EXTUTILS::PARSEXS(3perl)

📦
version 5.44.0 · 14 versions
, in arch rolling

✨ ExtUtils::ParseXS — bestie edition ✨

okay so you know ExtUtils::ParseXS? it's the Perl module (docs lived at ExtUtils::ParseXS(3perl)) that does the absolute most: it takes your XS code and turns it into actual C code. slay. 💖

🌸 NAME 🌸

ExtUtils::ParseXS — converts Perl XS code into C code. that's the whole job. iconic behavior. 👑

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

use ExtUtils::ParseXS;

my $pxs = ExtUtils::ParseXS->new;
$pxs->process_file( filename => 'foo.xs' );

$pxs->process_file( filename => 'foo.xs',
                    output => 'bar.c',
                    'C++' => 1,
                    typemap => 'path/to/typemap',
                    hiertype => 1,
                    except => 1,
                    versioncheck => 1,
                    linenumbers => 1,
                    optimize => 1,
                    prototypes => 1,
                    die_on_error => 0,
                  );

# Legacy non-OO interface using a singleton:
use ExtUtils::ParseXS qw(process_file);
process_file( filename => 'foo.xs' );

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so. ExtUtils::ParseXS compiles XS code into C code, and the way it does that is by embedding all the constructs you need to let C functions mess with Perl values 💅 — and it creates the glue that lets Perl get at those functions. the compiler uses typemaps to figure out how to map C function parameters and variables over to Perl values. no cap.

the compiler goes hunting for typemap files literally named typemap. here's the search path it uses to find the default typemaps, and bestie, the rightmost typemap takes precedence:

../../../typemap:../../typemap:../typemap:typemap

🌈 EXPORT 🌈

None by default. zero. nada. 🙈

process_file() and/or report_error_count() may be exported upon request. but also — using the functional interface is discouraged. she said what she said. 💅

💜 METHODS 💜

$pxs->new()

Returns a new, empty XS parser/compiler object. fresh out the box, blank slate, main character energy. ✨

$pxs->process_file()

This method processes an XS file and sends output to a C file. and here's the tea: the method may be called as a function (this is the legacy interface) and will then use a singleton as invocant. wild but ok. 🫶

Named parameters control how the processing is done. The following parameters are accepted:

  • filename — This is the full pathname of the XS file to open and process. process_file() will normally chdir() to the basename of the file.

The filename may be a reference to a string, in which case the lines of the string form the contents of the "input" file, using the standard open $fh, '<', \$string mechanism. literally string-as-a-file, she's flexible like that. 💖

  • C++ — Adds extern "C" to the C code. Default is false.
  • hiertype — Retains :: in type names so that C++ hierarchical types can be mapped. Default is false.
  • except — Adds exception handling stubs to the C code. Default is false.
  • typemap — Indicates that a user-supplied typemap should take precedence over the default typemaps. A single typemap may be specified as a string, or multiple typemaps can be specified in an array reference, with the last typemap having the highest precedence. last one wins, periodt. 👑
  • prototypes — Generates prototype code for all xsubs. Default is false.
  • versioncheck — Makes sure at run time that the object file (derived from the .xs file) and the .pm files have the same version number. Default is true.
  • linenumbers — Adds #line directives to the C output so error messages will look like they came from the original XS file. Default is true.
  • optimize — Enables certain optimizations. The only optimization that is currently affected is the use of targets by the output C code (see perlguts). Not optimizing may significantly slow down the generated code, but this is the way xsubpp of 5.005 and earlier operated. Default is to optimize.
  • inout — Enable recognition of IN, OUT_LIST and INOUT_LIST declarations. Default is true.
  • argtypes — Enable recognition of ANSI-like descriptions of function signature. Default is true.
  • s — Maintainer note: I have no clue what this does. Strips function prefixes? 😭 bestie the maintainer said "idk either" and honestly? relatable. 💀
  • die_on_error — Normally ExtUtils::ParseXS will terminate the program with an exit(1) after printing the details of the exception to STDERR via (warn). This can be awkward when it is used programmatically and not via xsubpp, so this option can be used to cause it to die instead by providing a true value. When not provided this defaults to the value of $ExtUtils::ParseXS::DIE_ON_ERROR which in turn defaults to false.

$pxs->report_error_count()

This method returns the number of [a certain kind of] errors encountered during processing of the XS file. the receipts, basically. 🧾

The method may be called as a function (this is the legacy interface) and will then use a singleton as invocant.

🫶 AUTHOR 🫶

Based on xsubpp code, written by Larry Wall. the og. 🌟

Maintained by:

  • Ken Williams, <ken@mathforum.org>
  • David Golden, <dagolden@cpan.org>
  • James Keenan, <jkeenan@cpan.org>
  • Steffen Mueller, <smueller@cpan.org>

Copyright 2002-2014 by Ken Williams, David Golden and other contributors. All rights reserved.

This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.

Based on the ExtUtils::xsubpp code by Larry Wall and the Perl 5 Porters, which was released under the same license terms.

💫 SEE ALSO 💫

perl, ExtUtils::xsubpp, ExtUtils::MakeMaker, perlxs, perlxstut.

okay that's the whole page, you ate it up bestie 🍓 this was perl v5.44.0, dated 2026-10-17 — go forth and parse some XS, you absolute icon 💅✨

📦 where this page comes from