A Guide To The Erlang Source

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== Download == == Download ==
-The source can be downloaded from: http://erlang.org/download.html or http://github.com/mfoemmel/erlang-otp/tree/master +The source can be downloaded from: https://github.com/erlang/otp
== Tree == == Tree ==
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The atoms used in erlang are listed in erts/emulator/beam/atom.names and are referenced in the code as am_foo. So the 'EXIT' atom is am_EXIT in the code. The atoms used in erlang are listed in erts/emulator/beam/atom.names and are referenced in the code as am_foo. So the 'EXIT' atom is am_EXIT in the code.
-== Types ==+== Basic types ==
See sys.h for the basic datatypes: See sys.h for the basic datatypes:
** Data types: ** Data types:
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The arguments BIF_ARG1 are Eterms, so you have to check them with is_number(BIF_ARG_1), is_atom, is_tuple, etc The arguments BIF_ARG1 are Eterms, so you have to check them with is_number(BIF_ARG_1), is_atom, is_tuple, etc
 +As defined in bif.h:
 +#define BIF_RETTYPE Eterm
 +#define BIF_P A__p
 +#define BIF_ALIST_0 Process* A__p
 +#define BIF_ALIST_1 Process* A__p, Eterm A_1
 +#define BIF_ALIST_2 Process* A__p, Eterm A_1, Eterm A_2
 +#define BIF_ALIST_3 Process* A__p, Eterm A_1, Eterm A_2, Eterm A_3
 +#define BIF_ARG_1 A_1
 +#define BIF_ARG_2 A_2
 +#define BIF_ARG_3 A_3
 +
 +
 +
 +== More types ==
 +structs
 +ErlSpawnOpts
 +Process
 +ErtsProcLocks
 +ErtsMonitor
 +
 +== SMP ==
 +http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symmetric_multiprocessing
 +You will see this a lot in the code: #ifdef ERTS_SMP
 +Things get more complicated, with regards to locking etc. if SMP is enabled.
 +
 +== Locking ==

Revision as of 20:51, 19 January 2011

A guide to the erlang source.

Contents

Download

The source can be downloaded from: https://github.com/erlang/otp

Tree

Most of the interesting code is in: erts/emulator/beam

Atoms

The atoms used in erlang are listed in erts/emulator/beam/atom.names and are referenced in the code as am_foo. So the 'EXIT' atom is am_EXIT in the code.

Basic types

See sys.h for the basic datatypes:

    • Data types:
    • Eterm: A tagged erlang term (possibly 64 bits)
    • BeamInstr: A beam code instruction unit, possibly larger than Eterm, not smaller.
    • UInt: An unsigned integer exactly as large as an Eterm.
    • SInt: A signed integer exactly as large as an eterm and therefor large
    • enough to hold the return value of the signed_val() macro.
    • UWord: An unsigned integer at least as large as a void * and also as large
    • or larger than an Eterm
    • SWord: A signed integer at least as large as a void * and also as large
    • or larger than an Eterm
    • Uint32: An unsigned integer of 32 bits exactly
    • Sint32: A signed integer of 32 bits exactly
    • Uint16: An unsigned integer of 16 bits exactly
    • Sint16: A signed integer of 16 bits exactly.

See erts/emulator/beam/big.c for the conversion between types. For example uint_to_big(Uint x, Eterm *y). term_to_Uint(Eterm term, Uint *up). An Eterm can contain any erlang term like atoms, integers, etc.

BIFs

The bifs are summed up in the bif.tab file. For example: bif 'erl.lang':exit/1 ebif_exit_1 bif erlang:exit/2

This means the exit bif is mapped to the exit_1 method in the bif.c file. The bif.c file holds the bif implementations like:

BIF_RETTYPE spawn_3(BIF_ALIST_3) {...

BIF_ALIST_3 means you have BIF_P, BIF_ARG1 to 3 and The arguments BIF_ARG1 are Eterms, so you have to check them with is_number(BIF_ARG_1), is_atom, is_tuple, etc

As defined in bif.h:

  1. define BIF_RETTYPE Eterm
  1. define BIF_P A__p
  1. define BIF_ALIST_0 Process* A__p
  2. define BIF_ALIST_1 Process* A__p, Eterm A_1
  3. define BIF_ALIST_2 Process* A__p, Eterm A_1, Eterm A_2
  4. define BIF_ALIST_3 Process* A__p, Eterm A_1, Eterm A_2, Eterm A_3
  1. define BIF_ARG_1 A_1
  2. define BIF_ARG_2 A_2
  3. define BIF_ARG_3 A_3


More types

structs ErlSpawnOpts Process ErtsProcLocks ErtsMonitor

SMP

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symmetric_multiprocessing You will see this a lot in the code: #ifdef ERTS_SMP Things get more complicated, with regards to locking etc. if SMP is enabled.

Locking

Scheduler

The process struct is defined in erts/emulator/beam/process.h. The important function is Process *schedule(Process *p, int calls) in process.c . The next process is picked in "pick_next_process" of that method.

Process

Process statuses are:

  1. define P_FREE 0
  2. define P_RUNABLE 1
  3. define P_WAITING 2
  4. define P_RUNNING 3
  5. define P_EXITING 4
  6. define P_GARBING 5
  7. define P_SUSPENDED 6


Monitors and links

See erl_monitor.c and .h. The main structs are ErtsLinks and ErtsMonitor. Each process has a *ErtLinks and *ErtsMonitor (herein all its links/monitors are kept as an AVL tree). Actions are done with erts_sweep_links(ErtsLink *root, ...) and erts_sweep_monitors(ErtsMonitor *root, ...).

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