[Vm-dev] How to addGCRoot: ? help requested

[Igor Stasenko]

On 24 December 2012 00:05, Nicolas Cellier
<nicolas.cellier.aka.nice at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> 2012/12/23 Igor Stasenko <siguctua at gmail.com>:
>>
>> On 23 December 2012 22:25, Nicolas Cellier
>> <nicolas.cellier.aka.nice at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Ah OK, thanks, I get it...
>>> Two questions remain:
>>>
>>> 1) how to access addGCroot: from within a SmartSyntaxInterpreterPlugin ?
>>
>> interpreterProxy addGCroot: ...
>>
>
> Hmm, in NB you used a different strategy...
> First, you defined a NBInterpreterProxy to perform a simpleCall to
> addGCRoot() after registering this function in class method
> #proxyFunctionsData unless it is from #CogProxyFunctionsData (why
> two?)

Because first implementation of NB was before Cog , it worked on
Squeak/Stack VM:)
And NBInterpreterProxy is exactly interface which VM provides for plugins:
 a table of function pointers.

> Then, no plugin calls addGCRoot: directly.

> Instead you defined a primAddGCRoot: in order to use it from within the image.

This method i a primitive, which code makes a call to that function.
There's no magic, no "plugin" , nothing. Just pure function call.
Everything implemented in smalltalk.

> That's a bit too much for a helpful simple example.
>
> I fail to see how this easily transpose to a vanilla VMMaker and it's
> native InterpreterProxy.

Directly :)

there's two things:
 - registering object(s) at given name (at:put:)
 - generating code to read an object at run time (emitOopAt:generator:)

 i using only single root object -  just a simple array.
and NBExtraRootsRegistry maintaining that array size/elements,
by giving a more convenient interface for outside
(at:/at:put:/emitOopAt:generator:)

Like that, i can register any object under known name and access it
later at run time.

For instance , #emitFetchClass:generator: is used for generating code to
create instances of any class i wanna use in primitive(s)
- (#createInstanceOf:size:), as well as for testing whether
incoming argument(s) is correct/valid by doing class membership test.
(verifyClassOf: is: generator: ).

I know it can be hard to see through generated code spahetti.
But the logic there is very simple :)

> I think I'll have to hack InterpreterProxy to give access to
> addGCRoot: unless there is more magic I missed in the code
> generator...
>
You don't need to hack anything , because it is already there.
Just write
interpeterProxy addGCRoot:
in slang code and you done.

> Nicolas
>
>>> 2) when do you need to register (re-register)?
>>> - once at image startup ?
>> yes,at image boot time.
>> when session changes.
>>
>>> - after each snapshot ?
>>>
>> not here
>>
>
> There is no stupid question ;) well more or less...
>
>>> I think I'll have a look at NativeBoost indeed...
>>>
>>> Nicolas
>>>
>>> 2012/12/23 Igor Stasenko <siguctua at gmail.com>:
>>>>
>>>> addGCRoot()
>>>> takes a pointer to some memory location, where root object will be stored.
>>>>
>>>> sqInt * mem;
>>>>
>>>> mem = malloc(4);
>>>> *mem = someOop;
>>>> addGCRoot(mem);
>>>>
>>>> now, to read a reference to 'someObject' at any place you can just do
>>>>
>>>> someOop = *mem.
>>>>
>>>> often you may want to register multiple objects for use.
>>>> you can , of course, use addGCRoot() per each of them,
>>>> or, just use an array to store unlimited number of objects as roots
>>>> (that way you don't risk overflowing extra roots table, as well as can manage
>>>> that array at image side, and at cost of extra indirection).
>>>>
>>>> If you want a working example you can look at NBExtraRootsRegistry
>>>> implementation,
>>>> which is part of NativeBoost, how i using it.
>>>>
>>>> On 23 December 2012 21:34, Nicolas Cellier
>>>> <nicolas.cellier.aka.nice at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> I wanted to experiment a plugin and need to register a couple of
>>>>> classes that some primitive will test/instantiate.
>>>>> The ugly way is to pollute specialObjectArray...
>>>>> But #recreateSpecialObjectsArray recommend using addGCRoot()
>>>>> Fine, I'd like to try.
>>>>>
>>>>> What I'd like to do is register my couple of classes in a
>>>>> primRegister() primitive
>>>>> (once for all or at each image startup, or at each snapshot, whatever...)
>>>>> Then to later use the registered classes in primDoSomething().
>>>>>
>>>>> I can see ObjectMemory>>addGCRoot: but unfortunately, absolutely no
>>>>> sender of it to serve as an example...
>>>>> I even don't know how to access the objectMemory from within a
>>>>> SmartSyntaxInterpreterPlugin ?
>>>>> I can only see a interpreterProxy and
>>>>>
>>>>> Then how to retrieve my registered objects? they are store in the
>>>>> extraRoots at some index, but that index is not returned by
>>>>> addGCRoot:...
>>>>> Anyway, the index could change thanks to removeGCRoot:, so I'm stuck here...
>>>>> I must be missing something...
>>>>> Or maybe addGCRoot: is just here to prevent an Object to be garbage
>>>>> collected but does not really offer a registering service...
>>>>>
>>>>> If you know about any documentation/example hanging around or have
>>>>> some clues I'll be happy that you share them !
>>>>>
>>>>> Last note, I'm in a VMMaker oscog flavour...
>>>>>
>>>>> Nicolas
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Best regards,
>>>> Igor Stasenko.
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Best regards,
>> Igor Stasenko.



-- 
Best regards,
Igor Stasenko.