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# $Id: README,v 1.4 1998/03/23 15:03:54 boris Exp $
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# Project QtDynLoad (version 0.3): an external modul system for Qt/Linux.
# Makefile for "QtDynLoad-0.3".
#
# System: Linux v2.x, Qt v1.33,
#         pgcc v2.90.23 (egcs v1.0.1), glibc v2.0.x, libstdc++ v2.8.x.
# Author: Boris Mühmer; Copyright 1998 © B. Mühmer, Hard- & Software.
#         *** The code of this package is free software. ***
#
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[ First of all, sorry for my bad English, but it isn't my native toungue.     ]
[ Corrections and improvements (not only for the written things) are          ]
[ welcome.                                                                    ]


Status:
~~~~~~~
I consider this package as freeware, but it is still copyrighted by me.
If you want to include this software in a commercial project please
inform me first; it wouldn't cost You a penny (I think, this would violate
the free license for Qt), but I just want to now, who uses this piece
of jun... aeh ... software. Gifts, postcards, email, software licencies,
hardware, and money are always welcome.


Blurb:
~~~~~~
Finally I started to write down some notes about this package. It is sort of
a documentation, but I would always recommend to read the sources. I do not
document the sources well, too, but I think they should be readable for
everyone programming in C++ and using the (*great*) Qt library.


About:
~~~~~~
After someone (I lost his address again, due to some local email problems)
posted the question about "how to program external modules for linux/qt",
I started to build this software package; also I needed itself for my own
projects.

After two days of hacking I got the first working version. The only problem
was, I tried to use a C++ header for the module interface, and gcc&co made
it difficult to setup an easy interface.

Then I changed the header to a normal C interface definition. And after
some little more work (some hours), the "new design" even worked using
the Qt-signal-slot mechanism.

Now I try to make the package smaller, so it will be easier to use.


The Module Interface:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The module interface consists of a header file ("Module.H") defining
a module header, access routines for your application and some
definitions you must include in your module to make it work.


Detailed Interface Documentation:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You have to make a difference between application code (something that
uses an external modules) and the external module itself.

The following steps are necessary for the external module code:
	- include the header "Module.H"
	- use the macro "MODULE_HEADER;"
	- use the macro "MODULE_INITFUNC ( /*data*/)" or
	                "MODULE_INITFUNC ( data)"
	  to define you module initializer (the comment must be
	  included when using no data pointer, because without,
	  gcc will generate an error !)
	- the rest is up to you; look at the test modules for
	  more information

Your module intialisation function is of the following type:
		static void (*Init) ( void* /*data*/ )

Your application code should include "Module.H". Your module interface
is a class of type "class Module". Your interface to this class consists
of the following methods:

	Module::Module ( <fullpath>, <data> );
	This method tries to access the module. The <fullpath> is the
	path to the location of the module including its name.
	<data> is either a "void*" or a "QObject*" pointer, to the
	modules "parent" data area. What you allow the module depends
	on this pointer.

	Module::~Module ();
	This method destroys the module object.
	
	Module::IsValid ();
	Checks if the module is properly loaded.

To see, how all these things work, have a look at the sources !
Currently there is no (real) debugging code included (only if
dlopen() or dlsym() fails, some output is generated).


To Do:
~~~~~~
I do not really know ...
 - extend the documentation ...
 - add some more examples ...


--
     Boris 'Harlequin' Mühmer           EMail: mhs@Cybernet-AG.de
     Entwicklung von Software sowie     SMail: Pilotystr. 20
     Vertrieb von Hard- und Software           D-90408 Nürnberg
     Voice:+49-911-355049 Data/Fax: 3658847    Germany
               WWW: http://www.geocities.com/~bsmuehmer


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# Revision 1.4  1998/03/23 15:03:54  boris
# SNAPSHOT - the release version for 0.3
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