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Import as member

Introduction

Swift imports C declarations, allowing Swift code to natively interact with C libraries and frameworks. But, such imported APIs do not feel natural to interact with in Swift. This proposal seeks to provide a mechanism for C API authors to specify the capability of importing functions and variables as members on imported Swift types. It also seeks to provide an automatic inference option for APIs that follow a consistent, disciplined naming convention.

Swift-evolution thread
Review

Motivation

C APIs and frameworks currently import into Swift as global functions and global variables. Interacting with these can feel awkward in Swift.

Here's an example of programmatic drawing using the Core Graphics C API:

override func drawRect(rect: CGRect) {
    let context: CGContext = UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext()!
    let toCenter = CGPoint(x: bounds.width/2.0, y: bounds.height/2.0)
    let angle = CGFloat(M_PI / 16)

    var transform = CGAffineTransformIdentity
    for _ in 0..<32 {
        triangulateRect(bounds, inputTransform: transform, context: context)
        transform = CGAffineTransformTranslate(transform, toCenter.x, toCenter.y)
        transform = CGAffineTransformRotate(transform, angle)
        transform = CGAffineTransformTranslate(transform, -toCenter.x, -toCenter.y)
    }
    CGContextSetLineWidth(context, bounds.size.width / 100)
    CGContextSetGrayStrokeColor(context, 0.5, 1.0)
    CGContextDrawPath(context, .Stroke)
}

func triangulateRect(bounds: CGRect, inputTransform: CGAffineTransform,
		context: CGContext) {
    var transform = inputTransform

    // Triangle from top left corner, to bottom middle, to top right, and then
    // draw the boundary
    let topLeft = bounds.origin
    let bottomRight = CGPoint(x: bounds.size.width, y: bounds.size.height)
    let path = CGPathCreateMutable()
    CGPathMoveToPoint(path, &transform, topLeft.x, topLeft.y)
    CGPathAddLineToPoint(path, &transform, CGRectGetMidX(bounds), bottomRight.y)
    CGPathAddLineToPoint(path, &transform, bottomRight.x, topLeft.y)
    CGPathAddLineToPoint(path, &transform, topLeft.x, topLeft.y)
    CGPathAddLineToPoint(path, &transform, topLeft.x, bottomRight.y)
    CGPathAddLineToPoint(path, &transform, bottomRight.x, bottomRight.y)
    CGPathAddLineToPoint(path, &transform, bottomRight.x, topLeft.y)
    CGContextAddPath(context, path)
}

A much more natural expression of this in Swift, would be something more like:

override func drawRect(rect: CGRect) {
    let context: CGContext = UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext()!
    let toCenter = CGPoint(x: bounds.width/2.0, y: bounds.height/2.0)
    let angle = CGFloat(M_PI / 16)

    var transform = CGAffineTransform.identity
    for _ in 0..<32 {
        triangulateRect(bounds, inputTransform: transform, context: context)
        transform = transform.translate(toX: toCenter.x, toY: toCenter.y)
                             .rotate(angle: angle)
                             .translate(toX: -toCenter.x, toY: -toCenter.y)
    }

    context.lineWidth = bounds.size.width / 100
    context.strokeColor = CGColor(gray: 0.5, alpha: 1.0)
    context.drawPath(mode: .Stroke)
}

func triangulateRect(bounds: CGRect, inputTransform: CGAffineTransform,
		context: CGContext) {
    var transform = inputTransform

    // Triangle from top left corner, to bottom middle, to top right, and then
    // draw the boundary
    let topLeft = bounds.origin
    let bottomRight = CGPoint(x: bounds.size.width, y: bounds.size.height)
    let path = CGMutablePath()
    path.move(transform: &transform, x: topLeft.x, y: topLeft.y)
    path.addLine(transform: &transform, x: bounds.midX, y: bottomRight.y)
    path.addLine(transform: &transform, x: bottomRight.x, y: topLeft.y)
    path.addLine(transform: &transform, x: topLeft.x, y: topLeft.y)
    path.addLine(transform: &transform, x: topLeft.x, y: bottomRight.y)
    path.addLine(transform: &transform, x: bottomRight.x, y: bottomRight.y)
    path.addLine(transform: &transform, x: bottomRight.x, y: topLeft.y)
    context.addPath(path)
}

Currently, the only way for a C framework to provide a natural Swift experience is to author large overlays or Swift wrappers.

Proposed solution

Manual specification

C framework authors should have a way to manually specify how their APIs appear in Swift beyond the limited functionality currently provided with NS_SWIFT_NAME. This includes the ability to specify a type on which a given variable or function should be imported. This also includes the ability to specify when a function should be imported as a computed getter or setter of a property on that type.

The goal is for developers using a C framework, which has these manual annotations applied, to develop in Swift as naturally as if they were working with a native object-oriented interface.

Automatic inference

Coupled with this manual specification ability is an automatic inference system. The inference system analyzes C global names and types, attempting to find an imported Swift type to extend with a method, initializer, or property from this global.

This inference system's goal is to be able to automatically handle the majority of global variables and functions in CF-style frameworks, and in the future be extensible to benefit other well structured, disciplined APIs.

Amendment: Automatic inference will not be used by default for all C APIs, but will be opt-in.

Maps directly onto C calling convention

Wrappers and overlays have the downside that they result in an extra function call hop in order to reach the underlying C API (though fragility controls may somewhat alleviate this in the future).

This proposal calls for imported APIs to map directly onto the original C APIs, without calling through intermediary wrappers or overlaid definitions. For instance members, this means supplying a reference to self in the appropriate parameter slot.

Detailed design

swift_name attribute

The primary mechanism of manually communicating to the Swift compiler how an API should be imported is the swift_name attribute (e.g. through the CF_SWIFT_NAME macro). swift_name will be expanded to allow the user to provide a type on which the imported function will be a member of, and allow for specifying a function as a computed getter or setter for a type.

Examples:

// Import as init
struct Point3D createPoint3D(float x, float y, float z)
__attribute__((swift_name("Point3D.init(x:y:z:)")));

// Import as method
struct Point3D rotatePoint3D(Point3D point, float radians)
__attribute__((swift_name("Point3D.rotate(self:radians:)")));

// Import as instance computed property
float Point3DGetRadius(Point3D point)
__attribute__((swift_name("getter:Point3D.radius(self:)")));
void Point3DSetRadius(Point3D point, float radius)
__attribute__((swift_name("setter:Point3D.radius(self:_:)")));

// Import as static property
extern struct Point3D identityPoint
__attribute__((swift_name("Point3D.identity")));

// Import as static computed property
Point3D getZeroPoint(void)
__attribute__((swift_name("getter:Point3D.zero()")));
void setZeroPoint(Point3D point)
__attribute__((swift_name("setter:Point3D.zero(_:)")));

Amendment: Also allow for importing as subscript.

// Import as subscript
float Point3DGetPointAtIndex(int idx, Point3D point)
__attribute__((swift_name("getter:subscript(_:self:)")))
void Point3DSetPointAtIndex(int idx, Point3D point, float val)
__attribute__((swift_name("getter:subscript(_:self:newValue:)")))

The string present in swift_name will additionally support the following:

  • A type name proceeded by . to denote the context to import onto
  • self to denote which parameter to treat as self for an instance method/property, otherwise this will be a static method/property
  • getter: and setter: to denote the function as a property getter/setter

Amendment:

  • newValue to denote which parameter to treat as a subscript setter's new value

Amendment: swift_name is not valid on non-prototyped function declarations.

Amendment: swift_name can be used to add instance members onto an extension of the named protocol, but they are limited to instance members. Importing as static method or init is not supported. Instance members are imported into a protocol extension, enforcing static dispatch.

Automatic inference heuristics

The following are some techniques and heuristics that can be useful for consistently named C APIs, e.g. CF-style frameworks. These heuristics are based off of the variable/function's name and type.

  • Identify init by return type
- func CGColorCreate(space: CGColorSpace?, _ components: UnsafePointer<CGFloat>)
-   -> CGColor?

// extension CGColor { ...
+   init?(space: CGColorSpace?, components: UnsafePointer<CGFloat>)
  • Identify computed properties by finding "get" / "set" pairs
- func CGContextGetInterpolationQuality(c: CGContext?) -> CGInterpolationQuality
- func CGContextSetInterpolationQuality(c: CGContext?,
-   _ quality: CGInterpolationQuality)

// extension CGContext { ...
+   final var interpolationQuality: CGInterpolationQuality
  • Identify boolean predicates and other computed property patterns
- func CGDisplayModeIsUsableForDesktopGUI(mode: CGDisplayMode?) -> Bool

// extension CGDisplayMode {
+   final var isUsableForDesktopGUI: Bool { get }
  • Identify methods by finding a self parameter
- func CGAffineTransformInvert(t: CGAffineTransform) -> CGAffineTransform

// extension CGAffineTransformation { ...
+   func invert() -> CGAffineTransform
  • Various special cases, fuzzy name matching, etc.
- func CGDisplayStreamUpdateGetTypeID() -> CFTypeID

// extension CGDisplayStreamUpdate { ...
+   final class var typeID: CFTypeID { get }

...

- func CGBitmapContextGetData(context: CGContext?) -> UnsafeMutablePointer<Void>

// extension CGContext { ...
+   final var bitmapData: UnsafeMutablePointer<Void> { get }

Underlying infrastructure

The Clang Importer will be extended to support importing function and variable declarations onto different effective contexts than they appear in Clang. Additionally, the Clang Importer will want to create a single extension point per submodule/type pair on which to add these members.

SILGen will need to be extended to map calls to these members directly to the original C API calls, passing self in the appropriate parameter location for instance members.

Migration

Projects using old style APIs will need to migrate to any new API. Since the proposed imports are done programmatically in the importer, migration attributes can be attached to the new decls, allowing the Swift migrator to automatically migrate user code.

Impact on existing code

Any Swift code using a C framework that uses this functionality will be massively affected, though in ways that the Swift migrator can alleviate.

Alternatives considered

Wrap everything

One alternative, which is the only option available currently to framework authors, is to require C APIs to provide Swift wrapper APIs or overlays in order to call into the underlying C functionality.

This has the disadvantage of having to maintain separate APIs in addition to the C headers themselves. This proposal allows for the C header to specify how the name should appear when imported into Swift. Additionally, if a C API follows consistent, CF-like naming, most of it can be imported automatically