1 files changed, 69 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/lib/erl_interface/src/encode/eicode.h b/lib/erl_interface/src/encode/eicode.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cf008b7fa9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/erl_interface/src/encode/eicode.h
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+/*
+ * %CopyrightBegin%
+ * 
+ * Copyright Ericsson AB 1998-2009. All Rights Reserved.
+ * 
+ * The contents of this file are subject to the Erlang Public License,
+ * Version 1.1, (the "License"); you may not use this file except in
+ * compliance with the License. You should have received a copy of the
+ * Erlang Public License along with this software. If not, it can be
+ * retrieved online at http://www.erlang.org/.
+ * 
+ * Software distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS"
+ * basis, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See
+ * the License for the specific language governing rights and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ * 
+ * %CopyrightEnd%
+ */
+#ifndef _EICODE_H
+#define _EICODE_H
+
+/*
+ * The following functions are used to encode from c native types directly into
+ * Erlang external format. To use them, you need
+ *
+ * - a destination buffer
+ * - an index counter
+ * - some data
+ * - an idea of how you want to represent the data as an Erlang term.
+ *
+ * You can encode exactly one (1) term into the buffer if you are
+ * going to transmit it to Erlang. Do the following:
+ *
+ * 1. Set your index to 0
+ * 2. Encode the version into the buffer: ei_encode_version(buf,&index);
+ *    The function has now advanced index so the next item can be encoded.
+ * 3. Encode your term:
+ *
+ * Encoding non-compound types (i.e. not lists or tuples) is
+ * straightforward. Just do it!
+ *
+ * Encoding tuples is done by first encoding the tuple header (it
+ * contains the arity) and then encoding the tuple elements in
+ * sequence.
+ *
+ * Encoding lists is done by first encoding the list header (it
+ * contains the arity) and then encoding the list elements in
+ * sequence, and finally encoding an empty list. 
+ *
+ * After all this, the index counter will tell you how much buffer you
+ * used. If you really need to know in advance how big the buffer
+ * should be, go through the same steps but with a NULL buffer. No
+ * attempt will be made to modify the buffer, but index will be
+ * updated as though you really did encode something.
+ */
+ 
+/* encode the given object into buf[index] as 'type'. 0 is
+ * returned and index is updated to the position for the next item. if
+ * buf == NULL, no data is actually copied, but index is updated to
+ * indicate the number of bytes that would have been necessary.
+ */
+
+/* FIXME where do we put these..... */
+
+erlang_big *ei_alloc_big(int arity);
+void ei_free_big(erlang_big *b);
+
+
+#endif /* _EICODE_H */