Graham Ollis

Dear Graham Ollis,

FFI::Platypus is awesome :) I am trying it now.

I could install in Windows 7 + Active Perl + cpan with some manual setting of %PKG_CONFIG_PATH% environment variable pointing to libffi downloaded via Alien::FFI.

Not a big problem :) In linux it works like a charm.

I feel the documentation can be improved in the view of people with limited C knowledge.

How do I create C structure and pass to a lib function using FFI::Platypus? What exactly it provides more than FFI::Raw? Just for my better understanding, I have asked the above questions.

Thanks for your work.

Thanks for the explanation Graham Ollis, I will do experiments with Structure + FFI::Platypus.

Dear Graham Ollis,

I am trying to use a Structure with FFI::Platypus.

OS: Windows 7, x64
Perl: Active Perl 5.20, x86

I have written simple code to get Windows System time. This code is not working.
I am not sure where I have missed it. If this works, It could be an example of how to use struct with FFI::Platypus.

#!perl
use strict;
use warnings;
use FFI::CheckLib;
use FFI::Platypus;
use Convert::Binary::C;
use Data::Dumper;
use Data::Hexdumper;

#Get the system time using Kernel32.dll

#find the Kernel32.dll
my $libPath = find_lib(lib=>'Kernel32');
#Create FFI Object
my $ffiObj = FFI::Platypus->new();
$ffiObj->lib($libPath);

#Import the GetLocalTime function
$ffiObj->attach('GetLocalTime',['opaque'],'void');

#Define SYSTEMTIME Struct as per https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms724950(v=vs.85).aspx
#As per, C:\MinGW\include\windef.h, WORD id unsigned short
my $c = Convert::Binary::C->new->parse(
struct SYSTEMTIME {
unsigned short wYear;
unsigned short wMonth;
unsigned short wDayOfWeek;
unsigned short wDay;
unsigned short wHour;
unsigned short wMinute;
unsigned short wSecond;
unsigned short wMilliseconds;
};

ENDC

my $dateStruct = {
wYear=>0,
wMonth=>0,
wDayOfWeek=>0,
wDay=>0,
wHour=>0,
wMinute=>0,
wSecond=>0,
wMilliseconds=>0,
};

my $packed = $c->pack('SYSTEMTIME', $dateStruct);

#Call the function by passing the structure reference
GetLocalTime(\$packed);

if (defined ($packed))
{
print "\n Got the time";
#Unpack the structure
}
else
{
print "\n Something is wrong";
}

exit 0;

What am I doing wrong?

Great :). It works. You rock Graham Ollis.


#!perl
use strict;
use warnings;
use FFI::CheckLib;
use FFI::Platypus;
use Convert::Binary::C;
use Data::Dumper;
use Data::Hexdumper;

#Get the system time using Kernel32.dll

#find the Kernel32.dll
my $libPath = find_lib(lib=>'Kernel32');
#Create FFI Object
my $ffiObj = FFI::Platypus->new();
$ffiObj->lib($libPath);

#Import the GetLocalTime function
$ffiObj->attach('GetLocalTime',['opaque'],'void');

#Define SYSTEMTIME Struct as per https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms724950(v=vs.85).aspx
#As per, C:\MinGW\include\windef.h, WORD id unsigned short
my $c = Convert::Binary::C->new->parse(
struct SYSTEMTIME {
unsigned short wYear;
unsigned short wMonth;
unsigned short wDayOfWeek;
unsigned short wDay;
unsigned short wHour;
unsigned short wMinute;
unsigned short wSecond;
unsigned short wMilliseconds;
};

ENDC

my $dateStruct = {
wYear=>0,
wMonth=>0,
wDayOfWeek=>0,
wDay=>0,
wHour=>0,
wMinute=>0,
wSecond=>0,
wMilliseconds=>0,
};

my $packed = $c->pack('SYSTEMTIME', $dateStruct);
my $pointerToDateStruct = $ffiObj->cast('string','opaque',$packed); #Get the pointer to the Struct

#Call the function by passing the structure reference
GetLocalTime($pointerToDateStruct);

if (defined ($packed))
{
print "\n Got the time";
#Unpack the structure
print hexdump(data=>$packed);
my $sysDate = $c->unpack('SYSTEMTIME', $packed);
print "\n SYSTEM TIME:",Dumper($sysDate);
}
else
{
print "\n Something is wrong";
}

exit 0;

Is it not simply enough to pass the $packed var's reference like \$packed? Why should the explicit cast is needed?

Stefan Seifert (aka nine) is due to show large and complex Perl 5 CPAN offerings like Catalyst and various XS modules working nicely with Perl 6 via his Inline::Perl5 module at FOSDEM.

His 40 minute talk is scheduled for Saturday: https://fosdem.org/2015/schedule/event/modules_ecosystem_perl6/

Some folk think the various things being shown at FOSDEM, including and maybe especially nine's stuff, may be a game changer viz-a-viz folks' perspectives on Perl 6 and Perl in general. As such I expect there to be related buzz about this this weekend and next week.

My question for you is: does your FFI stuff also play nicely with Inline::Perl5 (or the underlying NativeCall and Inline tech)?

I don't have time to test this myself until next week but maybe you or someone else can talk with nine before his talk? Maybe he can mention how and why your stuff does (or doesn't) work with his stuff?

If someone does have time then I suggest they drop in on the IRC channel #perl6 on freenode and explain what they're doing and ping 'nine'.