Rubex is a Ruby-like language for writing Ruby C extensions.
Rubex is a language that makes writing CRuby C extensions as simple as writing Ruby. It does this by providing a syntax that is the perfect blend of the elegance of Ruby and the power of C. Rubex compiles to C and implicitly interfaces with the Ruby VM in a manner that is completely transparent to the programmer.
Rubex keeps you happy even when writing C extensions.
Consider this Ruby code for computing a fibonnaci series and returning it in an Array:
class Fibonnaci
def compute(n)
i = 1, prev = 1, current = 1, temp
arr = []
while i < n do
temp = current
current = current + prev
prev = temp
arr.push(prev)
i += 1
end
arr
end
end
If you decide to port this to a C extension, the code will look like so:
#include <ruby.h>
#include <stdint.h>
void Init_a ();
static VALUE Fibonnaci_compute (int argc,VALUE* argv,VALUE self);
static VALUE Fibonnaci_compute (int argc,VALUE* argv,VALUE self)
{
int n,i,prev,current,temp;
VALUE arr;
if (argc < 1) {
rb_raise(rb_eArgError, "Need 1 args, not %d", argc);
}
n = NUM2INT(argv[0]);
i = 1;
prev = 1;
current = 1;
arr = rb_ary_new2(0);
while (i < n)
{
temp = current;
current = current + prev;
prev = temp;
rb_funcall(arr, rb_intern("push"), 1 ,INT2NUM(prev));
i = i + 1;
}
return arr;
}
void Init_a ()
{
VALUE cls_Fibonnaci;
cls_Fibonnaci = rb_define_class("Fibonnaci", rb_cObject);
rb_define_method(cls_Fibonnaci ,"compute", Fibonnaci_compute, -1);
}
However, if you decide to write a C extension using Rubex, the code will look like this!:
class Fibonnaci
def compute(int n)
int i = 1, prev = 1, current = 1, temp
array = []
while i < n do
temp = current
current = current + prev
prev = temp
array.push(prev)
i += 1
end
return array
end
end
Notice the only difference between the above Rubex code and Ruby is the specification of explicit int
types for the variables. Above Rubex code will automatically compile into C code and will also implicitly interface with the Ruby VM without you having to remember any of the APIs.
Rubex also takes care of the initial setup and compilation of the C files, so all you need to do is execute a bunch of commands and your extension is up and running!
To build, requires Ruby version >= 2.3.0
The gem as of now has not reached v0.1. However, you can try it out with:
git clone https://github.com/v0dro/rubex.git
cd rubex
bundle install
rake install
Installing the gem will also install the rubex
binary. You can now write a Rubex file (with a .rubex
file extension) and compile it into C code with:
rubex file_name.rubex
This will produce the translated C code and an extconf.rb
file inside a directory called file_name
. CD into the directory, and run the extconf.rb
file with:
ruby extconf.rb
This will produce a Makefile
. Run make
to compile the generated C file and generate a .so
shared object file that can be used in any Ruby script.
Give yourself 5 min and go through the TUTORIAL. Convert a part of your C extension to Rubex and see the jump in cleanliness and productivity for yourself.
Read the full Rubex reference in REFERENCE.
See the CONTRIBUTING and the GitHub issue tracker for future features.
- The Ruby Association (Japan) for providing the initial funding for this project through the Ruby Association Grant 2016.
- Koichi Sasada (@ko1) and Kenta Murata (@mrkn) for their support and mentorship throughout this project.
- Fukuoka Ruby Award 2017.