11 # subroutine expand_os_specific expands $^O-specific preprocessing information
12 # so that it will not be re-calculated at runtime in Dynaloader.pm
14 # Syntax of preprocessor should be kept extremely simple:
15 # - directives are in double angle brackets <<...>>
16 # - <<=string>> will be just evaluated
17 # - for $^O-specific there are two forms:
20 # this directive should be closed with respectively
23 # construct <<|$^O-ne-osname>> means #else
24 # nested <<$^O...>>-constructs are allowed but nested values must be for
27 # -- added by VKON, 03-10-2004 to separate $^O-specific between OSes
28 # (so that Win32 never checks for $^O eq 'VMS' for example)
30 # The $^O tests test both for $^O and for $Config{osname}.
31 # The latter is better for some for cross-compilation setups.
33 sub expand_os_specific {
37 s/<<\$\^O-(eq|ne)-(\w+)>>(.*?)<<\/\$\^O-\1-\2>>/
38 my ($op, $os, $expr) = ($1,$2,$3);
39 if ($op ne 'eq' and $op ne 'ne') {die "wrong eq-ne arg in $&"};
40 if ($expr =~ m[^(.*?)<<\|\$\^O-$op-$os>>(.*?)$]s) {
42 my ($if,$el) = ($1,$2);
43 if (($op eq 'eq' and ($^O eq $os || $Config{osname} eq $os)) || ($op eq 'ne' and ($^O ne $os || $Config{osname} ne $os))) {
52 if (($op eq 'eq' and ($^O eq $os || $Config{osname} eq $os)) || ($op eq 'ne' and ($^O ne $os || $Config{osname} ne $os))) {
60 if (/<<(=|\$\^O-)/) {die "bad <<\$^O-eq/ne-osname>> expression.".
61 " Unclosed brackets?";
67 unlink "DynaLoader.pm" if -f "DynaLoader.pm";
68 open OUT, ">DynaLoader.pm" or die $!;
71 # Generated from DynaLoader_pm.PL
75 # And Gandalf said: 'Many folk like to know beforehand what is to
76 # be set on the table; but those who have laboured to prepare the
77 # feast like to keep their secret; for wonder makes the words of
80 # (Quote from Tolkien suggested by Anno Siegel.)
82 # See pod text at end of file for documentation.
83 # See also ext/DynaLoader/README in source tree for other information.
85 # Tim.Bunce@ig.co.uk, August 1994
93 if (!$ENV{PERL_BUILD_EXPAND_CONFIG_VARS}) {
94 print OUT "use Config;\n";
99 # enable debug/trace messages from DynaLoader perl code
100 $dl_debug = $ENV{PERL_DL_DEBUG} || 0 unless defined $dl_debug;
103 # Flags to alter dl_load_file behaviour. Assigned bits:
104 # 0x01 make symbols available for linking later dl_load_file's.
105 # (only known to work on Solaris 2 using dlopen(RTLD_GLOBAL))
106 # (ignored under VMS; effect is built-in to image linking)
107 # (ignored under Android; the linker always uses RTLD_LOCAL)
109 # This is called as a class method $module->dl_load_flags. The
110 # definition here will be inherited and result on "default" loading
111 # behaviour unless a sub-class of DynaLoader defines its own version.
114 sub dl_load_flags { 0x00 }
118 if ($ENV{PERL_BUILD_EXPAND_CONFIG_VARS}) {
119 print OUT "(\$dl_dlext, \$dl_so, \$dlsrc) = (",
120 to_string($Config{'dlext'}), ",",
121 to_string($Config{'so'}), ",",
122 to_string($Config{'dlsrc'}), ")\n;" ;
126 ($dl_dlext, $dl_so, $dlsrc) = @Config::Config{qw(dlext so dlsrc)};
130 print OUT expand_os_specific(<<'EOT');
133 # Some systems need special handling to expand file specifications
134 # (VMS support by Charles Bailey <bailey@HMIVAX.HUMGEN.UPENN.EDU>)
135 # See dl_expandspec() for more details. Should be harmless but
136 # inefficient to define on systems that don't need it.
137 $Is_VMS = $^O eq 'VMS';
139 $do_expand = <<$^O-eq-VMS>>1<<|$^O-eq-VMS>>0<</$^O-eq-VMS>>;
141 @dl_require_symbols = (); # names of symbols we need
142 @dl_resolve_using = (); # names of files to link with
143 @dl_library_path = (); # path to look for files
145 #XSLoader.pm may have added elements before we were required
146 #@dl_shared_objects = (); # shared objects for symbols we have
147 #@dl_librefs = (); # things we have loaded
148 #@dl_modules = (); # Modules we have loaded
152 my $cfg_dl_library_path = <<'EOT';
153 push(@dl_library_path, split(' ', $Config::Config{libpth}));
156 sub dquoted_comma_list {
157 join(", ", map {'"'.quotemeta($_).'"'} @_);
160 if ($ENV{PERL_BUILD_EXPAND_CONFIG_VARS}) {
161 eval $cfg_dl_library_path;
162 if (!$ENV{PERL_BUILD_EXPAND_ENV_VARS}) {
163 my $dl_library_path = dquoted_comma_list(@dl_library_path);
165 # The below \@dl_library_path has been expanded (%Config) in Perl build time.
167 \@dl_library_path = ($dl_library_path);
174 # Initialise \@dl_library_path with the 'standard' library path
175 # for this platform as determined by Configure.
183 my $ldlibpthname_defined;
186 if ($ENV{PERL_BUILD_EXPAND_CONFIG_VARS}) {
187 $ldlibpthname = to_string($Config::Config{ldlibpthname});
188 $ldlibpthname_defined = to_string(defined $Config::Config{ldlibpthname} ? 1 : 0);
189 $pthsep = to_string($Config::Config{path_sep});
192 $ldlibpthname = q($Config::Config{ldlibpthname});
193 $ldlibpthname_defined = q(defined $Config::Config{ldlibpthname});
194 $pthsep = q($Config::Config{path_sep});
197 my \$ldlibpthname = $ldlibpthname;
198 my \$ldlibpthname_defined = $ldlibpthname_defined;
199 my \$pthsep = $pthsep;
203 my $env_dl_library_path = <<'EOT';
204 if ($ldlibpthname_defined &&
205 exists $ENV{$ldlibpthname}) {
206 push(@dl_library_path, split(/$pthsep/, $ENV{$ldlibpthname}));
209 # E.g. HP-UX supports both its native SHLIB_PATH *and* LD_LIBRARY_PATH.
211 if ($ldlibpthname_defined &&
212 $ldlibpthname ne 'LD_LIBRARY_PATH' &&
213 exists $ENV{LD_LIBRARY_PATH}) {
214 push(@dl_library_path, split(/$pthsep/, $ENV{LD_LIBRARY_PATH}));
218 if ($ENV{PERL_BUILD_EXPAND_CONFIG_VARS} && $ENV{PERL_BUILD_EXPAND_ENV_VARS}) {
219 eval $env_dl_library_path;
223 # Add to \@dl_library_path any extra directories we can gather from environment
231 if ($ENV{PERL_BUILD_EXPAND_CONFIG_VARS} && $ENV{PERL_BUILD_EXPAND_ENV_VARS}) {
232 my $dl_library_path = dquoted_comma_list(@dl_library_path);
234 # The below \@dl_library_path has been expanded (%Config, %ENV)
235 # in Perl build time.
237 \@dl_library_path = ($dl_library_path);
242 if ( $Config::Config{d_libname_unique} ) {
243 printf OUT <<'EOT', length($Config::Config{dlext}) + 1;
247 my $name_max = 255; # No easy way to get this here
249 my $libname = "PL_" . join("__", @$parts);
251 return $libname if (length($libname)+$so_len) <= $name_max;
253 # It's too darned big, so we need to go strip. We use the same
254 # algorithm as xsubpp does. First, strip out doubled __
255 $libname =~ s/__/_/g;
256 return $libname if (length($libname)+$so_len) <= $name_max;
258 # Strip duplicate letters
259 1 while $libname =~ s/(.)\1/\U$1/i;
260 return $libname if (length($libname)+$so_len) <= $name_max;
262 # Still too long. Truncate.
263 $libname = substr($libname, 0, $name_max - $so_len);
269 # following long string contains $^O-specific stuff, which is factored out
270 print OUT expand_os_specific(<<'EOT');
271 # No prizes for guessing why we don't say 'bootstrap DynaLoader;' here.
272 # NOTE: All dl_*.xs (including dl_none.xs) define a dl_error() XSUB
273 boot_DynaLoader('DynaLoader') if defined(&boot_DynaLoader) &&
277 print STDERR "DynaLoader.pm loaded (@INC, @dl_library_path)\n";
278 print STDERR "DynaLoader not linked into this perl\n"
279 unless defined(&boot_DynaLoader);
282 1; # End of main code
285 sub croak { require Carp; Carp::croak(@_) }
287 sub bootstrap_inherit {
289 local *isa = *{"$module\::ISA"};
290 local @isa = (@isa, 'DynaLoader');
291 # Cannot goto due to delocalization. Will report errors on a wrong line?
296 # use local vars to enable $module.bs script to edit values
298 local($module) = $args[0];
303 Carp::confess("Usage: DynaLoader::bootstrap(module)");
306 # A common error on platforms which don't support dynamic loading.
307 # Since it's fatal and potentially confusing we give a detailed message.
308 croak("Can't load module $module, dynamic loading not available in this perl.\n".
309 " (You may need to build a new perl executable which either supports\n".
310 " dynamic loading or has the $module module statically linked into it.)\n")
311 unless defined(&dl_load_file);
315 # Can dynaload, but cannot dynaload Perl modules...
316 die 'Dynaloaded Perl modules are not available in this build of Perl' if $OS2::is_static;
319 my @modparts = split(/::/,$module);
320 my $modfname = $modparts[-1];
322 # Some systems have restrictions on files names for DLL's etc.
323 # mod2fname returns appropriate file base name (typically truncated)
324 # It may also edit @modparts if required.
325 $modfname = &mod2fname(\@modparts) if defined &mod2fname;
328 # Truncate the module name to 8.3 format for NetWare
329 if ((length($modfname) > 8)) {
330 $modfname = substr($modfname, 0, 8);
334 my $modpname = join('/',@modparts);
336 print STDERR "DynaLoader::bootstrap for $module ",
337 "(auto/$modpname/$modfname.$dl_dlext)\n"
341 <<$^O-eq-VMS>>chop($_ = VMS::Filespec::unixpath($_));<</$^O-eq-VMS>>
342 my $dir = "$_/auto/$modpname";
344 next unless -d $dir; # skip over uninteresting directories
346 # check for common cases to avoid autoload of dl_findfile
347 my $try = "$dir/$modfname.$dl_dlext";
348 last if $file = ($do_expand) ? dl_expandspec($try) : ((-f $try) && $try);
350 # no luck here, save dir for possible later dl_findfile search
353 # last resort, let dl_findfile have a go in all known locations
354 $file = dl_findfile(map("-L$_",@dirs,@INC), $modfname) unless $file;
356 croak("Can't locate loadable object for module $module in \@INC (\@INC contains: @INC)")
357 unless $file; # wording similar to error from 'require'
359 <<$^O-eq-VMS>>$file = uc($file) if $Config::Config{d_vms_case_sensitive_symbols};<</$^O-eq-VMS>>
360 my $bootname = "boot_$module";
361 $bootname =~ s/\W/_/g;
362 @dl_require_symbols = ($bootname);
364 # Execute optional '.bootstrap' perl script for this module.
365 # The .bs file can be used to configure @dl_resolve_using etc to
366 # match the needs of the individual module on this architecture.
368 $bs =~ s/(\.\w+)?(;\d*)?$/\.bs/; # look for .bs 'beside' the library
369 if (-s $bs) { # only read file if it's not empty
370 print STDERR "BS: $bs ($^O, $dlsrc)\n" if $dl_debug;
372 warn "$bs: $@\n" if $@;
378 if ($boot_symbol_ref = dl_find_symbol(0, $bootname)) {
379 goto boot; #extension library has already been loaded, e.g. darwin
383 # Many dynamic extension loading problems will appear to come from
384 # this section of code: XYZ failed at line 123 of DynaLoader.pm.
385 # Often these errors are actually occurring in the initialisation
386 # C code of the extension XS file. Perl reports the error as being
387 # in this perl code simply because this was the last perl code
390 my $flags = $module->dl_load_flags;
392 # See the note above regarding the linker.
395 my $libref = dl_load_file($file, $flags) or
396 croak("Can't load '$file' for module $module: ".dl_error());
398 push(@dl_librefs,$libref); # record loaded object
400 my @unresolved = dl_undef_symbols();
403 Carp::carp("Undefined symbols present after loading $file: @unresolved\n");
406 $boot_symbol_ref = dl_find_symbol($libref, $bootname) or
407 croak("Can't find '$bootname' symbol in $file\n");
409 push(@dl_modules, $module); # record loaded module
412 my $xs = dl_install_xsub("${module}::bootstrap", $boot_symbol_ref, $file);
414 # See comment block above
416 push(@dl_shared_objects, $file); # record files loaded
422 # This function does not automatically consider the architecture
423 # or the perl library auto directories.
425 my (@dirs, $dir); # which directories to search
426 my (@found); # full paths to real files we have found
427 #my $dl_ext= <<=to_string($Config::Config{'dlext'})>>; # $Config::Config{'dlext'} suffix for perl extensions
428 #my $dl_so = <<=to_string($Config::Config{'so'})>>; # $Config::Config{'so'} suffix for shared libraries
430 print STDERR "dl_findfile(@args)\n" if $dl_debug;
432 # accumulate directories but process files as they appear
433 arg: foreach(@args) {
434 # Special fast case: full filepath requires no search
436 if (m%[:>/\]]% && -f $_) {
437 push(@found,dl_expandspec(VMS::Filespec::vmsify($_)));
438 last arg unless wantarray;
445 last arg unless wantarray;
450 # Deal with directories first:
451 # Using a -L prefix is the preferred option (faster and more robust)
452 if (m:^-L:) { s/^-L//; push(@dirs, $_); next; }
454 # Otherwise we try to try to spot directories by a heuristic
455 # (this is a more complicated issue than it first appears)
456 if (m:/: && -d $_) { push(@dirs, $_); next; }
459 # VMS: we may be using native VMS directory syntax instead of
460 # Unix emulation, so check this as well
461 if (/[:>\]]/ && -d $_) { push(@dirs, $_); next; }
464 # Only files should get this far...
465 my(@names, $name); # what filenames to look for
466 if (m:-l: ) { # convert -lname to appropriate library name
468 push(@names,"lib$_.$dl_so");
469 push(@names,"lib$_.a");
470 } else { # Umm, a bare name. Try various alternatives:
471 # these should be ordered with the most likely first
472 push(@names,"$_.$dl_dlext") unless m/\.$dl_dlext$/o;
473 push(@names,"$_.$dl_so") unless m/\.$dl_so$/o;
475 push(@names,"cyg$_.$dl_so") unless m:/:;
477 push(@names,"lib$_.$dl_so") unless m:/:;
483 if ($0 =~ /^([a-z]):/i) {
485 @dirs = map { "$drive:$_" } @dirs;
486 @dl_library_path = map { "$drive:$_" } @dl_library_path;
489 foreach $dir (@dirs, @dl_library_path) {
492 chop($dir = VMS::Filespec::unixpath($dir));
494 foreach $name (@names) {
495 my($file) = "$dir$dirsep$name";
496 print STDERR " checking in $dir for $name\n" if $dl_debug;
497 $file = ($do_expand) ? dl_expandspec($file) : (-f $file && $file);
498 #$file = _check_file($file);
501 next arg; # no need to look any further
508 print STDERR " dl_findfile ignored non-existent directory: $_\n" unless -d $_;
510 print STDERR "dl_findfile found: @found\n";
512 return $found[0] unless wantarray;
518 # dl_expandspec should be defined in dl_vms.xs
522 # Optional function invoked if DynaLoader.pm sets $do_expand.
523 # Most systems do not require or use this function.
524 # Some systems may implement it in the dl_*.xs file in which case
525 # this Perl version should be excluded at build time.
527 # This function is designed to deal with systems which treat some
528 # 'filenames' in a special way. For example VMS 'Logical Names'
529 # (something like unix environment variables - but different).
530 # This function should recognise such names and expand them into
532 # Must return undef if $spec is invalid or file does not exist.
534 my $file = $spec; # default output to input
536 return undef unless -f $file;
537 print STDERR "dl_expandspec($spec) => $file\n" if $dl_debug;
542 sub dl_find_symbol_anywhere
546 foreach $libref (@dl_librefs) {
547 my $symref = dl_find_symbol($libref,$sym);
548 return $symref if $symref;
557 DynaLoader - Dynamically load C libraries into Perl code
563 @ISA = qw(... DynaLoader ...);
564 bootstrap YourPackage;
566 # optional method for 'global' loading
567 sub dl_load_flags { 0x01 }
572 This document defines a standard generic interface to the dynamic
573 linking mechanisms available on many platforms. Its primary purpose is
574 to implement automatic dynamic loading of Perl modules.
576 This document serves as both a specification for anyone wishing to
577 implement the DynaLoader for a new platform and as a guide for
578 anyone wishing to use the DynaLoader directly in an application.
580 The DynaLoader is designed to be a very simple high-level
581 interface that is sufficiently general to cover the requirements
582 of SunOS, HP-UX, Linux, VMS and other platforms.
584 It is also hoped that the interface will cover the needs of OS/2, NT
585 etc and also allow pseudo-dynamic linking (using C<ld -A> at runtime).
587 It must be stressed that the DynaLoader, by itself, is practically
588 useless for accessing non-Perl libraries because it provides almost no
589 Perl-to-C 'glue'. There is, for example, no mechanism for calling a C
590 library function or supplying arguments. A C::DynaLib module
591 is available from CPAN sites which performs that function for some
592 common system types. And since the year 2000, there's also Inline::C,
593 a module that allows you to write Perl subroutines in C. Also available
594 from your local CPAN site.
596 DynaLoader Interface Summary
607 bootstrap($modulename) Perl
608 @filepaths = dl_findfile(@names) Perl
609 $flags = $modulename->dl_load_flags Perl
610 $symref = dl_find_symbol_anywhere($symbol) Perl
612 $libref = dl_load_file($filename, $flags) C
613 $status = dl_unload_file($libref) C
614 $symref = dl_find_symbol($libref, $symbol) C
615 @symbols = dl_undef_symbols() C
616 dl_install_xsub($name, $symref [, $filename]) C
617 $message = dl_error C
621 =item @dl_library_path
623 The standard/default list of directories in which dl_findfile() will
624 search for libraries etc. Directories are searched in order:
625 $dl_library_path[0], [1], ... etc
627 @dl_library_path is initialised to hold the list of 'normal' directories
628 (F</usr/lib>, etc) determined by B<Configure> (C<$Config{'libpth'}>). This should
629 ensure portability across a wide range of platforms.
631 @dl_library_path should also be initialised with any other directories
632 that can be determined from the environment at runtime (such as
633 LD_LIBRARY_PATH for SunOS).
635 After initialisation @dl_library_path can be manipulated by an
636 application using push and unshift before calling dl_findfile().
637 Unshift can be used to add directories to the front of the search order
638 either to save search time or to override libraries with the same name
639 in the 'normal' directories.
641 The load function that dl_load_file() calls may require an absolute
642 pathname. The dl_findfile() function and @dl_library_path can be
643 used to search for and return the absolute pathname for the
644 library/object that you wish to load.
646 =item @dl_resolve_using
648 A list of additional libraries or other shared objects which can be
649 used to resolve any undefined symbols that might be generated by a
650 later call to load_file().
652 This is only required on some platforms which do not handle dependent
653 libraries automatically. For example the Socket Perl extension
654 library (F<auto/Socket/Socket.so>) contains references to many socket
655 functions which need to be resolved when it's loaded. Most platforms
656 will automatically know where to find the 'dependent' library (e.g.,
657 F</usr/lib/libsocket.so>). A few platforms need to be told the
658 location of the dependent library explicitly. Use @dl_resolve_using
663 @dl_resolve_using = dl_findfile('-lsocket');
665 =item @dl_require_symbols
667 A list of one or more symbol names that are in the library/object file
668 to be dynamically loaded. This is only required on some platforms.
672 An array of the handles returned by successful calls to dl_load_file(),
673 made by bootstrap, in the order in which they were loaded.
674 Can be used with dl_find_symbol() to look for a symbol in any of
679 An array of module (package) names that have been bootstrap'ed.
681 =item @dl_shared_objects
683 An array of file names for the shared objects that were loaded.
689 $message = dl_error();
691 Error message text from the last failed DynaLoader function. Note
692 that, similar to errno in unix, a successful function call does not
695 Implementations should detect the error as soon as it occurs in any of
696 the other functions and save the corresponding message for later
697 retrieval. This will avoid problems on some platforms (such as SunOS)
698 where the error message is very temporary (e.g., dlerror()).
702 Internal debugging messages are enabled when $dl_debug is set true.
703 Currently setting $dl_debug only affects the Perl side of the
704 DynaLoader. These messages should help an application developer to
705 resolve any DynaLoader usage problems.
707 $dl_debug is set to C<$ENV{'PERL_DL_DEBUG'}> if defined.
709 For the DynaLoader developer/porter there is a similar debugging
710 variable added to the C code (see dlutils.c) and enabled if Perl was
711 built with the B<-DDEBUGGING> flag. This can also be set via the
712 PERL_DL_DEBUG environment variable. Set to 1 for minimal information or
717 When specified (localised) in a module's F<.pm> file, indicates the extension
718 which the module's loadable object will have. For example:
720 local $DynaLoader::dl_dlext = 'unusual_ext';
722 would indicate that the module's loadable object has an extension of
723 C<unusual_ext> instead of the more usual C<$Config{dlext}>. NOTE: This also
724 requires that the module's F<Makefile.PL> specify (in C<WriteMakefile()>):
726 DLEXT => 'unusual_ext',
732 @filepaths = dl_findfile(@names)
734 Determine the full paths (including file suffix) of one or more
735 loadable files given their generic names and optionally one or more
736 directories. Searches directories in @dl_library_path by default and
737 returns an empty list if no files were found.
739 Names can be specified in a variety of platform independent forms. Any
740 names in the form B<-lname> are converted into F<libname.*>, where F<.*> is
741 an appropriate suffix for the platform.
743 If a name does not already have a suitable prefix and/or suffix then
744 the corresponding file will be searched for by trying combinations of
745 prefix and suffix appropriate to the platform: "$name.o", "lib$name.*"
748 If any directories are included in @names they are searched before
749 @dl_library_path. Directories may be specified as B<-Ldir>. Any other
750 names are treated as filenames to be searched for.
752 Using arguments of the form C<-Ldir> and C<-lname> is recommended.
756 @dl_resolve_using = dl_findfile(qw(-L/usr/5lib -lposix));
759 =item dl_expandspec()
763 $filepath = dl_expandspec($spec)
765 Some unusual systems, such as VMS, require special filename handling in
766 order to deal with symbolic names for files (i.e., VMS's Logical Names).
768 To support these systems a dl_expandspec() function can be implemented
769 either in the F<dl_*.xs> file or code can be added to the dl_expandspec()
770 function in F<DynaLoader.pm>. See F<DynaLoader_pm.PL> for more information.
776 $libref = dl_load_file($filename, $flags)
778 Dynamically load $filename, which must be the path to a shared object
779 or library. An opaque 'library reference' is returned as a handle for
780 the loaded object. Returns undef on error.
782 The $flags argument to alters dl_load_file behaviour.
785 0x01 make symbols available for linking later dl_load_file's.
786 (only known to work on Solaris 2 using dlopen(RTLD_GLOBAL))
787 (ignored under VMS; this is a normal part of image linking)
789 (On systems that provide a handle for the loaded object such as SunOS
790 and HPUX, $libref will be that handle. On other systems $libref will
791 typically be $filename or a pointer to a buffer containing $filename.
792 The application should not examine or alter $libref in any way.)
794 This is the function that does the real work. It should use the
795 current values of @dl_require_symbols and @dl_resolve_using if required.
797 SunOS: dlopen($filename)
798 HP-UX: shl_load($filename)
799 Linux: dld_create_reference(@dl_require_symbols); dld_link($filename)
800 VMS: lib$find_image_symbol($filename,$dl_require_symbols[0])
802 (The dlopen() function is also used by Solaris and some versions of
803 Linux, and is a common choice when providing a "wrapper" on other
804 mechanisms as is done in the OS/2 port.)
806 =item dl_unload_file()
810 $status = dl_unload_file($libref)
812 Dynamically unload $libref, which must be an opaque 'library reference' as
813 returned from dl_load_file. Returns one on success and zero on failure.
814 This function is optional and may not necessarily be provided on all platforms.
816 If it is defined and perl is compiled with the C macro C<DL_UNLOAD_ALL_AT_EXIT>
817 defined, then it is called automatically when the interpreter exits for
818 every shared object or library loaded by DynaLoader::bootstrap. All such
819 library references are stored in @dl_librefs by DynaLoader::Bootstrap as it
820 loads the libraries. The files are unloaded in last-in, first-out order.
822 This unloading is usually necessary when embedding a shared-object perl (e.g.
823 one configured with -Duseshrplib) within a larger application, and the perl
824 interpreter is created and destroyed several times within the lifetime of the
825 application. In this case it is possible that the system dynamic linker will
826 unload and then subsequently reload the shared libperl without relocating any
827 references to it from any files DynaLoaded by the previous incarnation of the
828 interpreter. As a result, any shared objects opened by DynaLoader may point to
829 a now invalid 'ghost' of the libperl shared object, causing apparently random
830 memory corruption and crashes. This behaviour is most commonly seen when using
831 Apache and mod_perl built with the APXS mechanism.
833 SunOS: dlclose($libref)
838 (The dlclose() function is also used by Solaris and some versions of
839 Linux, and is a common choice when providing a "wrapper" on other
840 mechanisms as is done in the OS/2 port.)
842 =item dl_load_flags()
846 $flags = dl_load_flags $modulename;
848 Designed to be a method call, and to be overridden by a derived class
849 (i.e. a class which has DynaLoader in its @ISA). The definition in
850 DynaLoader itself returns 0, which produces standard behavior from
853 =item dl_find_symbol()
857 $symref = dl_find_symbol($libref, $symbol)
859 Return the address of the symbol $symbol or C<undef> if not found. If the
860 target system has separate functions to search for symbols of different
861 types then dl_find_symbol() should search for function symbols first and
864 The exact manner in which the address is returned in $symref is not
865 currently defined. The only initial requirement is that $symref can
866 be passed to, and understood by, dl_install_xsub().
868 SunOS: dlsym($libref, $symbol)
869 HP-UX: shl_findsym($libref, $symbol)
870 Linux: dld_get_func($symbol) and/or dld_get_symbol($symbol)
871 VMS: lib$find_image_symbol($libref,$symbol)
874 =item dl_find_symbol_anywhere()
878 $symref = dl_find_symbol_anywhere($symbol)
880 Applies dl_find_symbol() to the members of @dl_librefs and returns
881 the first match found.
883 =item dl_undef_symbols()
887 @symbols = dl_undef_symbols()
889 Return a list of symbol names which remain undefined after load_file().
890 Returns C<()> if not known. Don't worry if your platform does not provide
891 a mechanism for this. Most do not need it and hence do not provide it,
892 they just return an empty list.
895 =item dl_install_xsub()
899 dl_install_xsub($perl_name, $symref [, $filename])
901 Create a new Perl external subroutine named $perl_name using $symref as
902 a pointer to the function which implements the routine. This is simply
903 a direct call to newXS()/newXS_flags(). Returns a reference to the installed
906 The $filename parameter is used by Perl to identify the source file for
907 the function if required by die(), caller() or the debugger. If
908 $filename is not defined then "DynaLoader" will be used.
915 bootstrap($module [...])
917 This is the normal entry point for automatic dynamic loading in Perl.
919 It performs the following actions:
925 locates an auto/$module directory by searching @INC
929 uses dl_findfile() to determine the filename to load
933 sets @dl_require_symbols to C<("boot_$module")>
937 executes an F<auto/$module/$module.bs> file if it exists
938 (typically used to add to @dl_resolve_using any files which
939 are required to load the module on the current platform)
943 calls dl_load_flags() to determine how to load the file.
947 calls dl_load_file() to load the file
951 calls dl_undef_symbols() and warns if any symbols are undefined
955 calls dl_find_symbol() for "boot_$module"
959 calls dl_install_xsub() to install it as "${module}::bootstrap"
963 calls &{"${module}::bootstrap"} to bootstrap the module (actually
964 it uses the function reference returned by dl_install_xsub for speed)
968 All arguments to bootstrap() are passed to the module's bootstrap function.
969 The default code generated by F<xsubpp> expects $module [, $version]
970 If the optional $version argument is not given, it defaults to
971 C<$XS_VERSION // $VERSION> in the module's symbol table. The default code
972 compares the Perl-space version with the version of the compiled XS code,
973 and croaks with an error if they do not match.
980 Tim Bunce, 11 August 1994.
982 This interface is based on the work and comments of (in no particular
983 order): Larry Wall, Robert Sanders, Dean Roehrich, Jeff Okamoto, Anno
984 Siegel, Thomas Neumann, Paul Marquess, Charles Bailey, myself and others.
986 Larry Wall designed the elegant inherited bootstrap mechanism and
987 implemented the first Perl 5 dynamic loader using it.
989 Solaris global loading added by Nick Ing-Simmons with design/coding
990 assistance from Tim Bunce, January 1996.