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<!ENTITY cmd "dbus-binding-tool">
%commonents;
%booktitles;
<!ENTITY suncopy "Copyright (c) 2009 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.">
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<refentry id="dbus-binding-tool-1">
<!-- %Z%%M% %I% %E% SMI; -->
<refmeta><refentrytitle>&cmd;</refentrytitle><manvolnum>1</manvolnum>
<refmiscinfo class="date">26 Feb 2009</refmiscinfo>
<refmiscinfo class="sectdesc">&man1;</refmiscinfo>
<refmiscinfo class="software">&release;</refmiscinfo>
<refmiscinfo class="arch">generic</refmiscinfo>
<refmiscinfo class="copyright">&suncopy;</refmiscinfo>
</refmeta>
<indexterm><primary>&cmd;</primary></indexterm>
<indexterm><primary>D\-Bus binding tool for GObjects</primary></indexterm>
<refnamediv id="dbus-binding-tool-1-name">
<refname>&cmd;</refname>
<refpurpose>D\-Bus binding tool for GObjects</refpurpose>
</refnamediv>
<refsynopsisdiv id="dbus-binding-tool-1-synp"><title>&synp-tt;</title>
<cmdsynopsis><command>&cmd;</command>
<arg choice="opt"><option>-force</option></arg>
<arg choice="opt"><option>-help</option></arg>
<arg choice="opt"><option>-ignore-unsupported</option></arg>
<arg choice="opt"><option>-mode=<replaceable>pretty|glib-client|glib-server</replaceable></option></arg>
<arg choice="opt"><option>-output=<replaceable>file</replaceable></option></arg>
<arg choice="opt"><option>-prefix=<replaceable>symbol-prefix</replaceable></option></arg>
<arg choice="opt"><option>-version</option></arg>
<arg rep="repeat"><option role="nodash"><replaceable>file</replaceable></option></arg>
</cmdsynopsis></refsynopsisdiv>
<refsect1 id="dbus-binding-tool-1-desc"><title>&desc-tt;</title>
<para>
<command>&cmd;</command> is used to expose a GObject via D\-Bus. As input,
<command>&cmd;</command> uses a D\-Bus Introspection XML file. As output,
the client-side or server-side bindings is generated. This output is a header
file which eases the use of a remote D\-Bus object. Output is sent to standard
out or to the filename specified with the <option>-output</option> argument.
</para>
</refsect1>
<refsect1 id="pkg-config-1-exde"><title>&exde-tt;</title>
<refsect2>
<para>
The following is a sample D\-Bus Introspection XML file which describes an
object that exposes one method, named ManyArgs:
</para>
<screen>
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<method name="ManyArgs">
<arg type="u" name="x" direction="in" />
<arg type="s" name="str" direction="in" />
<arg type="d" name="trouble" direction="in" />
<arg type="d" name="d_ret" direction="out" />
<arg type="s" name="str_ret" direction="out" />
</method>
</interface>
</node>
</screen>
<para>
<command>&cmd;</command> supports annotations in the XML format to further
control how the bindings are generated.
</refsect2>
<refsect2>
<title>client-side bindings</title>
<para>
When building client-side bindings, the <option>-mode=glib-client</option>
argument is used. The client-side bindings support the
"org.freedesktop.DBus.Glib.NoReply" annotation. This is specified
within the <method> tag to indicate that the client is not expecting
a reply to the method call, so a reply should not be sent. This is
often used to speed up rapid method calls where there are no "out"
arguments, and not knowing if the method succeeded is an acceptable compromise
to halve the traffic on the bus. For example:
</para>
<screen>
<method name "FooMethod">
[...]
<annotation name="org.freedesktop.DBus.GLib.NoReply" value="yes"/>
[...]
</method>
</screen>
</para>
</refsect2>
<refsect2>
<title>server-side bindings</title>
<para>
When building server-side bindings, the <option>-mode=glib-server</option>
argument is used. Also the <option>-prefix</option> argument must be used when
building server-side bindings so that functions in the generated output are
prefexed with the specified value. The server-side bindings support the
following annotations:
</para>
<para>
"org.freedesktop.DBus.GLib.CSymbol"
</para>
<para>
This annotation is used to specify the C symbol names for the various types
(interface, method, etc.), if it differs from the name D\-Bus generates.
</para>
<screen>
<annotation name="org.freedesktop.DBus.GLib.CSymbol" value="my_object"/>
[...]
<method name "ManyArgs">
<annotation name="org.freedesktop.DBus.GLib.CSymbol" value="my_object_many_args"/>
[...]
</method>
</interface>
</screen>
<para>
"org.freedesktop.DBus.GLib.Async"
</para>
<para>
This annotation marks the method implementation as an asynchronous function,
which does not return a response straight away but will send the response at
some later point to complete the call. This is used to implement non-blocking
services where method calls can take time.
</para>
<para>
When a method is asynchronous, the function prototype is different. It is
required that the function conform to the following rules:
</para>
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>The function must return a value of type gboolean; TRUE on success,
and FALSE otherwise.</listitem>
<listitem>The first parameter is a pointer to an instance of the object.
</listitem
<listitem>Following the object instance pointer are the method input values.
</listitem>
<listitem>The final parameter must be a (DBusGMethodInvocation *). This is used
when sending the response message back to the client, by calling
dbus_g_method_return or dbus_g_method_return_error.</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
<para>
For example:
</para>
<screen>
<method name "FooMethod">
[...]
<annotation name="org.freedesktop.DBus.GLib.Async" value="yes"/>
[...]
</method>
</screen>
<para>
"org.freedesktop.DBus.GLib.Const"
</para>
<para>
This attribute can only be applied to "out" <arg> nodes, and
specifies that the parameter is not being copied when returned. For example,
this turns a 's' argument from a (char **) to a (const char **), and results in
the argument not being freed by D\-Bus after the message is sent. For example:
</para>
<screen>
<arg type="u" name="x" direction="out">
<annotation name="org.freedesktop.DBus.GLib.Const" value=""/>
</arg>
</screen>
<para>
"org.freedesktop.DBus.GLib.ReturnVal"
</para>
<para>
This attribute can only be applied to "out" <arg> nodes, and
alters the expected function signature. It currently can be set to two values:
"" or "error". The argument marked with this attribute is
not returned via a pointer argument, but by the function's return value. If the
attribute's value is the empty string, the (GError *) argument is also omitted
so there is no standard way to return an error value. This is very useful for
interfacing with existing code, as it is possible to match existing APIs. If
the attribute's value is "error", then the final argument is a
(GError *) as usual. For example:
</para>
<screen>
<arg type="u" name="x" direction="out">
<annotation name="org.freedesktop.DBus.GLib.ReturnVal" value=""/>
</arg>
</screen>
</refsect2>
</refsect1>
<refsect1 id="dbus-binding-tool-1-opts"><title>&opts-tt;</title>
<para>
The following options are supported:
</para>
<variablelist termlength="wholeline">
<varlistentry>
<term><option>-force</option></term>
<listitem><para>
Overwrite the output file if it already exists with a newer timestamp than the
source files.
</para></listitem></varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><option>-help</option></term>
<listitem><para>
Display usage information.
</para></listitem></varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><option>-ignore-unsupported</option></term>
<listitem><para>
If set, then unsupported signatures for <method> parameters are
ignored.
</para></listitem></varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><option>-mode=<replaceable>pretty|glib-client|glib-server</replaceable></option></term>
<listitem><para>
If the value is "glib-client", then client bindings are generated.
If the value is "glib-server", then server bindings are generated.
If the value is "pretty", then the output is in a more human readable
format.
</para></listitem></varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><option>-output=<replaceable>file</replaceable></option></term>
<listitem><para>
Specify the output <replaceable>file</replaceable>.
</para></listitem></varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><option>-prefix=<replaceable>symbol-prefix</replaceable></option></term>
<listitem><para>
Functions in the generated output are prefixed with the
<replaceable>symbol-prefix</replaceable> value.
</para></listitem></varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><option>-version</option></term>
<listitem><para>
Display the version number of the <command>&cmd;</command> command.
</para></listitem></varlistentry>
</variablelist></refsect1>
<refsect1 id="gnome-audio-preview-1-oper"><title>&oper-tt;</title>
<para>
The following operands are supported:
</para>
<variablelist termlength="narrow">
<varlistentry>
<term><option role="nodash"><replaceable>file</replaceable></option></term>
<listitem><para>
A list of one or more input D\-Bus Introspection XML files to include in the
generated output.
</para></listitem></varlistentry>
</variablelist></refsect1>
<refsect1 id="dbus-binding-tool-1-file"><title>&file-tt;</title>
<para>
The following files are used by this application:
</para>
<variablelist termlength="wide">
<para>Executable for the D\-Bus Binding Tool application.</para>
</listitem></varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</refsect1>
<refsect1 id="dbus-binding-tool-1-attr"><title>&attr-tt;</title>
<para>
See
<olink targetdocent="REFMAN5" localinfo="attributes-5">
<citerefentry><refentrytitle>attributes</refentrytitle>
<manvolnum>5</manvolnum></citerefentry></olink>
for descriptions of the following attributes:
</para>
<informaltable frame="all">
<tgroup cols="2" colsep="1" rowsep="1">
<colspec colname="COLSPEC0" colwidth="1*">
<colspec colname="COLSPEC1" colwidth="1*">
<thead>
<row>
<entry align="center" valign="middle">ATTRIBUTE TYPE</entry>
<entry align="center" valign="middle">ATTRIBUTE VALUE</entry></row>
</thead>
<tbody>
<row>
<entry><para>Availability</para></entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry colname="COLSPEC0"><para>Interface stability</para></entry>
<entry colname="COLSPEC1"><para>Volatile</para></entry>
</row>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</informaltable>
</refsect1>
<refsect1 id="dbus-binding-tool-1-also"><title>&also-tt;</title>
<!--Reference to another man page-->
<!--Reference to a Help manual-->
<!--Reference to a book.-->
<para>
<citerefentry><refentrytitle>dbus-cleanup-sockets</refentrytitle><manvolnum>1</manvolnum></citerefentry>,
<citerefentry><refentrytitle>dbus-daemon</refentrytitle><manvolnum>1</manvolnum></citerefentry>,
<citerefentry><refentrytitle>dbus-monitor</refentrytitle><manvolnum>1</manvolnum></citerefentry>,
<citerefentry><refentrytitle>dbus-send</refentrytitle><manvolnum>1</manvolnum></citerefentry>,
<citerefentry><refentrytitle>dbus-uuidgen</refentrytitle><manvolnum>1</manvolnum></citerefentry>,
<citerefentry><refentrytitle>libdbus-glib-1</refentrytitle><manvolnum>3</manvolnum></citerefentry>,
<citerefentry><refentrytitle>attributes</refentrytitle><manvolnum>5</manvolnum></citerefentry>
</para>
</refsect1>
<refsect1 id="rhythmbox-1-note"><title>¬e-tt;</title>
<para>
Written by Brian Cameron, Sun Microsystems Inc., 2009.
</para>
</refsect1>
</refentry>