Extending and Embedding Perl

Extending and Embedding Perl explains how to expand the functionality and usefulness of the Perl programming language and how to use Perl from C programs. It begins simply but also covers complex issues using real code examples from the Perl source. The book discusses how to write interfaces to C libraries (as well as C++ and Fortran libraries). It shows you how to implement Perl callbacks for C libraries, how to pass Perl hashes and arrays between Perl and C, and how to use the Perl Data Language infrastructure to improve the speed of array operations.

Additionally, the book peers under the hood to see how the Perl programming language really works by looking at the interpreter. The make-up of Perl variables is discussed along with details on how a Perl program is parsed and converted to executable code.

What's Inside:

• C For The Perl Programmer
• Basic and Advanced XS
• Embedding Perl in C Programs
• Perl Internals
• An API reference for the internal C interface to Perl
• A reference on the typemap system
• Embedding Perl into the mutt mail reader

Table of Contents

1 C for Perl programmers 1

2 Extending Perl: an introduction 24

3 Advanced C 51

4 Perl’s variable types 70

5 The Perl 5 API 100

6 Advanced XS programming 163

7 Alternatives to XS 231

8 Embedding Perl in C 254

9 Embedding case study 268

10 Introduction to Perl internals 277

11 Hacking Perl 304

A: Perl’s typemaps 324
B: Further reading 348
C: Perl API index 350
index 355