Extending and Embedding Perl

An explanation of how to expand the functionality and usefulness of the Perl programming language, this guide delves into the complex issues of using real code examples from the Perl source. Detailed is how to use Perl from C programs, such as writing interfaces to C libraries, implementing Perl callbacks for C libraries, and passing Perl hashes and arrays between Perl and C. Additionally, developers are provided with an API reference for the internal C interface to Perl and a reference on the typemap system.

Tim Jenness is employed as a software engineer for two British telescopes in Hawaii—the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope and the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope. He has 10 modules on CPAN, including two that are distributed as part of the core Perl distribution (File::Temp and Pod::LateX). He has been a Perl developer for seven years and has been contributing to general Perl development on the perl5-porters list for two years. He has also been a contributor to the Perl Data Language from early in its development. He lives in Hilo, Hawaii. Simon Cozens works as a programmer for Oxford University Computing Services as part of the Unix team. He has been a Perl developer for six years and has contributed to perl5-porters for three. He takes a particular interest in documentation, specifically writing documentation and training materials to help new contributors. Cozens was also the release manager for the first four releases of the Perl 6 runtime engine, Parrot.