Clong: A Wrapper for Libclang and a Generator for Clojure APIs

2023/07/23

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The article introduces Clong, a tool that serves as a wrapper for libclang and a generator for Clojure APIs. The author explains that Clong aims to simplify the process of creating wrappers for C libraries, making it less tedious and error-prone. While it doesn't automate the entire process, it can handle around 80-90% of the work, providing useful tools for building higher-level APIs.

The usage of Clong is demonstrated, including how to parse header files using the com.phronemophobic.clong.clang/parse function, which takes a header filename and command line arguments to pass to clang. The article also mentions the availability of a raw API in com.phronemophobic.clong.clang.jna.raw for further processing.

One notable feature of Clong is its ability to generate APIs. The article provides an example of how Clong can be used to generate a wrapper for libz, showcasing the use of easy-api to describe the API and def-api to generate the necessary structs, functions, and enums.

The article concludes by mentioning other projects that utilize Clong, such as its own generation of the Clong's clang interface and a complete wrapper for the libav* libraries. It also mentions future work and provides the necessary licensing information.

For developers looking to streamline the process of creating wrappers for C libraries in Clojure, Clong offers a valuable toolset and an efficient way to generate APIs.