API Generator

Python-based generator for GAMS API.

The Python based API generator is based on an open source programming language (Python), a language template tool for Python (jinja2) and a human-readable structured file format (yaml) for describing API data definitions. The python script can generate, for a given API, API wrapper file(s) in targeted languges using the data definition from the API data definition file and the targeted language template file(s).

The generator consists of the script (mkapi.py) located under src/ and several templates of jinja2 language (*.templates.j2) located under templates/. Each template serves as a preset container to fill in data definition from a data definition and congiruation file using the Python script. For each API, the data definitions and configurations are expected to be defined in a yaml file. The output configuration that can be generated for each API are:

• cc - for C Function Interface (to generate [API]cc.c and [API]cc.h),
• cclib - for C Callable Library (to generate [API]cclib.c)
• cclibdef - for Microsoft Module-Definition file for C Library (to generate [API]cclib*.def)
• cb - for C Callback Interface (to generate [API]ccb1.h and [API]ccb2.h)
• py - for (to generate [API]cc.i) and (to generate [API]setup.py)
• vb - for Visual Basic for Apllication callable library (to generate [API]vba.bas) and Visual Basic .Net callable library (to generate [API]vbnet.vb)
• cs - for C Sharp Callable Library (to generate [API]cs.cs)
• java - for Java interface (to generate [API].java) and Java native interface (to generate [API]jni.c)

Data Definition and Configuration File

An API definition and congiruation file describes a data definition of API and serves as an input for the script to fill in a template in order to create API code file(s). The definition and congiruation file is a yaml file containing:

• Generic API title (title)
• Abbreviation (prefix)
• Boolean Flag describing whether C library is used (CLibUse)
• String describing C including file when C library is used (extraCUse)
• Name of the Delphi object (DObject)
• Name of the Delphi unit (DUnit)
• API version (apiversion)
• List of compatible API versions (compatibleversion)
• List of templating outputs to be generate (output)
• List of object properties name and actions (properties)
• List of functions and procedures (functions)
• List of callback function types (functionpointers)
• List of numeric constants (constants)
• List of string numeric constants (stringconstants)
• List of targeted output to be generated (output)

Requirements

Requires Python 3 (Tested with Python 3.11.3) with the following modules:

• Jinja, an extensible templating engine to render a document. (Tested with 3.1.2)
• Ceberus, a schema and data validation tool for Python dictionaries. (Tested with 1.3.4)
• Pandas, a data analysis and manipulation tool for Python programming language. (Tested with 2.0.2)
• PyYAML, a YAML framework for the Python programming language. (Tested with 6.0)

License

MIT

Usage

• To generate files for [API] from the data definition and configuration file [API]api.yaml using script mkapi.py:

  python [/path/to/file/]mkapi.py
      --apidef [/path/to/file/][API]api.yaml
      --outputpath [/outputpath/]
  

• To override the output to be generated from the data definition and configuration file [API]api.yaml using --output argument:

  python [/path/to/file/]mkapi.py
      --apidef [/path/to/file/][API]api.yaml
      --outputpath [/outputpath/] 
      --output cc
  

  will ignore the list of targeted output(output) from [API]api.yaml and generate only C Function Interface ([API]cc.c and [API]cc.h).