[Caml-list] Dynamic module loading

[Caml-list] Dynamic module loading

[Dimitri Timofeev]

Greetings!

I'm a newbie in OCaml programming and in this list, so i'm sorry if my
questions aren't smart :).

Can i dynamically load OCaml bytecode modules in runtime from OCaml
program compiled to native code? Can i do it if i compile modules to
native code? If the answer is "yes", does the method work at Win32?

If i can't use native-compiled modules only, there is another question.
That is the minimal set of OCaml files i need to distribute with a
program if i want users to be able to run program compiled to bytecode
without installing OCaml itself?

Thanks!

Dimitri


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RE: [Caml-list] Dynamic module loading

[Michael Hicks]

Fabrice's asmdynlink library allows loading bytecode modules from
compiled-to-native executables, but at a performance cost relative to normal
bytecode interpration times. Bytecode executables can load bytecode modules
using the standard Dynlink library.  Asmdynlink os distributed with the CDK
(http://pauillac.inria.fr/cdk/).

Mike

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-caml-list@pauillac.inria.fr
> [mailto:owner-caml-list@pauillac.inria.fr]On Behalf Of Dimitri Timofeev
> Sent: Saturday, November 10, 2001 6:27 PM
> To: OCaml mailing list
> Subject: [Caml-list] Dynamic module loading
>
>
> Greetings!
>
> I'm a newbie in OCaml programming and in this list, so i'm sorry if my
> questions aren't smart :).
>
> Can i dynamically load OCaml bytecode modules in runtime from OCaml
> program compiled to native code? Can i do it if i compile modules to
> native code? If the answer is "yes", does the method work at Win32?
>
> If i can't use native-compiled modules only, there is another question.
> That is the minimal set of OCaml files i need to distribute with a
> program if i want users to be able to run program compiled to bytecode
> without installing OCaml itself?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Dimitri
>
>
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Re: [Caml-list] Dynamic module loading

[malc]

On Sat, 10 Nov 2001, Dimitri Timofeev wrote:

> Greetings!
> 
> I'm a newbie in OCaml programming and in this list, so i'm sorry if my
> questions aren't smart :).
> 
> Can i dynamically load OCaml bytecode modules in runtime from OCaml
> program compiled to native code? Can i do it if i compile modules to
> native code? If the answer is "yes", does the method work at Win32?
Yes(More detailed answer on this one is in Michael Hicks's post). Yes. No.

-- 
mailto:malc@pulsesoft.com

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Re: [Caml-list] Dynamic module loading

[Xavier Leroy]

Your first question was answered, so let me address the second one:

> If i can't use native-compiled modules only, there is another question.
> That is the minimal set of OCaml files i need to distribute with a
> program if i want users to be able to run program compiled to bytecode
> without installing OCaml itself?

No additional files are needed if you perform the final link with
"ocamlc -custom".  This will create a stand-alone executable
incorporating the OCaml bytecode interpreter, runtime system, and the
bytecode for your program.

Correction: the OCaml runtime system is a C program, and as such can
require certain DLLs containing the C runtime.  Under Unix, you can
even force static linking of these C runtime libs using
  ocamlc -ccopt -static -custom
Under Windows, no such -static option exists, and you'll have to
ensure the users have the required DLLS (winsock.dll for the pure
Win32 port of OCaml, cygwin1.dll for the Cygwin port).

- Xavier Leroy
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RE: [Caml-list] Dynamic module loading

[Vitaly Lugovsky]

On Sat, 10 Nov 2001, Michael Hicks wrote:

> Fabrice's asmdynlink library allows loading bytecode modules from
> compiled-to-native executables, but at a performance cost relative to normal
> bytecode interpration times. Bytecode executables can load bytecode modules
> using the standard Dynlink library.  Asmdynlink os distributed with the CDK
> (http://pauillac.inria.fr/cdk/).

 And what about JIT compiler included there? Is it already usable?
Is there any benchmarks?

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RE: [Caml-list] Dynamic module loading

[Fabrice Le Fessant]

>  On Sat, 10 Nov 2001, Michael Hicks wrote:
>  
>  > Fabrice's asmdynlink library allows loading bytecode modules from
>  > compiled-to-native executables, but at a performance cost relative to normal
>  > bytecode interpration times. Bytecode executables can load bytecode modules
>  > using the standard Dynlink library.  Asmdynlink os distributed with the CDK
>  > (http://pauillac.inria.fr/cdk/).
>  
>   And what about JIT compiler included there? Is it already usable?
>  Is there any benchmarks?

The JIT compiler is still unstable (probably some bugs need to be
fixed). But you can try it by setting OCAMLJIT to true in your
envirronment, before calling a program using asmdynlink ...

- Fabrice
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[Caml-list] Dynamic module loading

[Dimitri Timofeev]

Greetings!

Thanks to all for your help! Your answers were very useful for me.

There is another question at the same subject. Can i use LablTk in
dynamically loaded module? I've tried and i've encountered a problem.

I take some code (i.e. eyes.ml) using LablTk. I write an example
that should be able to load modules:

let main () =
    try
        Dynlink.init ();
        Dynlink.add_interfaces ["Pervasives"; "Printexc"; "Tk"; "Frame"]
                               [Sys.getcwd (); "/usr/lib/ocaml";
                                "/usr/lib/ocaml/labltk"];
        Dynlink.loadfile Sys.argv.(1)
    with
    | Dynlink.Error e ->
        print_string "Dynamic linking error: ";
	print_string (Dynlink.error_message e);
	print_newline ()
;;

let _ = main ()
;;

I compile main.ml with command line "ocamlc -o main dynlink.cma main.ml"
and eyes.ml with "ocamlc -c -I +labltk eyes.ml".

Then i try to call it: "./main eyes.cmo", and i get Dynlink.Error
exception saying that there is no implementation available for Support.
But if i try to add "Support" into modules list, i get exception
Not_found. It seems right, because i have no "support.cmi" file.

Do i have some mistakes in my code or command lines, or i'm going a wrong
way?

Thanks again for your help. I'm very glad to be on this list.

Dimitri


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