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@chapter Layout of this Manual |
@chapter Layout of this Manual |
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@end ifnottex |
@end ifnottex |
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This manual is divided into five parts. |
The manual is divided into three parts. |
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@strong{Part I: Introduction to Guile} provides an overview of what |
@strong{Part I: Introduction to Guile} provides an overview of what |
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Guile is and how you can use it. A whirlwind tour shows how Guile can |
Guile is and how you can use it. A whirlwind tour shows how Guile can |
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be used interactively and as a script interpreter, how to link Guile |
be used interactively and as a script interpreter, how to link Guile |
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into your own applications, and how to write modules of interpreted and |
into your own applications, and how to write modules of interpreted and |
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compiled code for use with Guile. All of the ideas introduced here are |
compiled code for use with Guile. Everything introduced here is |
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documented in full by the later parts of the manual. |
documented again and in full by the later parts of the manual. This |
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part also explains how to obtain and install new versions of Guile, and |
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how to report bugs effectively. |
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@strong{Part II: Programming with Guile} documents all aspects of |
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practical programming using Guile. This covers both the Scheme level |
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--- where we provide an introduction to the key ideas of the Scheme |
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language --- and use of Guile's @code{scm} interface to write new |
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primitives and objects in C, and to incorporate Guile into a C |
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application. It also covers the use of Guile as a POSIX compliant |
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script interpreter, and how to use the Guile debugger. |
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@c @strong{Part V: Extending Applications Using Guile} explains the options |
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@c available for using Guile as a application extension language. At the |
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@c simpler end of the scale, an application might use Guile to define some |
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@c application-specific primitives in C and then load an application Scheme |
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@c file. In this case most of the application code is written on the |
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@c Scheme level, and uses the application-specific primitives as an |
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@c extension to standard Scheme. At the other end of the scale, an |
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@c application might be predominantly written in C --- with its main |
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@c control loop implemented in C --- but make occasional forays into Scheme |
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@c to, say, read configuration data or run user-defined customization code. |
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@c This part of the manual covers the complete range of application |
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@c extension options. |
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@strong{Part III: Guile API Reference} documents Guile's core API. Most |
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of the variables and procedures in Guile's core programming interface |
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are available in both Scheme and C, and are related systematically such |
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that the C interface can be inferred from the Scheme interface and vice |
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versa. Therefore this part of the manual documents the Guile API in |
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functionality-based groups with the Scheme and C interfaces presented |
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side by side. Where the Scheme and C interfaces for a particular |
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functional area do differ --- which is sometimes inevitable, given the |
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differences in the structure of the two languages --- this is pointed |
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out and explained. In all cases the overriding principle is that all |
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the reference documentation for a given functional area is grouped |
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together. |
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@c the core Scheme language and features that Guile implements. Although |
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@c the basis for this is the Scheme language described in R5RS, this part |
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@c of the manual does not assume any prior familiarity with R5RS in |
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@c particular, or with Scheme in general. Basic Scheme concepts, standard |
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@c aspects of the Scheme language and Guile extensions on top of R5RS are |
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@c all documented from scratch, and organized by functionality rather than |
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@c by the defining standards. |
129 |
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@strong{Part II: Guile Scheme} documents the core Scheme language and |
@strong{Part IV: Guile Modules} describes some important modules, |
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features that Guile implements. Although the basis for this is the |
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Scheme language described in R5RS, this part of the manual does not |
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|
assume any prior familiarity with R5RS in particular, or with Scheme in |
|
|
general. Basic Scheme concepts, standard aspects of the Scheme language |
|
|
and Guile extensions on top of R5RS are all documented from scratch, and |
|
|
organized by functionality rather than by the defining standards. |
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@strong{Part III: Guile Modules} describes some important modules, |
|
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distributed as part of the Guile distribution, that extend the |
distributed as part of the Guile distribution, that extend the |
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functionality provided by the Guile Scheme core. Two important examples |
functionality provided by the Guile Scheme core. Two important examples |
133 |
are: |
are: |
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available for use in Guile. |
available for use in Guile. |
143 |
@end itemize |
@end itemize |
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@strong{Part IV: Guile Scripting} documents the use of Guile as a script |
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interpreter, and illustrates this with a series of examples. |
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|
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@strong{Part V: Extending Applications Using Guile} explains the options |
|
|
available for using Guile as a application extension language. At the |
|
|
simpler end of the scale, an application might use Guile to define some |
|
|
application-specific primitives in C and then load an application Scheme |
|
|
file. In this case most of the application code is written on the |
|
|
Scheme level, and uses the application-specific primitives as an |
|
|
extension to standard Scheme. At the other end of the scale, an |
|
|
application might be predominantly written in C --- with its main |
|
|
control loop implemented in C --- but make occasional forays into Scheme |
|
|
to, say, read configuration data or run user-defined customization code. |
|
|
This part of the manual covers the complete range of application |
|
|
extension options. |
|
|
|
|
|
Finally, the appendices explain how to obtain the latest version of |
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Guile, how to install it, where to find modules to work with Guile, and |
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|
how to use the Guile debugger. |
|
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|
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@iftex |
@iftex |
147 |
@section Manual Conventions |
@section Manual Conventions |