Readme: | Short: SDI headers - A set of C macro/defines to make amiga development easier. Kurz: SDI Headers - Ein B�ndel von C Makros/Defines um Amiga Entwicklungen einfacher zu machen Author: mail@jens-maus.de (Jens Maus), soft@dstoecker.de (Dirk St�cker) Uploader: mail@jens-maus.de (Jens Maus) Version: 1.7 (04.08.2015) Type: dev/c Replaces: dev/c/SDI_headers.lha Architecture: ppc-morphos >= 1.4.2; m68k-amigaos >= 2.1.0; ppc-amigaos >= 4.0.0
ABOUT ----- One may ask, what are these "SDI headers" all about? So let me try to explain the idea behind those additional headerfiles first:
The so-called "SDI headers" are a set of freely available and freely usable C-language header files which provide different sets of macros and defines to make the live of developers much more comfortable when it comes to dealing with hooks, compiler specific specialities or if one have to keep C sources compatible over different AmigaOS-like platforms.
In fact, by using the SDI headers a developer might keep his sources simple and compatible to AmigaOS3, AmigaOS4 and also MorphOS much more easier, than with having to clutter them with tones of #ifdef statements just because these platforms use different approaches for the same path.
WHY? ---- Now you may ask why? The answer is quite easy. Because if you have followed recent development pathes of AmigaOS3 and its successors AmigaOS4 and MorphOS, you might have noticed that many parts of the original AmigaOS API/SDK have been changed. On one hand the API changed because OS4 and MorphOS are now PPC based, but also because of the senseless "fight" between those Amiga-based platforms, it is much harder these days for a developer willing to support all of these platforms at once. Here is where the SDI headers can clearly help. They release much of the pain when it comes to deal with Hooks, compiler differences and platform specialities.
DIFFERENT PURPOSES ------------------ Currently the "SDI headers" consist of 4 different header files which were developed because of different purposes:
SDI_compiler.h - This header file carries compiler independent defines and macros to allow developers to keep sources compatible to different compilers and make sources in all more transparent to compilers.
SDI_hook.h - Dealing with Amiga-hooks was always a bit tricky and hard, but in using this header file Hook can be defined in a very easy and Amiga-platform independent fashion.
SDI_lib.h - Since AmigaOS4 a new library system has been introduced which comes with a different fashion of dealing with shared libraries. This header file allows to keep sources compatible to the old scheme by using different types of macros making it transparent for AmigaOS3 and MorphOS as well.
SDI_stdarg.h - Unfortunatly variable argument list functions has always been a bit tricky and especially since we are on the PPC now, developers have to be more careful in how to use variable argument list functions. However, this header file allows to use a simple set of macros to generate a AmigaOS3/AmigaOS4 and MorphOS compatible variable argument list function.
SDI_interrupt.h- Dealing with Amiga-interrupts was always a bit tricky and hard, but in using this header file interrupts and handler can be defined in a very easy and Amiga-platform independent fashion. SDI_misc.h - This file contains miscellaneous function definitions which may be required during development like the PutChProc() for RawDoFmt().
So you see. The SDI headers are a global players and if you use the whole set of these headers your sources can be much easier maintainable than they are already. Just have a look at the included examples!
USAGE ----- There is nothing really special about these headers and their usage. All header files in the "includes" subdirectory of this distributions should be perfectly commented and can be directly included in any sources. However, for a better understanding we have worked out some examples which should illustrate how the SDI headers have to be used and how they are able to simplify parts of a source code, especially if this source has to be compatible to many different AmigaOS like platforms.
ARE THEY SERIOUSLY USED YET? ---------------------------- Of course these headers are not only "theoretical stuff". In fact they are currently used in the following well-known Amiga-based projects:
YAM (Yet Another Mailer) - http://yam.ch/ NList MUI classes - http://sf.net/p/nlist-classes MUI (Magic User Interface) - http://muidev.de/ Freeciv (Amiga port) XAD library
.. and many unknown ones :)
So if you are interested in looking into "real" working source code and not only into the supplied example code, please feel free to have a look at the source code of the above projects (if it is freely available of course).
UPDATES ------- The latest brand of these headers can be viewed and downloaded from the following URL:
https://github.com/adtools/SDI
COPYRIGHT --------- The header files and sources of the SDI headers and its examples are fully public domain. They can be reproduced and altered in any way. All we (the authors) request is that if you find a bug or better way to deal with something please send us a comment or hint about it so that we can integrate this stuff in future versions. Please share the public domain idea to make development for all us small Amiga developer group easier and so painful in future.
AUTHORS ------- The main/original authors of the SDI headers are:
Jens Maus <mail@jens-maus.de> Dirk St�cker <soft@dstoecker.de>
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