`SWIG/Examples/ruby/constants/`

## Wrapping C Constants

`$Header: /cvs/projects/SWIG/Examples/ruby/constants/index.html,v 1.1 2000/07/05 18:58:46 ttn Exp $`

When SWIG encounters C preprocessor macros and C declarations that look like constants, it creates Ruby constants with an identical value. Click here to see a SWIG interface with some constant declarations in it.

## Accessing Constants from Ruby

Click here to see a script that prints out the values of the constants contained in the above file.

## Key points

- The values of preprocessor macros are converted into Ruby constants.
- Types are inferred by syntax (e.g., "3" is an integer and "3.5" is a float).
- Character constants such as 'x' are converted into Ruby strings.
- C string literals such as "Hello World" are converted into Ruby strings.
- Macros that are not fully defined are simply ignored. For example:

  >     #define EXTERN extern

  is ignored because SWIG has no idea what type of variable this would be.

- Expressions are allowed provided that all of their components are defined. Otherwise, the constant is ignored.
- Certain C declarations involving 'const' are also turned into Ruby constants.
- Constants that begin with lower case character are automatically capitalized. For example:

  >     const int     iconst = 37;

  is capitalized as `Example::Iconst` because Ruby constants name must begin with upper case character.
- The constants that appear in a SWIG interface file do not have to appear in any sort of matching C source file since the creation of a constant does not require linkage to a stored value (i.e., a value held in a C global variable or memory location).