104 lines
4.3 KiB
ReStructuredText
104 lines
4.3 KiB
ReStructuredText
.. _design_guidelines:
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API Design Guidelines
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#####################
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Zephyr development and evolution is a group effort, and to simplify
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maintenance and enhancements there are some general policies that should
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be followed when developing a new capability or interface.
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Using Callbacks
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***************
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Many APIs involve passing a callback as a parameter or as a member of a
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configuration structure. The following policies should be followed when
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specifying the signature of a callback:
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* The first parameter should be a pointer to the object most closely
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associated with the callback. In the case of device drivers this
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would be ``struct device *dev``. For library functions it may be a
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pointer to another object that was referenced when the callback was
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provided.
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* The next parameter(s) should be additional information specific to the
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callback invocation, such as a channel identifier, new status value,
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and/or a message pointer followed by the message length.
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* The final parameter should be a ``void *user_data`` pointer carrying
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context that allows a shared callback function to locate additional
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material necessary to process the callback.
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An exception to providing ``user_data`` as the last parameter may be
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allowed when the callback itself was provided through a structure that
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will be embedded in another structure. An example of such a case is
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:c:type:`gpio_callback`, normally defined within a data structure
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specific to the code that also defines the callback function. In those
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cases further context can accessed by the callback indirectly by
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:c:macro:`CONTAINER_OF`.
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Examples
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========
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* The requirements of :c:type:`k_timer_expiry_t` invoked when a system
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timer alarm fires are satisfied by::
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void handle_timeout(struct k_timer *timer)
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{ ... }
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The assumption here, as with :c:type:`gpio_callback`, is that the
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timer is embedded in a structure reachable from
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:c:macro:`CONTAINER_OF` that can provide additional context to the
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callback.
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* The requirements of :c:type:`counter_alarm_callback_t` invoked when a
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counter device alarm fires are satisfied by::
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void handle_alarm(const struct device *dev,
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uint8_t chan_id,
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uint32_t ticks,
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void *user_data)
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{ ... }
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This provides more complete useful information, including which
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counter channel timed-out and the counter value at which the timeout
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occurred, as well as user context which may or may not be the
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:c:type:`counter_alarm_cfg` used to register the callback, depending
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on user needs.
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Conditional Data and APIs
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*************************
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APIs and libraries may provide features that are expensive in RAM or
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code size but are optional in the sense that some applications can be
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implemented without them. Examples of such feature include
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:option:`capturing a timestamp <CONFIG_CAN_RX_TIMESTAMP>` or
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:option:`providing an alternative interface <CONFIG_SPI_ASYNC>`. The
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developer in coordination with the community must determine whether
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enabling the features is to be controllable through a Kconfig option.
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In the case where a feature is determined to be optional the following
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practices should be followed.
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* Any data that is accessed only when the feature is enabled should be
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conditionally included via ``#ifdef CONFIG_MYFEATURE`` in the
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structure or union declaration. This reduces memory use for
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applications that don't need the capability.
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* Function declarations that are available only when the option is
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enabled should be provided unconditionally. Add a note in the
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description that the function is available only when the specified
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feature is enabled, referencing the required Kconfig symbol by name.
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(In cases where the function is used but not enabled a link-time error
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will be generated.)
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* Where code specific to the feature is isolated in a source file that
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has no other content that file should be conditionally included in
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``CMakeLists.txt``::
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zephyr_sources_ifdef(CONFIG_MYFEATURE foo_funcs.c)
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* Where code specific to the feature is part of a source file that has
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other content the feature-specific code should be conditionally
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processed using ``#ifdef CONFIG_MYFEATURE``.
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The Kconfig flag used to enable the feature should be added to the
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``PREDEFINED`` variable in :file:`doc/zephyr.doxyfile.in` to ensure the
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conditional API and functions appear in generated documentation.
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