Re: Binding and linking non-withed packages into an executable

[Ludovic Brenta <ludovic.brenta@insalien.org>]

Stephen Leake <stephen_leake@acm.org> writes:

> "Marc A. Criley" <mcNOSPAM@mckae.com> writes:
> 
> > Obviously I can have a "configuration package" that with's the
> > "peripheral" packages and is withed by the main, but I'd like to
> > make the inclusion of such packages a build, rather than compile,
> > issue. This way new callback packages can be brought in or omitted
> > as needed (the actual app is of course more sophisticated than the
> > above toy), so no actual software would have to change.
> 
> I define "actual software" as "anything in CVS". In your desired
> system, the Makefile would have to change. In standard Ada, one .adb
> file would have to change. Either way, it's one file in CVS.
> 
> What is the actual gain over doing it in a non-standard way?

Allowing customers to provide their own callbacks, without recompiling
the app or having access to the source code?  Like in a plug-in
system?

How about compiling the plug-ins separately from the application?
Then the application reads some sort of configuration file, or
directory, or registry of plug-ins, and dlopen()s the appropriate
library at run time.  I understand there exists an Ada binding to
dlopen() already.  Would this solve your problem?

-- 
Ludovic Brenta.