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1Developing for CUPS
2===================
3
4Please see the [Contributing to CUPS](CONTRIBUTING.md) file for information on
5contributing to the CUPS project.
6
7
8How To Contact The Developers
9-----------------------------
10
11The CUPS mailing lists are the primary means of asking questions and informally
12discussing issues and feature requests with the CUPS developers and other
13experienced CUPS users and developers. The "cups" mailing list is intended for
14CUPS usage questions and new software announcements while the "cups-devel"
15mailing list provides a forum for CUPS developers and monitoring new bugs.
16
17
18Interfaces
19----------
20
21CUPS interfaces, including the C APIs and command-line arguments, environment
22variables, configuration files, and output format, are stable across patch
23versions and are generally backwards-compatible with interfaces used in prior
24major and minor versions. However, program interfaces such as those used by
25the scheduler to run filter, port monitor, and backend processes for job
26processing should only be considered stable from the point of view of a
27filter, port monitor, or backend. Software that simulates the scheduler in
28order to run those programs outside of CUPS must necessarily be updated when
29the corresponding interface is changed in a subsequent CUPS release, otherwise
30undefined behavior can occur.
31
32CUPS C APIs starting with an underscore (`_`) are considered to be private to
33CUPS and are not subject to the normal guarantees of stability between CUPS
34releases and must never be used in non-CUPS source code. Similarly,
35configuration and state files written by CUPS are considered private if a
36corresponding man page is not provided with the CUPS release. Never rely on
37undocumented files or formats when developing software for CUPS. Always use a
38published C API to access data stored in a file to avoid compatibility problems
39in the future.
40
41
42Build System
43------------
44
45The CUPS build system uses GNU autoconf to tailor the library to the local
46operating system. Project files for the current release of Microsoft Visual
47Studio are also provided for Microsoft Windows®. To improve portability,
48makefiles must not make use of features unique to GNU make. See the MAKEFILE
49GUIDELINES section for a description of the allowed make features and makefile
50guidelines.
51
52Additional GNU build programs such as GNU automake and GNU libtool must not be
53used. GNU automake produces non-portable makefiles which depend on GNU-
54specific extensions, and GNU libtool is not portable or reliable enough for
55CUPS.
56
57
58Version Numbering
59-----------------
60
61CUPS uses a three-part version number separated by periods to represent the
62major, minor, and patch release numbers. Major release numbers indicate large
63design changes or backwards-incompatible changes to the CUPS API or CUPS
64Imaging API. Minor release numbers indicate new features and other smaller
65changes which are backwards-compatible with previous CUPS releases. Patch
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66numbers indicate bug fixes to the previous feature or patch release. This
67version numbering scheme is consistent with the
68[Semantic Versioning](http://semver.org) specification.
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69
70> Note:
71>
72> When we talk about compatibility, we are talking about binary compatibility
73> for public APIs and output format compatibility for program interfaces.
74> Changes to configuration file formats or the default behavior of programs
75> are not generally considered incompatible as the upgrade process can
76> normally address such changes gracefully.
77
78Production releases use the plain version numbers:
79
80 MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH
81 1.0.0
82 ...
83 1.1.0
84 ...
85 1.1.23
86 ...
87 2.0.0
88 ...
89 2.1.0
90 2.1.1
91 2.1.2
92 2.1.3
93
94The first production release in a MAJOR.MINOR series (MAJOR.MINOR.0) is called
95a feature release. Feature releases are the only releases that may contain new
96features. Subsequent production releases in a MAJOR.MINOR series may only
97contain bug fixes.
98
99Beta-test releases are identified by appending the letter B to the major and
100minor version numbers followed by the beta release number:
101
102 MAJOR.MINORbNUMBER
103 2.2b1
104
105Release candidates are identified by appending the letters RC to the major and
106minor version numbers followed by the release candidate number:
107
108 MAJOR.MINORrcNUMBER
109 2.2rc1
110
111
112Coding Guidelines
113-----------------
114
115Contributed source code must follow the guidelines below. While the examples
116are for C and C++ source files, source code for other languages should conform
117to the same guidelines as allowed by the language.
118
69e37fbf 119Source code comments provide the reference portion of the CUPS Programming
873c5133 120Manual, which is generated using the [codedoc](https://www.msweet.org/codedoc)
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121software.
122
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123
124### Source Files
125
126All source files names must be 16 characters or less in length to ensure
127compatibility with older UNIX filesystems. Source files containing functions
128have an extension of ".c" for C and ".cxx" for C++ source files. All other
129"include" files have an extension of ".h". Tabs are set to 8 characters or
130columns.
131
132> Note:
133>
134> The ".cxx" extension is used because it is the only common C++ extension
135> between Linux, macOS, UNIX, and Windows.
136
137The top of each source file contains a header giving the purpose or nature of
138the source file and the copyright and licensing notice:
139
140 /*
141 * Description of file contents.
142 *
143 * Copyright 2017 by Apple Inc.
144 *
145 * Licensed under Apache License v2.0. See the file "LICENSE" for more
146 * information.
147 */
148
149
150### Header Files
151
152All public header files must include the "versioning.h" header file, or a header
153that does so. Function declarations are then "decorated" with the correct
154`_CUPS_API_major_minor` macro to define its availability based on the build
155environment, for example:
156
157 extern int cupsDoThis(int foo, int bar) _CUPS_API_2_2;
158
159Private API header files must be named with the suffix "-private", for example
160the "cups.h" header file defines all of the public CUPS APIs while the
161"cups-private.h" header file defines all of the private CUPS APIs as well.
162Typically a private API header file will include the corresponding public API
163header file.
164
165
166### Comments
167
168All source code utilizes block comments within functions to describe the
169operations being performed by a group of statements; avoid putting a comment
170per line unless absolutely necessary, and then consider refactoring the code
171so that it is not necessary. C source files use the block comment format
172("/* comment */") since many vendor C compilers still do not support C99/C++
173comments ("// comment"):
174
175 /*
176 * Clear the state array before we begin...
177 */
178
179 for (i = 0; i < (sizeof(array) / sizeof(sizeof(array[0])); i ++)
180 array[i] = CUPS_STATE_IDLE;
181
182 /*
183 * Wait for state changes on another thread...
184 */
185
186 do
187 {
188 for (i = 0; i < (sizeof(array) / sizeof(sizeof(array[0])); i ++)
189 if (array[i] != CUPS_STATE_IDLE)
190 break;
191
192 if (i == (sizeof(array) / sizeof(array[0])))
193 sleep(1);
194 } while (i == (sizeof(array) / sizeof(array[0])));
195
196
197### Indentation
198
199All code blocks enclosed by brackets begin with the opening brace on a new
200line. The code then follows starting on a new line after the brace and is
201indented 2 spaces. The closing brace is then placed on a new line following
202the code at the original indentation:
203
204 {
205 int i; /* Looping var */
206
207 /*
208 * Process foobar values from 0 to 999...
209 */
210
211 for (i = 0; i < 1000; i ++)
212 {
213 do_this(i);
214 do_that(i);
215 }
216 }
217
218Single-line statements following "do", "else", "for", "if", and "while" are
219indented 2 spaces as well. Blocks of code in a "switch" block are indented 4
220spaces after each "case" and "default" case:
221
222 switch (array[i])
223 {
224 case CUPS_STATE_IDLE :
225 do_this(i);
226 do_that(i);
227 break;
228
229 default :
230 do_nothing(i);
231 break;
232 }
233
234
235### Spacing
236
237A space follows each reserved word such as `if`, `while`, etc. Spaces are not
238inserted between a function name and the arguments in parenthesis.
239
240
241### Return Values
242
243Parenthesis surround values returned from a function:
244
245 return (CUPS_STATE_IDLE);
246
247
248### Functions
249
250Functions with a global scope have a lowercase prefix followed by capitalized
251words, e.g., `cupsDoThis`, `cupsDoThat`, `cupsDoSomethingElse`, etc. Private
252global functions begin with a leading underscore, e.g., `_cupsDoThis`,
253`_cupsDoThat`, etc.
254
255Functions with a local scope are declared static with lowercase names and
256underscores between words, e.g., `do_this`, `do_that`, `do_something_else`, etc.
257
258Each function begins with a comment header describing what the function does,
259the possible input limits (if any), the possible output values (if any), and
260any special information needed:
261
262 /*
263 * 'do_this()' - Compute y = this(x).
264 *
265 * Notes: none.
266 */
267
268 static float /* O - Inverse power value, 0.0 <= y <= 1.1 */
269 do_this(float x) /* I - Power value (0.0 <= x <= 1.1) */
270 {
271 ...
272 return (y);
273 }
274
275Return/output values are indicated using an "O" prefix, input values are
276indicated using the "I" prefix, and values that are both input and output use
277the "IO" prefix for the corresponding in-line comment.
278
873c5133 279The [codedoc](https://www.msweet.org/codedoc) documentation generator also
69e37fbf 280understands the following special text in the function description comment:
e3101897 281
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282 @deprecated@ - Marks the function as deprecated: not recommended
283 for new development and scheduled for removal.
284 @link name@ - Provides a hyperlink to the corresponding function
285 or type definition.
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286 @since CUPS version@ - Marks the function as new in the specified version
287 of CUPS.
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288 @private@ - Marks the function as private so it will not be
289 included in the documentation.
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290
291
292### Variables
293
294Variables with a global scope are capitalized, e.g., `ThisVariable`,
295`ThatVariable`, `ThisStateVariable`, etc. Globals in CUPS libraries are either
296part of the per-thread global values managed by the `_cupsGlobals` function
297or are suitably protected for concurrent access. Global variables should be
298replaced by function arguments whenever possible.
299
300Variables with a local scope are lowercase with underscores between words,
301e.g., `this_variable`, `that_variable`, etc. Any "local global" variables
302shared by functions within a source file are declared static. As for global
303variables, local static variables are suitably protected for concurrent access.
304
305Each variable is declared on a separate line and is immediately followed by a
306comment block describing the variable:
307
308 int ThisVariable; /* The current state of this */
309 static int that_variable; /* The current state of that */
310
311
312### Types
313
314All type names are lowercase with underscores between words and `_t` appended
315to the end of the name, e.g., `cups_this_type_t`, `cups_that_type_t`, etc.
316Type names start with a prefix, typically `cups` or the name of the program,
317to avoid conflicts with system types. Private type names start with an
318underscore, e.g., `_cups_this_t`, `_cups_that_t`, etc.
319
320Each type has a comment block immediately after the typedef:
321
322 typedef int cups_this_type_t; /* This type is for CUPS foobar options. */
323
324
325### Structures
326
327All structure names are lowercase with underscores between words and `_s`
328appended to the end of the name, e.g., `cups_this_s`, `cups_that_s`, etc.
329Structure names start with a prefix, typically `cups` or the name of the
330program, to avoid conflicts with system types. Private structure names start
331with an underscore, e.g., `_cups_this_s`, `_cups_that_s`, etc.
332
333Each structure has a comment block immediately after the struct and each member
334is documented similar to the variable naming policy above:
335
336 struct cups_this_struct_s /* This structure is for CUPS foobar options. */
337 {
338 int this_member; /* Current state for this */
339 int that_member; /* Current state for that */
340 };
341
342
343### Constants
344
345All constant names are uppercase with underscores between words, e.g.,
346`CUPS_THIS_CONSTANT`, `CUPS_THAT_CONSTANT`, etc. Constants begin with an
347uppercase prefix, typically `CUPS_` or the program or type name. Private
348constants start with an underscore, e.g., `_CUPS_THIS_CONSTANT`,
349`_CUPS_THAT_CONSTANT`, etc.
350
351Typed enumerations should be used whenever possible to allow for type checking
352by the compiler.
353
354Comment blocks immediately follow each constant:
355
356 typedef enum cups_tray_e /* Tray enumerations */
357 {
358 CUPS_TRAY_THIS, /* This tray */
359 CUPS_TRAY_THAT /* That tray */
360 } cups_tray_t;
361
362
363## Makefile Guidelines
364
365The following is a guide to the makefile-based build system used by CUPS.
366These standards have been developed over the years to allow CUPS to be built on
367as many systems and environments as possible.
368
369
370### General Organization
371
372The CUPS source code is organized functionally into a top-level makefile,
373include file, and subdirectories each with their own makefile and dependencies
374files. The ".in" files are template files for the autoconf software and are
375used to generate a static version of the corresponding file.
376
377
378### Makefile Documentation
379
380Each makefile starts with the standard CUPS header containing the description
381of the file, and CUPS copyright and license notice:
382
383 #
384 # Makefile for ...
385 #
386 # Copyright 2017 by Apple Inc.
387 #
388 # Licensed under Apache License v2.0. See the file "LICENSE" for more
389 # information.
390 #
391
392
393### Portable Makefile Construction
394
395CUPS uses a common subset of make program syntax to ensure that the software
396can be compiled "out of the box" on as many systems as possible. The following
397is a list of assumptions we follow when constructing makefiles:
398
399- Targets; we assume that the make program supports the notion of simple
400 targets of the form "name:" that perform tab-indented commands that follow
401 the target, e.g.:
402
403 target:
404 TAB target commands
405
406- Dependencies; we assume that the make program supports recursive dependencies
407 on targets, e.g.:
408
409 target: foo bar
410 TAB target commands
411
412 foo: bla
413 TAB foo commands
414
415 bar:
416 TAB bar commands
417
418 bla:
419 TAB bla commands
420
421- Variable Definition; we assume that the make program supports variable
422 definition on the command-line or in the makefile using the following form:
423
424 name=value
425
426- Variable Substitution; we assume that the make program supports variable
427 substitution using the following forms:
428
429 - `$(name)`; substitutes the value of "name",
430 - `$(name:.old=.new)`; substitutes the value of "name" with the filename
431 extension ".old" changed to ".new",
432 - `$(MAKEFLAGS)`; substitutes the command-line options passed to the
433 program without the leading hyphen (-),
434 - `$$`; substitutes a single $ character,
435 - `$<`; substitutes the current source file or dependency, and
436 - `$@`; substitutes the current target name.
437
438- Suffixes; we assume that the make program supports filename suffixes with
439 assumed dependencies, e.g.:
440
441 .SUFFIXES: .c .o
442 .c.o:
443 TAB $(CC) $(CFLAGS) -o $@ -c $<
444
445- Include Files; we assume that the make program supports the include
446 directive, e.g.:
447
448 include ../Makedefs
449 include Dependencies
450
451- Comments; we assume that comments begin with a # character and proceed to the
452 end of the current line.
453
454- Line Length; we assume that there is no practical limit to the length of
455 lines.
456
457- Continuation of long lines; we assume that the `\` character may be placed at
458 the end of a line to concatenate two or more lines in a makefile to form a
459 single long line.
460
461- Shell; we assume a POSIX-compatible shell is present on the build system.
462
463
464### Standard Variables
465
466The following variables are defined in the "Makedefs" file generated by the
467autoconf software:
468
469- `ALL_CFLAGS`; the combined C compiler options,
470- `ALL_CXXFLAGS`; the combined C++ compiler options,
471- `AMANDIR`; the administrative man page installation directory (section 8/1m
472 depending on the platform),
473- `AR`; the library archiver command,
474- `ARFLAGS`; options for the library archiver command,
475- `AWK`; the local awk command,
476- `BINDIR`; the binary installation directory,
477- `BUILDROOT`; optional installation prefix (defaults to DSTROOT),
478- `CC`; the C compiler command,
479- `CFLAGS`; options for the C compiler command,
480- `CHMOD`; the chmod command,
481- `CXX`; the C++ compiler command,
482- `CXXFLAGS`; options for the C++ compiler command,
483- `DATADIR`; the data file installation directory,
484- `DSO`; the C shared library building command,
485- `DSOXX`; the C++ shared library building command,
486- `DSOFLAGS`; options for the shared library building command,
487- `INCLUDEDIR`; the public header file installation directory,
488- `INSTALL`; the install command,
489- `INSTALL_BIN`; the program installation command,
490- `INSTALL_COMPDATA`; the compressed data file installation command,
491- `INSTALL_CONFIG`; the configuration file installation command,
492- `INSTALL_DATA`; the data file installation command,
493- `INSTALL_DIR`; the directory installation command,
494- `INSTALL_LIB`; the library installation command,
495- `INSTALL_MAN`; the documentation installation command,
496- `INSTALL_SCRIPT`; the shell script installation command,
497- `LD`; the linker command,
498- `LDFLAGS`; options for the linker,
499- `LIBDIR`; the library installation directory,
500- `LIBS`; libraries for all programs,
501- `LN`; the ln command,
502- `MAN1EXT`; extension for man pages in section 1,
503- `MAN3EXT`; extension for man pages in section 3,
504- `MAN5EXT`; extension for man pages in section 5,
505- `MAN7EXT`; extension for man pages in section 7,
506- `MAN8DIR`; subdirectory for man pages in section 8,
507- `MAN8EXT`; extension for man pages in section 8,
508- `MANDIR`; the man page installation directory,
509- `OPTIM`; common compiler optimization options,
510- `PRIVATEINCLUDE`; the private header file installation directory,
511- `RM`; the rm command,
512- `SHELL`; the sh (POSIX shell) command,
513- `STRIP`; the strip command,
514- `srcdir`; the source directory.
515
516
517### Standard Targets
518
519The following standard targets are defined in each makefile:
520
521- `all`; creates all target programs, libraries, and documentation files,
522- `clean`; removes all target programs libraries, documentation files, and object
523 files,
524- `depend`; generates automatic dependencies for any C or C++ source files (also
525 see "DEPENDENCIES"),
526- `distclean`; removes autoconf-generated files in addition to those removed by
527 the "clean" target,
528- `install`; installs all distribution files in their corresponding locations
529 (also see "INSTALL/UNINSTALL SUPPORT"),
530- `install-data`; installs all data files in their corresponding locations (also
531 see "INSTALL/UNINSTALL SUPPORT"),
532- `install-exec`; installs all executable files in their corresponding locations
533 (also see "INSTALL/UNINSTALL SUPPORT"),
534- `install-headers`; installs all include files in their corresponding locations
535 (also see "INSTALL/UNINSTALL SUPPORT"),
536- `install-libs`; installs all library files in their corresponding locations
537 (also see "INSTALL/UNINSTALL SUPPORT"), and
538- `uninstall`; removes all distribution files from their corresponding locations
539 (also see "INSTALL/UNINSTALL SUPPORT").
540
541
542### Object Files
543
544Object files (the result of compiling a C or C++ source file) have the
545extension ".o".
546
547
548### Programs
549
550Program files are the result of linking object files and libraries together to
551form an executable file. A typical program target looks like:
552
553 program: $(OBJS)
554 TAB echo Linking $@...
555 TAB $(CC) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $(OBJS) $(LIBS)
556
557### Static Libraries
558
559Static libraries have a prefix of "lib" and the extension ".a". A typical
560static library target looks like:
561
562 libname.a: $(OBJECTS)
563 TAB echo Creating $@...
564 TAB $(RM) $@
565 TAB $(AR) $(ARFLAGS) $@ $(OBJECTS)
566 TAB $(RANLIB) $@
567
568### Shared Libraries
569
570Shared libraries have a prefix of "lib" and the extension ".dylib" or ".so"
571depending on the operating system. A typical shared library is composed of
572several targets that look like:
573
574 libname.so: $(OBJECTS)
575 TAB echo $(DSOCOMMAND) libname.so.$(DSOVERSION) ...
576 TAB $(DSOCOMMAND) libname.so.$(DSOVERSION) $(OBJECTS)
577 TAB $(RM) libname.so libname.so.$(DSOMAJOR)
578 TAB $(LN) libname.so.$(DSOVERSION) libname.so.$(DSOMAJOR)
579 TAB $(LN) libname.so.$(DSOVERSION) libname.so
580
581 libname.dylib: $(OBJECTS)
582 TAB echo $(DSOCOMMAND) libname.$(DSOVERSION).dylib ...
583 TAB $(DSOCOMMAND) libname.$(DSOVERSION).dylib \
584 TAB TAB -install_name $(libdir)/libname.$(DSOMAJOR).dylib \
585 TAB TAB -current_version libname.$(DSOVERSION).dylib \
586 TAB TAB -compatibility_version $(DSOMAJOR).0 \
587 TAB TAB $(OBJECTS) $(LIBS)
588 TAB $(RM) libname.dylib
589 TAB $(RM) libname.$(DSOMAJOR).dylib
590 TAB $(LN) libname.$(DSOVERSION).dylib libname.$(DSOMAJOR).dylib
591 TAB $(LN) libname.$(DSOVERSION).dylib libname.dylib
592
593### Dependencies
594
595Static dependencies are expressed in each makefile following the target, for
596example:
597
598 foo: bar
599
600Static dependencies are only used when it is not possible to automatically
601generate them. Automatic dependencies are stored in a file named
602"Dependencies" and included at the end of the makefile. The following "depend"
603target rule is used to create the automatic dependencies:
604
605 depend:
606 TAB $(CC) -MM $(ALL_CFLAGS) $(OBJS:.o=.c) >Dependencies
607
608We regenerate the automatic dependencies on an macOS system and express any
609non-macOS dependencies statically in the makefile.
610
611
612### Install/Uninstall Support
613
614All makefiles contains install and uninstall rules which install or remove the
615corresponding software. These rules must use the $(BUILDROOT) variable as a
616prefix to any installation directory so that CUPS can be installed in a
617temporary location for packaging by programs like rpmbuild.
618
619The `INSTALL_BIN`, `INSTALL_COMPDATA`, `INSTALL_CONFIG`, `INSTALL_DATA`,
620`INSTALL_DIR`, `INSTALL_LIB`, `INSTALL_MAN`, and `INSTALL_SCRIPT` variables
621must be used when installing files so that the proper ownership and permissions
622are set on the installed files.
623
624The `$(RANLIB)` command must be run on any static libraries after installation
625since the symbol table is invalidated when the library is copied on some
626platforms.