpage.

SAVETMPS;


SP
Stack pointer. This is usually handled by CWxsubpp. See CWdSP and CWSPAGAIN.
SPAGAIN
Refetch the stack pointer. Used after a callback. See the perlcall manpage.

SPAGAIN;


ST
Used to access elements on the XSUB's stack.

SV* ST(int x)


strEQ
Test two strings to see if they are equal. Returns true or false.

int strEQ( char *s1, char *s2 )


strGE
Test two strings to see if the first, CWs1, is greater than or equal to the second, CWs2. Returns true or false.

int strGE( char *s1, char *s2 )


strGT
Test two strings to see if the first, CWs1, is greater than the second, CWs2. Returns true or false.

int strGT( char *s1, char *s2 )


strLE
Test two strings to see if the first, CWs1, is less than or equal to the second, CWs2. Returns true or false.

int strLE( char *s1, char *s2 )


strLT
Test two strings to see if the first, CWs1, is less than the second, CWs2. Returns true or false.

int strLT( char *s1, char *s2 )


strNE
Test two strings to see if they are different. Returns true or false.

int strNE( char *s1, char *s2 )


strnEQ
Test two strings to see if they are equal. The CWlen parameter indicates the number of bytes to compare. Returns true or false.

int strnEQ( char *s1, char *s2 )


strnNE
Test two strings to see if they are different. The CWlen parameter indicates the number of bytes to compare. Returns true or false.

int strnNE( char *s1, char *s2, int len )


sv_2mortal
Marks an SV as mortal. The SV will be destroyed when the current context ends.

SV* sv_2mortal _((SV* sv));


sv_bless
Blesses an SV into a specified package. The SV must be an RV. The package must be designated by its stash (see CWgv_stashpv()). The refcount of the SV is unaffected.

SV* sv_bless _((SV* sv, HV* stash));


sv_catpv
Concatenates the string onto the end of the string which is in the SV.

void sv_catpv _((SV* sv, char* ptr));


sv_catpvn
Concatenates the string onto the end of the string which is in the SV. The CWlen indicates number of bytes to copy.

void sv_catpvn _((SV* sv, char* ptr, STRLEN len));


sv_catsv
Concatentates the string from SV CWssv onto the end of the string in SV CWdsv.

void sv_catsv _((SV* dsv, SV* ssv));


SvCUR
Returns the length of the string which is in the SV. See CWSvLEN.

int SvCUR (SV* sv)


SvCUR_set
Set the length of the string which is in the SV. See CWSvCUR.

SvCUR_set (SV* sv, int val )


SvEND
Returns a pointer to the last character in the string which is in the SV. See CWSvCUR. Access the character as

*SvEND(sv)


SvGROW
Expands the character buffer in the SV.

char * SvGROW( SV* sv, int len )


SvIOK
Returns a boolean indicating whether the SV contains an integer.

int SvIOK (SV* SV)


SvIOK_off
Unsets the IV status of an SV.

SvIOK_off (SV* sv)


SvIOK_on
Tells an SV that it is an integer.

SvIOK_on (SV* sv)


SvIOKp
Returns a boolean indicating whether the SV contains an integer. Checks the private setting. Use CWSvIOK.

int SvIOKp (SV* SV)


sv_isa
Returns a boolean indicating whether the SV is blessed into the specified class. This does not know how to check for subtype, so it doesn't work in an inheritance relationship.

int sv_isa _((SV* sv, char* name));


SvIV
Returns the integer which is in the SV.

int SvIV (SV* sv)


sv_isobject
Returns a boolean indicating whether the SV is an RV pointing to a blessed object. If the SV is not an RV, or if the object is not blessed, then this will return false.

int sv_isobject _((SV* sv));


SvIVX
Returns the integer which is stored in the SV.

int SvIVX (SV* sv);


SvLEN
Returns the size of the string buffer in the SV. See CWSvCUR.

int SvLEN (SV* sv)


sv_magic
Adds magic to an SV.

void sv_magic _((SV* sv, SV* obj, int how, char* name, I32 namlen));


sv_mortalcopy
Creates a new SV which is a copy of the original SV. The new SV is marked as mortal.

SV* sv_mortalcopy _((SV* oldsv));


SvOK
Returns a boolean indicating whether the value is an SV.

int SvOK (SV* sv)


sv_newmortal
Creates a new SV which is mortal. The refcount of the SV is set to 1.

SV* sv_newmortal _((void));


sv_no
This is the CWfalse SV. See CWsv_yes. Always refer to this as CW&sv_no.
SvNIOK
Returns a boolean indicating whether the SV contains a number, integer or double.

int SvNIOK (SV* SV)


SvNIOK_off
Unsets the NV/IV status of an SV.

SvNIOK_off (SV* sv)


SvNIOKp
Returns a boolean indicating whether the SV contains a number, integer or double. Checks the private setting. Use CWSvNIOK.

int SvNIOKp (SV* SV)


SvNOK
Returns a boolean indicating whether the SV contains a double.

int SvNOK (SV* SV)


SvNOK_off
Unsets the NV status of an SV.

SvNOK_off (SV* sv)


SvNOK_on
Tells an SV that it is a double.

SvNOK_on (SV* sv)


SvNOKp
Returns a boolean indicating whether the SV contains a double. Checks the private setting. Use CWSvNOK.

int SvNOKp (SV* SV)


SvNV
Returns the double which is stored in the SV.

double SvNV (SV* sv);


SvNVX
Returns the double which is stored in the SV.

double SvNVX (SV* sv);


SvPOK
Returns a boolean indicating whether the SV contains a character string.

int SvPOK (SV* SV)


SvPOK_off
Unsets the PV status of an SV.

SvPOK_off (SV* sv)


SvPOK_on
Tells an SV that it is a string.

SvPOK_on (SV* sv)


SvPOKp
Returns a boolean indicating whether the SV contains a character string. Checks the private setting. Use CWSvPOK.

int SvPOKp (SV* SV)


SvPV
Returns a pointer to the string in the SV, or a stringified form of the SV if the SV does not contain a string. If CWlen is CWna then Perl will handle the length on its own.

char * SvPV (SV* sv, int len )


SvPVX
Returns a pointer to the string in the SV. The SV must contain a string.

char * SvPVX (SV* sv)


SvREFCNT
Returns the value of the object's refcount.

int SvREFCNT (SV* sv);


SvREFCNT_dec
Decrements the refcount of the given SV.

void SvREFCNT_dec (SV* sv)


SvREFCNT_inc
Increments the refcount of the given SV.

void SvREFCNT_inc (SV* sv)


SvROK
Tests if the SV is an RV.

int SvROK (SV* sv)


SvROK_off
Unsets the RV status of an SV.

SvROK_off (SV* sv)


SvROK_on
Tells an SV that it is an RV.

SvROK_on (SV* sv)


SvRV
Dereferences an RV to return the SV.

SV* SvRV (SV* sv);


sv_setiv
Copies an integer into the given SV.

void sv_setiv _((SV* sv, IV num));


sv_setnv
Copies a double into the given SV.

void sv_setnv _((SV* sv, double num));


sv_setpv
Copies a string into an SV. The string must be null-terminated.

void sv_setpv _((SV* sv, char* ptr));


sv_setpvn
Copies a string into an SV. The CWlen parameter indicates the number of bytes to be copied.

void sv_setpvn _((SV* sv, char* ptr, STRLEN len));


sv_setref_iv
Copies an integer into an SV, optionally blessing the SV. The SV must be an RV. The CWclassname argument indicates the package for the blessing. Set CWclassname to CWNullch to avoid the blessing. The new SV will be returned and will have a refcount of 1.

SV* sv_setref_iv _((SV *rv, char *classname, IV iv));


sv_setref_nv
Copies a double into an SV, optionally blessing the SV. The SV must be an RV. The CWclassname argument indicates the package for the blessing. Set CWclassname to CWNullch to avoid the blessing. The new SV will be returned and will have a refcount of 1.

SV* sv_setref_nv _((SV *rv, char *classname, double nv));


sv_setref_pv
Copies a pointer into an SV, optionally blessing the SV. The SV must be an RV. If the CWpv argument is NULL then CWsv_undef will be placed into the SV. The CWclassname argument indicates the package for the blessing. Set CWclassname to CWNullch to avoid the blessing. The new SV will be returned and will have a refcount of 1.

SV* sv_setref_pv _((SV *rv, char *classname, void* pv));

Do not use with integral Perl types such as HV, AV, SV, CV, because those objects will become corrupted by the pointer copy process.

Note that CWsv_setref_pvn copies the string while this copies the pointer.

sv_setref_pvn
Copies a string into an SV, optionally blessing the SV. The lenth of the string must be specified with CWn. The SV must be an RV. The CWclassname argument indicates the package for the blessing. Set CWclassname to CWNullch to avoid the blessing. The new SV will be returned and will have a refcount of 1.

SV* sv_setref_pvn _((SV *rv, char *classname, char* pv, I32 n));

Note that CWsv_setref_pv copies the pointer while this copies the string.

sv_setsv
Copies the contents of the source SV CWssv into the destination SV CWdsv. (NOTE: If CWssv has the CWSVs_TEMP bit set, CWsv_setsv may simply steal the string from CWssv and give it to CWdsv, leaving CWssv empty. Caveat caller.)

void sv_setsv _((SV* dsv, SV* ssv));


SvSTASH
Returns the stash of the SV.

HV * SvSTASH (SV* sv)


SVt_IV
Integer type flag for scalars. See CWsvtype.
SVt_PV
Pointer type flag for scalars. See CWsvtype.
SVt_PVAV
Type flag for arrays. See CWsvtype.
SVt_PVCV
Type flag for code refs. See CWsvtype.
SVt_PVHV
Type flag for hashes. See CWsvtype.
SVt_PVMG
Type flag for blessed scalars. See CWsvtype.
SVt_NV
Double type flag for scalars. See CWsvtype.
SvTRUE
Returns a boolean indicating whether Perl would evaluate the SV as true or false, defined or undefined.

int SvTRUE (SV* sv)


SvTYPE
Returns the type of the SV. See CWsvtype.

svtype SvTYPE (SV* sv)


svtype
An enum of flags for Perl types. These are found in the file sv.h in the CWsvtype enum. Test these flags with the CWSvTYPE macro.
SvUPGRADE
Used to upgrade an SV to a more complex form. See CWsvtype.
sv_undef
This is the CWundef SV. Always refer to this as CW&sv_undef.
sv_usepvn
Tells an SV to use CWptr to find its string value. Normally the string is stored inside the SV; this allows the SV to use an outside string. The string length, CWlen, must be supplied. This function will realloc the memory pointed to by CWptr, so that pointer should not be freed or used by the programmer after giving it to sv_usepvn.

void sv_usepvn _((SV* sv, char* ptr, STRLEN len));


sv_yes
This is the CWtrue SV. See CWsv_no. Always refer to this as CW&sv_yes.
THIS
Variable which is setup by CWxsubpp to designate the object in a C++ XSUB. This is always the proper type for the C++ object. See CWCLASS and the perlxs manpage.
toLOWER
Converts the specified character to lowercase.

int toLOWER (char c)


toUPPER
Converts the specified character to uppercase.

int toUPPER (char c)


warn
This is the XSUB-writer's interface to Perl's CWwarn function. Use this function the same way you use the C CWprintf function. See CWcroak().
XPUSHi
Push an integer onto the stack, extending the stack if necessary. See CWPUSHi.

XPUSHi(int d)


XPUSHn
Push a double onto the stack, extending the stack if necessary. See CWPUSHn.

XPUSHn(double d)


XPUSHp
Push a string onto the stack, extending the stack if necessary. The CWlen indicates the length of the string. See CWPUSHp.

XPUSHp(char *c, int len)


XPUSHs
Push an SV onto the stack, extending the stack if necessary. See CWPUSHs.

XPUSHs(sv)


XSRETURN
Return from XSUB, indicating number of items on the stack. This is usually handled by CWxsubpp.

XSRETURN(x);


XSRETURN_EMPTY
Return from an XSUB immediately.

XSRETURN_EMPTY;


XSRETURN_NO
Return CWfalse from an XSUB immediately.

XSRETURN_NO;


XSRETURN_UNDEF
Return CWundef from an XSUB immediately.

XSRETURN_UNDEF;


XSRETURN_YES
Return CWtrue from an XSUB immediately.

XSRETURN_YES;


Zero
The XSUB-writer's interface to the C CWmemzero function. The CWd is the destination, CWn is the number of items, and CWt is the type.

(void) Zero( d, n, t );

AUTHOR

Jeff Okamoto <okamoto@corp.hp.com>

With lots of help and suggestions from Dean Roehrich, Malcolm Beattie, Andreas Koenig, Paul Hudson, Ilya Zakharevich, Paul Marquess, Neil Bowers, Matthew Green, Tim Bunce, and Spider Boardman.

API Listing by Dean Roehrich <roehrich@cray.com>.

DATE

Version 20: 1995/12/14


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