Generated: Friday, January 27, 2006, 22:30:39

Porting LAML to another Scheme System

LAML is prepared for porting to other Scheme systems, operating systems, or platforms. I have isolated the parts of LAML that depend on a particular Scheme System in well-defined files. Also the platform dependent aspects have been isolated. Below you will find a list with advice on how to port LAML.

Register the platform and/or the Scheme system in the LAML configuration descriptions
- In laml-config/laml-config-internal.scm 'extend' the variables supported-platforms, supported-scheme-systems, and supported-operating-systems to reflect a new platform, scheme-system, or operating-system
- Make an LAML configuration for your Scheme system by adapting laml-config/configuration.
Define non-standard Scheme functions
- As noticed in the LAML index file, the LAML software uses a number of non-R4RS/R5RS functions which must be implemented somehow. Some Scheme systems happen to support some of them. The compatibility files for various platforms, operating systems and scheme systems are located in the directory lib/compatibility. In this directory you should define the file
  - <laml-platform>_<operating-system>_<scheme-system>.scm
  This is the compatibility file of a specific Scheme system on a given platform and operating system. See the file laml-config-internal.scm for information about platforms, operating systems, and scheme systems. Take a look at the existing compatibility files, such as lib/compatibility/unix_solaris-7_scm.scm and lib/compatibility/windows_win2000_mzscheme.scm for inspiration and information.
  Notice that the compatibility file contains a couple of functions laml-canonical-command-line and fake-startup-parameters which are LAML specific, but Scheme system dependent. See laml-config/templates/laml.scm for a specification of these
Define the laml command file
- If you want to initiate LAML from a command prompt, you must make an appropriate command file (shell script) in laml-config/exec-stuff/. The name of the file must be
  - <laml-platform>_<operating-system>_<scheme-system>_laml
  Take a look at the existing laml files in laml-config/exec-stuff/ to get inspiration, such as the unix laml shell scrip.The strings enclosed in @...@ delimiters are automatically substituted by appropriate strings during the LAML configuration process. The configuration process will copy your command file to the bin directory of the LAML distribution.
Define the LAML Emacs Lisp execution functions
- If you want to initiate LAML processing from emacs you must define ways to start/call a LAML process (asynchronously/synchronously) from Emacs. This is done in the file emacs-support/laml-execute.el by extending the conds in the functions start-laml-process and call-laml-process.
In case you want to use Scheme for CGI programming purposes
- The CGI library requires that the function (getenv <environment-variable>) returns the value of <environment-variable> (a string).
- In addition, the CGI programs developed locally at the Computer Science Department requires that all the required functions mentioned in the LAML index files are defined, including make-directory-in-directory and mail. But this is, of course, not a general requirement for using Scheme in CGI programs.

When you are done, try configure LAML, and try out the examples.You can run them all by processing the file process-all.laml in the example dir.

If you manage to port LAML to a new platform, operating system or Scheme system, I would like to receive the following from you in order to extend future LAML distributions with your contributions:

A zipped version of the laml-config directory
A zipped version of the lib/compatibility directory

please email these directories to me, see email address below.

Kurt Nørmark
Aalborg University
normark@cs.aau.dk

Generated: January 27, 2006, 22:30:39