This is hacking.info, produced by makeinfo version 4.7 from
hacking.texinfo.

   This file contains important information you will need to know if you
are going to hack on the GNU Classpath project code.

   Copyright (C) 1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003,2004, 2005 Free Software
Foundation, Inc.

INFO-DIR-SECTION GNU Libraries
START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
* Classpath Hacking: (hacking).   GNU Classpath Hacker's Guide
END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY


File: hacking.info,  Node: Top,  Next: Introduction,  Prev: (dir),  Up: (dir)

GNU Classpath Hacker's Guide
****************************

This document contains important information you'll want to know if you
want to hack on GNU Classpath, Essential Libraries for Java, to help
create free core class libraries for use with virtual machines and
compilers for the java programming language.

* Menu:

* Introduction::                An introduction to the GNU Classpath project
* Requirements::                Very important rules that must be followed
* Volunteering::                So you want to help out
* Project Goals::               Goals of the GNU Classpath project
* Needed Tools and Libraries::  A list of programs and libraries you will need
* Programming Standards::       Standards to use when writing code
* Hacking Code::                Working on code, Working with others
* Programming Goals::           What to consider when writing code
* API Compatibility::           How to handle serialization and deprecated methods
* Specification Sources::       Where to find class library specs
* Naming Conventions::          How files and directories are named
* Character Conversions::       Working on Character conversions
* Localization::                How to handle localization/internationalization

 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---

Programming Standards

* Source Code Style Guide::

Working on the code, Working with others

* Writing ChangeLogs::

Programming Goals

* Portability::                 Writing Portable Software
* Utility Classes::             Reusing Software
* Robustness::                  Writing Robust Software
* Java Efficiency::             Writing Efficient Java
* Native Efficiency::           Writing Efficient JNI
* Security::                    Writing Secure Software

API Compatibility

* Serialization::               Serialization
* Deprecated Methods::          Deprecated methods

Localization

* String Collation::            Sorting strings in different locales
* Break Iteration::             Breaking up text into words, sentences, and lines
* Date Formatting and Parsing::  Locale specific date handling
* Decimal/Currency Formatting and Parsing::  Local specific number handling


File: hacking.info,  Node: Introduction,  Next: Requirements,  Prev: Top,  Up: Top

1 Introduction
**************

The GNU Classpath Project is a dedicated to providing a 100% free,
clean room implementation of the standard core class libraries for
compilers and runtime environments for the java programming language.
It offers free software developers an alternative core library
implementation upon which larger java-like programming environments can
be build.  The GNU Classpath Project was started in the Spring of 1998
as an official Free Software Foundation project.  Most of the
volunteers working on GNU Classpath do so in their spare time, but a
couple of projects based on GNU Classpath have paid programmers to
improve the core libraries.  We appreciate everyone's efforts in the
past to improve and help the project and look forward to future
contributions by old and new members alike.


File: hacking.info,  Node: Requirements,  Next: Volunteering,  Prev: Introduction,  Up: Top

2 Requirements
**************

Although GNU Classpath is following an open development model where
input from developers is welcome, there are certain base requirements
that need to be met by anyone who wants to contribute code to this
project.  They are mostly dictated by legal requirements and are not
arbitrary restrictions chosen by the GNU Classpath team.

   You will need to adhere to the following things if you want to donate
code to the GNU Classpath project:

   * *Never under any circumstances refer to proprietary code while
     working on GNU Classpath.*  It is best if you have never looked at
     alternative proprietary core library code at all.  To reduce
     temptation, it would be best if you deleted the `src.zip' file
     from your proprietary JDK distribution (note that recent versions
     of GNU Classpath and the compilers and environments build on it are
     mature enough to not need any proprietary implementation at all
     when working on GNU Classpath, except in exceptional cases where
     you need to test compatibility issues pointed out by users).  If
     you have signed Sun's non-disclosure statement, then you
     unfortunately cannot work on Classpath code at all.  If you have
     any reason to believe that your code might be "tainted", please
     say something on the mailing list before writing anything.  If it
     turns out that your code was not developed in a clean room
     environment, we could be very embarrassed someday in court.
     Please don't let that happen.

   * *Never decompile proprietary class library implementations.*  While
     the wording of the license in Sun's Java 2 releases has changed,
     it is not acceptable, under any circumstances, for a person
     working on GNU Classpath to decompile Sun's class libraries.
     Allowing the use of decompilation in the GNU Classpath project
     would open up a giant can of legal worms, which we wish to avoid.

   * Classpath is licensed under the terms of the GNU General Public
     License (http://www.fsf.org/copyleft/gpl.html), with a special
     exception included to allow linking with non-GPL licensed works as
     long as no other license would restrict such linking.  To preserve
     freedom for all users and to maintain uniform licensing of
     Classpath, we will not accept code into the main distribution that
     is not licensed under these terms.  The exact wording of the
     license of the current version of GNU Classpath can be found
     online from the GNU Classpath license page
     (http://www.gnu.org/software/classpath/license.html) and is of
     course distributed with current snapshot release from
     `ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/classpath/' or by obtaining a copy of the
     current CVS tree.

   * GNU Classpath is GNU software and this project is being officially
     sponsored by the Free Software Foundation (http://www.fsf.org/).
     Because of this, the FSF will hold copyright to all code developed
     as part of GNU Classpath.  This will allow them to pursue
     copyright violators in court, something an individual developer
     may neither have the time nor resources to do.  Everyone
     contributing code to GNU Classpath will need to sign a copyright
     assignment statement.  Additionally, if you are employed as a
     programmer, your employer may need to sign a copyright waiver
     disclaiming all interest in the software.  This may sound harsh,
     but unfortunately, it is the only way to ensure that the code you
     write is legally yours to distribute.


File: hacking.info,  Node: Volunteering,  Next: Project Goals,  Prev: Requirements,  Up: Top

3 Volunteering to Help
**********************

The GNU Classpath project needs volunteers to help us out.  People are
needed to write unimplemented core packages, to test GNU Classpath on
free software programs written in the java programming language, to
test it on various platforms, and to port it to platforms that are
currently unsupported.

   While pretty much all contributions are welcome (but see *note
Requirements::) it is always preferable that volunteers do the whole
job when volunteering for a task.  So when you volunteer to write a
Java package, please be willing to do the following:

   * Implement a complete drop-in replacement for the particular
     package.  That means implementing any "internal" classes.  For
     example, in the java.net package, there are non-public classes for
     implementing sockets.  Without those classes, the public socket
     interface is useless.  But do not feel obligated to completely
     implement all of the functionality at once.  For example, in the
     java.net package, there are different types of protocol handlers
     for different types of URL's.  Not all of these need to be written
     at once.

   * Please write complete and thorough API documentation comments for
     every public and protected method and variable.  These should be
     superior to Sun's and cover everything about the item being
     documented.

   * Please write a regression test package that can be used to run
     tests of your package's functionality.  GNU Classpath uses the
     Mauve project (http://sources.redhat.com/mauve/) for testing the
     functionality of the core class libraries.  The Classpath Project
     is fast approaching the point in time where all modifications to
     the source code repository will require appropriate test cases in
     Mauve to ensure correctness and prevent regressions.

   Writing good documentation, tests and fixing bugs should be every
developer's top priority in order to reach the elusive release of
version 1.0.


File: hacking.info,  Node: Project Goals,  Next: Needed Tools and Libraries,  Prev: Volunteering,  Up: Top

4 Project Goals
***************

The goal of the Classpath project is to produce a free
(http://www.fsf.org/philosophy/free-sw.html) implementation of the
standard class library for Java.  However, there are other more
specific goals as to which platforms should be supported.

   Classpath is targeted to support the following operating systems:

  1. Free operating systems.  This includes GNU/Linux, GNU/Hurd, and
     the free BSDs.

  2. Other Unix-like operating systems.

  3. Platforms which currently have no Java support at all.

  4. Other platforms such as MS-Windows.

   While free operating systems are the top priority, the other
priorities can shift depending on whether or not there is a volunteer
to port Classpath to those platforms and to test releases.

   Eventually we hope the Classpath will support all JVM's that provide
JNI or CNI support.  However, the top priority is free JVM's.  A small
list of Compiler/VM environments that are currently actively
incorporating GNU Classpath is below.  A more complete overview of
projects based on GNU classpath can be found online at the GNU
Classpath stories page
(http://www.gnu.org/software/classpath/stories.html).

  1. GCJ (http://gcc.gnu.org/java/)

  2. jamvm (http://jamvm.sourceforge.net/)

  3. Kissme (http://kissme.sourceforge.net/)

  4. Jikes RVM (http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/oss/jikesrvm/)

  5. SableVM (http://www.sablevm.org/)

  6. Kaffe (http://www.kaffe.org/)

   As with OS platform support, this priority list could change if a
volunteer comes forward to port, maintain, and test releases for a
particular JVM.  Since gcj is part of the GNU Compiler Collective it is
one of the most important targets.  But since it doesn't currently work
out of the box with GNU Classpath it is currently not the easiest
target.  When hacking on GNU Classpath the easiest is to use compilers
and runtime environments that that work out of the box with it, such as
the jikes compiler and the runtime environments jamvm and kissme.  But
you can also work directly with targets like gcj and kaffe that have
their own copy of GNU Classpath currently.  In that case changes have
to be merged back into GNU Classpath proper though, which is sometimes
more work.  SableVM is starting to migrate from an integrated GNU
Classpath version to being usable with GNU Classpath out of the box.

   The initial target version for Classpath is the 1.1 spec.  Higher
versions can be implemented (and have been implemented, including lots
of 1.4 functionality) if desired, but please do not create classes that
depend on features in those packages unless GNU Classpath already
contains those features.  GNU Classpath has been free of any
proprietary dependencies for a long time now and we like to keep it
that way.  But finishing, polishing up, documenting, testing and
debugging current functionality is of higher priority then adding new
functionality.


File: hacking.info,  Node: Needed Tools and Libraries,  Next: Programming Standards,  Prev: Project Goals,  Up: Top

5 Needed Tools and Libraries
****************************

If you want to hack on Classpath, you should at least download and
install the following tools.  And try to familiarize yourself with
them.  Although in most cases having these tools installed will be all
you really need to know about them.  Also note that when working on
(snapshot) releases only GCC 3.3+ (plus a free VM from the list above
and the libraries listed below) is needed.  The other tools are only
needed when working directly on the CVS version.

   * GCC 3.3+

   * CVS 1.11+

   * automake 1.7+

   * autoconf 2.59+

   * libtool 1.4.2+

   * GNU m4 1.4

   * texinfo 4.2+

   All of these tools are available from gnudist.gnu.org
(ftp://gnudist.gnu.org/pub/gnu/) via anonymous ftp, except CVS which is
available from www.cvshome.org (http://www.cvshome.org/).  They are
fully documented with texinfo manuals.  Texinfo can be browsed with the
Emacs editor, or with the text editor of your choice, or transformed
into nicely printable Postscript.

   Here is a brief description of the purpose of those tools.

GCC
     The GNU Compiler Collection. This contains a C compiler (gcc) for
     compiling the native C code and a compiler for the java programming
     language (gcj).  You will need at least gcj version 3.3 or higher.
     If that version is not available for your platform you can try the
     jikes compiler (http://www.jikes.org/).  We try to keep all code
     compilable with both gcj and jikes at all times.

CVS
     A version control system that maintains a centralized Internet
     repository of all code in the Classpath system.

automake
     This tool automatically creates Makefile.in files from Makefile.am
     files.  The Makefile.in is turned into a Makefile by autoconf.  Why
     use this?  Because it automatically generates every makefile target
     you would ever want (clean, install, dist, etc) in full compliance
     with the GNU coding standards.  It also simplifies Makefile
     creation in a number of ways that cannot be described here.  Read
     the docs for more info.

autoconf
     Automatically configures a package for the platform on which it is
     being built and generates the Makefile for that platform.

libtool
     Handles all of the zillions of hairy platform specific options
     needed to build shared libraries.

m4
     The free GNU replacement for the standard Unix macro processor.
     Proprietary m4 programs are broken and so GNU m4 is required for
     autoconf to work though knowing a lot about GNU m4 is not required
     to work with autoconf.

perl
     Larry Wall's scripting language.  It is used internally by
     automake.

texinfo
     Manuals and documentation (like this guide) are written in texinfo.
     Texinfo is the official documentation format of the GNU project.
     Texinfo uses a single source file to produce output in a number of
     formats, both online and printed (dvi, info, html, xml, etc.).
     This means that instead of writing different documents for online
     information and another for a printed manual, you need write only
     one document. And when the work is revised, you need revise only
     that one document.


   For compiling the native AWT libraries you need to have the following
libraries installed:

GTK+ 2.2.x
     GTK+ (http://www.gtk.org/) is a multi-platform toolkit for
     creating graphical user interfaces.  It is used as the basis of the
     GNU desktop project GNOME.

gdk-pixbuf
     gdk-pixbuf (http://www.gnome.org/start/) is a GNOME library for
     representing images.

   GNU Classpath comes with a couple of libraries included in the source
that are not part of GNU Classpath proper, but that have been included
to provide certain needed functionality.  All these external libraries
should be clearly marked as such.  In general we try to use as much as
possible the clean upstream versions of these sources.  That way
merging in new versions will be easiest.  You should always try to get
bug fixes to these files accepted upstream first.  Currently we include
the following 'external' libraries.  Most of these sources are included
in the `external' directory.  That directory also contains a `README'
file explaining how to import newer versions.

GNU jaxp
     Can be found in `external/jaxp'.  Provides javax.xml, org.w3c and
     org.xml packages.  Upstream is GNU ClasspathX
     (http://www.gnu.org/software/classpathx/).

fdlibm
     Can be found in `native/fdlibm'.  Provides native implementations
     of some of the Float and Double operations.  Upstream is libgcj
     (http://gcc.gnu.org/java/), they sync again with the 'real'
     upstream `http://www.netlib.org/fdlibm/readme'.  See also
     java.lang.StrictMath.



File: hacking.info,  Node: Programming Standards,  Next: Hacking Code,  Prev: Needed Tools and Libraries,  Up: Top

6 Programming Standards
***********************

For C source code, follow the GNU Coding Standards
(http://www.gnu.org/prep/standards/).  The standards also specify
various things like the install directory structure.  These should be
followed if possible.

   For Java source code, please follow the GNU Coding Standards
(http://www.gnu.org/prep/standards/), as much as possible.  There are a
number of exceptions to the GNU Coding Standards that we make for GNU
Classpath as documented in this guide.  We will hopefully be providing
developers with a code formatting tool that closely matches those rules
soon.

   For API documentation comments, please follow How to Write Doc
Comments for Javadoc
(http://java.sun.com/products/jdk/javadoc/writingdoccomments.html).  We
would like to have a set of guidelines more tailored to GNU Classpath
as part of this document.

* Menu:

* Source Code Style Guide::


File: hacking.info,  Node: Source Code Style Guide,  Prev: Programming Standards,  Up: Programming Standards

6.1 Java source coding style
============================

Here is a list of some specific rules used when hacking on GNU
Classpath java source code. We try to follow the standard GNU Coding
Standards (http://www.gnu.org/prep/standards/) for that. There are lots
of tools that can automatically generate it (although most tools assume
C source, not java source code) and it seems as good a standard as any.
There are a couple of exceptions and specific rules when hacking on GNU
Classpath java source code however.  The following lists how code is
formatted (and some other code conventions):

   * Java source files in GNU Classpath are encoded using UTF-8.
     However, ordinarily it is considered best practice to use the
     ASCII subset of UTF-8 and write non-ASCII characters using \u
     escapes.

   * If possible, generate specific imports (expand) over java.io.* type
     imports. Order by gnu, java, javax, org. There must be one blank
     line between each group. The imports themselves are ordered
     alphabetically by package name. Classes and interfaces occur
     before sub-packages. The classes/interfaces are then also sorted
     alphabetical. Note that uppercase characters occur before
     lowercase characters.

          import gnu.java.awt.EmbeddedWindow;

          import java.io.IOException;
          import java.io.InputStream;

          import javax.swing.JFrame;

   * Blank line after package statement, last import statement, classes,
     interfaces, methods.

   * Opening/closing brace for class and method is at the same level of
     indent as the declaration.  All other braces are indented and
     content between braces indented again.

   * Since method definitions don't start in column zero anyway (since
     they are always inside a class definition), the rational for easy
     grepping for "^method_def" is mostly gone already. Since it is
     customary for almost everybody who writes java source code to put
     modifiers, return value and method name on the same line, we do
     too.

   * Implements and extends on separate lines, throws too.  Indent
     extends, implements, throws.  Apply deep indentation for method
     arguments.

   * Don't add a space between a method or constructor call/definition
     and the open-bracket. This is because often the return value is an
     object on which you want to apply another method or from which you
     want to access a field.

     Don't write:

            getToolkit ().createWindow (this);

     But write:
            getToolkit().createWindow(this);

   * The GNU Coding Standard it gives examples for almost every
     construct (if, switch, do, while, etc.).  One missing is the
     try-catch construct which should be formatted as:

            try
              {
                //
              }
            catch (...)
              {
                //
              }

   * Wrap lines at 80 characters after assignments and before operators.
     Wrap always before extends, implements, throws, and labels.

   * Don't put multiple class definitions in the same file, except for
     inner classes. File names (plus .java) and class names should be
     the same.

   * Don't catch a `NullPointerException' as an alternative to simply
     checking for `null'.  It is clearer and usually more efficient to
     simply write an explicit check.

     For instance, don't write:

          try
            {
              return foo.doit();
            }
          catch (NullPointerException _)
            {
              return 7;
            }

     If your intent above is to check whether `foo' is `null', instead
     write:

          if (foo == null)
            return 7;
          else
            return foo.doit();

   * Don't use redundant modifiers or other redundant constructs.  Here
     is some sample code that shows various redundant items in comments:

          /*import java.lang.Integer;*/
          /*abstract*/ interface I {
             /*public abstract*/ void m();
             /*public static final*/ int i = 1;
             /*public static*/ class Inner {}
          }
          final class C /*extends Object*/ {
             /*final*/ void m() {}
          }

     Note that Jikes will generate warnings for redundant modifiers if
     you use `+Predundant-modifiers' on the command line.

   * Modifiers should be listed in the standard order recommended by the
     JLS.  Jikes will warn for this when given `+Pmodifier-order'.

   * Because the output of different compilers differs, we have
     standardized on explicitly specifying `serialVersionUID' in
     `Serializable' classes in Classpath.  This field should be
     declared as `private static final'.  Note that a class may be
     `Serializable' without being explicitly marked as such, due to
     inheritance.  For instance, all subclasses of `Throwable' need to
     have `serialVersionUID' declared.

   * Don't declare unchecked exceptions in the `throws' clause of a
     method.  However, if throwing an unchecked exception is part of the
     method's API, you should mention it in the Javadoc.

   * When overriding `Object.equals', remember that `instanceof'
     filters out `null', so an explicit check is not needed.

   * When catching an exception and rethrowing a new exception you
     should "chain" the Throwables.  Don't just add the String
     representation of the caught exception.

            try
              {
                // Some code that can throw
              }
            catch (IOException ioe)
              {
                throw (SQLException) new SQLException("Database corrupt").setCause(ioe);
              }

   * Avoid the use of reserved words for identifiers.  This is obvious
     with those such as `if' and `while' which have always been part of
     the Java programming language, but you should be careful about
     accidentally using words which have been added in later versions.
     Notable examples are `assert' (added in 1.4) and `enum' (added in
     1.5).  Jikes will warn of the use of the word `enum', but, as it
     doesn't yet support the 1.5 version of the language, it will still
     allow this usage through.  A compiler which supports 1.5 (e.g. the
     Eclipse compiler, ecj) will simply fail to compile the offending
     source code.


   Some things are the same as in the normal GNU Coding Standards:

   * Unnecessary braces can be removed, one line after an if, for,
     while as examples.

   * Space around operators (assignment, logical, relational, bitwise,
     mathematical, shift).

   * Blank line before single-line comments, multi-line comments,
     javadoc comments.

   * If more than 2 blank lines, trim to 2.

   * Don't keep commented out code.  Just remove it or add a real
     comment describing what it used to do and why it is changed to the
     current implementation.


File: hacking.info,  Node: Hacking Code,  Next: Programming Goals,  Prev: Programming Standards,  Up: Top

7 Working on the code, Working with others
******************************************

There are a lot of people helping out with GNU Classpath.  Here are a
couple of practical guidelines to make working together on the code
smoother.

   The main thing is to always discuss what you are up to on the
mailinglist.  Making sure that everybody knows who is working on what
is the most important thing to make sure we cooperate most effectively.

   We maintain a Task List
(http://www.gnu.org/software/classpath/tasks.html) which contains items
that you might want to work on.

   Before starting to work on something please make sure you read this
complete guide.  And discuss it on list to make sure your work does not
duplicate or interferes with work someone else is already doing.
Always make sure that you submit things that are your own work.  And
that you have paperwork on file (as stated in the requirements section)
with the FSF authorizing the use of your additions.

   Technically the GNU Classpath project is hosted on Savannah
(http://savannah.gnu.org/) a central point for development,
distribution and maintenance of GNU Software.  Here you will find the
project page (https://savannah.gnu.org/projects/classpath/), bug
reports, pending patches, links to mailing lists, news items and CVS.

   You can find instructions on getting a CVS checkout for classpath at
`https://savannah.gnu.org/cvs/?group=classpath'.

   You don't have to get CVS commit write access to contribute, but it
is sometimes more convenient to be able to add your changes directly to
the project CVS. Please contact the GNU Classpath savannah admins to
arrange CVS access if you would like to have it.

   Make sure to be subscribed to the commit-classpath mailinglist while
you are actively hacking on Classpath.  You have to send patches (cvs
diff -uN) to this list before committing.

   We really want to have a pretty open check-in policy.  But this means
that you should be extra careful if you check something in.  If at all
in doubt or if you think that something might need extra explaining
since it is not completely obvious please make a little announcement
about the change on the mailinglist.  And if you do commit something
without discussing it first and another GNU Classpath hackers asks for
extra explanation or suggests to revert a certain commit then please
reply to the request by explaining why something should be so or if you
agree to revert it.  (Just reverting immediately is OK without
discussion, but then please don't mix it with other changes and please
say so on list.)

   Patches that are already approved for libgcj or also OK for
Classpath.  (But you still have to send a patch/diff to the list.)  All
other patches require you to think whether or not they are really OK and
non-controversial, or if you would like some feedback first on them
before committing.  We might get real commit rules in the future, for
now use your own judgment, but be a bit conservative.

   Always contact the GNU Classpath maintainer before adding anything
non-trivial that you didn't write yourself and that does not come from
libgcj or from another known GNU Classpath or libgcj hacker.  If you
have been assigned to commit changes on behalf of another project or a
company always make sure they come from people who have signed the
papers for the FSF and/or fall under the arrangement your company made
with the FSF for contributions.  Mention in the ChangeLog who actually
wrote the patch.

   Commits for completely unrelated changes they should be committed
separately (especially when doing a formatting change and a logical
change, do them in two separate commits). But do try to do a commit of
as much things/files that are done at the same time which can logically
be seen as part of the same change/cleanup etc.

   When the change fixes an important bug or adds nice new functionality
please write a short entry for inclusion in the `NEWS' file.  If it
changes the VM interface you must mention that in both the `NEWS' file
and the VM Integration Guide.

   All the "rules" are really meant to make sure that GNU Classpath
will be maintainable in the long run and to give all the projects that
are now using GNU Classpath an accurate view of the changes we make to
the code and to see what changed when.  If you think the requirements
are "unworkable" please try it first for a couple of weeks.  If you
still feel the same after having some more experience with the project
please feel free to bring up suggestions for improvements on the list.
But don't just ignore the rules!  Other hackers depend on them being
followed to be the most productive they can be (given the above
constraints).

* Menu:

* Writing ChangeLogs::


File: hacking.info,  Node: Writing ChangeLogs,  Prev: Hacking Code,  Up: Hacking Code

7.1 Documenting what changed when with ChangeLog entries
========================================================

To keep track of who did what when we keep an explicit ChangeLog entry
together with the code.  This mirrors the CVS commit messages and in
general the ChangeLog entry is the same as the CVS commit message.
This provides an easy way for people getting a (snapshot) release or
without access to the CVS server to see what happened when.  We do not
generate the ChangeLog file automatically from the CVS server since
that is not reliable.

   A good ChangeLog entry guideline can be found in the Guile Manual at
`http://www.gnu.org/software/guile/changelogs/guile-changelogs_3.html'.

   Here are some example to explain what should or shouldn't be in a
ChangeLog entry (and the corresponding commit message):

   * The first line of a ChangeLog entry should be:

          [date] <two spaces> [full name] <two spaces> [email-contact]

     The second line should be blank. All other lines should be indented
     with one tab.

   * Just state what was changed.  Why something is done as it is done
     in the current code should be either stated in the code itself or
     be added to one of the documentation files (like this Hacking
     Guide).

     So don't write:

                  * java/awt/font/OpenType.java: Remove 'public static final'
                  from OpenType tags, reverting the change of 2003-08-11.  See
                  Classpath discussion list of 2003-08-11.

     Just state:

                  * java/awt/font/OpenType.java: Remove 'public static final' from
                  all member fields.

     In this case the reason for the change was added to this guide.

   * Just as with the normal code style guide, don't make lines longer
     then 80 characters.

   * Just as with comments in the code. The ChangeLog entry should be a
     full sentence, starting with a captital and ending with a period.

   * Be precise in what changed, not the effect of the change (which
     should be clear from the code/patch).  So don't write:

           * java/io/ObjectOutputStream.java : Allow putFields be called more
           than once.

     But explain what changed and in which methods it was changed:

           * java/io/ObjectOutputStream.java (putFields): Don't call
           markFieldsWritten(). Only create new PutField when
           currentPutField is null.
           (writeFields): Call markFieldsWritten().


   The above are all just guidelines.  We all appreciate the fact that
writing ChangeLog entries, using a coding style that is not "your own"
and the CVS, patch and diff tools do take some time to getting used to.
So don't feel like you have to do it perfect right away or that
contributions aren't welcome if they aren't "perfect".  We all learn by
doing and interacting with each other.


File: hacking.info,  Node: Programming Goals,  Next: API Compatibility,  Prev: Hacking Code,  Up: Top

8 Programming Goals
*******************

When you write code for Classpath, write with three things in mind, and
in the following order: portability, robustness, and efficiency.

   If efficiency breaks portability or robustness, then don't do it the
efficient way.  If robustness breaks portability, then bye-bye robust
code.  Of course, as a programmer you would probably like to find sneaky
ways to get around the issue so that your code can be all three ... the
following chapters will give some hints on how to do this.

* Menu:

* Portability::                 Writing Portable Software
* Utility Classes::             Reusing Software
* Robustness::                  Writing Robust Software
* Java Efficiency::             Writing Efficient Java
* Native Efficiency::           Writing Efficient JNI
* Security::                    Writing Secure Software


File: hacking.info,  Node: Portability,  Next: Utility Classes,  Prev: Programming Goals,  Up: Programming Goals

8.1 Portability
===============

The portability goal for Classpath is the following:

  1. native functions for each platform that work across all VMs on that
     platform

  2. a single classfile set that work across all VMs on all platforms
     that support the native functions.

   For almost all of Classpath, this is a very feasible goal, using a
combination of JNI and native interfaces.  This is what you should shoot
for.  For those few places that require knowledge of the Virtual Machine
beyond that provided by the Java standards, the VM Interface was
designed.  Read the Virtual Machine Integration Guide for more
information.

   Right now the only supported platform is Linux.  This will change as
that version stabilizes and we begin the effort to port to many other
platforms.  Jikes RVM runs Classpath on AIX, and generally the Jikes
RVM team fixes Classpath to work on that platform.


File: hacking.info,  Node: Utility Classes,  Next: Robustness,  Prev: Portability,  Up: Programming Goals

8.2 Utility Classes
===================

At the moment, we are not very good at reuse of the JNI code.  There
have been some attempts, called "libclasspath", to create generally
useful utility classes.  The utility classes are in the directory
`native/jni/classpath' and they are mostly declared in
`native/jni/classpath/jcl.h'.  These utility classes are currently only
discussed in *Note Robustness:: and in *Note Native Efficiency::.

   There are more utility classes available that could be factored out
if a volunteer wants something nice to hack on.  The error reporting and
exception throwing functions and macros in
`native/jni/gtk-peer/gthread-jni.c' might be good candidates for reuse.
There are also some generally useful utility functions in
`gnu_java_awt_peer_gtk_GtkMainThread.c' that could be split out and put
into libclasspath.


File: hacking.info,  Node: Robustness,  Next: Java Efficiency,  Prev: Utility Classes,  Up: Programming Goals

8.3 Robustness
==============

Native code is very easy to make non-robust.  (That's one reason Java is
so much better!)  Here are a few hints to make your native code more
robust.

   Always check return values for standard functions.  It's sometimes
easy to forget to check that malloc() return for an error.  Don't make
that mistake.  (In fact, use JCL_malloc() in the jcl library instead-it
will check the return value and throw an exception if necessary.)

   Always check the return values of JNI functions, or call
`ExceptionOccurred' to check whether an error occurred.  You must do
this after _every_ JNI call.  JNI does not work well when an exception
has been raised, and can have unpredictable behavior.

   Throw exceptions using `JCL_ThrowException'.  This guarantees that if
something is seriously wrong, the exception text will at least get out
somewhere (even if it is stderr).

   Check for null values of `jclass'es before you send them to JNI
functions.  JNI does not behave nicely when you pass a null class to
it: it terminates Java with a "JNI Panic."

   In general, try to use functions in `native/jni/classpath/jcl.h'.
They check exceptions and return values and throw appropriate
exceptions.


File: hacking.info,  Node: Java Efficiency,  Next: Native Efficiency,  Prev: Robustness,  Up: Programming Goals

8.4 Java Efficiency
===================

For methods which explicitly throw a `NullPointerException' when an
argument is passed which is null, per a Sun specification, do not write
code like:

     int
     strlen (String foo) throws NullPointerException
     {
       if (foo == null)
         throw new NullPointerException ("foo is null");
       return foo.length ();
     }

   Instead, the code should be written as:

     int
     strlen (String foo) throws NullPointerException
     {
       return foo.length ();
     }

   Explicitly comparing foo to null is unnecessary, as the virtual
machine will throw a NullPointerException when length() is invoked.
Classpath is designed to be as fast as possible - every optimization,
no matter how small, is important.


File: hacking.info,  Node: Native Efficiency,  Next: Security,  Prev: Java Efficiency,  Up: Programming Goals

8.5 Native Efficiency
=====================

You might think that using native methods all over the place would give
our implementation of Java speed, speed, blinding speed.  You'd be
thinking wrong.  Would you believe me if I told you that an empty
_interpreted_ Java method is typically about three and a half times
_faster_ than the equivalent native method?

   Bottom line: JNI is overhead incarnate.  In Sun's implementation,
even the JNI functions you use once you get into Java are slow.

   A final problem is efficiency of native code when it comes to things
like method calls, fields, finding classes, etc.  Generally you should
cache things like that in static C variables if you're going to use them
over and over again.  GetMethodID(), GetFieldID(), and FindClass() are
_slow_.  Classpath provides utility libraries for caching methodIDs and
fieldIDs in `native/jni/classpath/jnilink.h'.  Other native data can be
cached between method calls using functions found in
`native/jni/classpath/native_state.h'.

   Here are a few tips on writing native code efficiently:

   Make as few native method calls as possible.  Note that this is not
the same thing as doing less in native method calls; it just means
that, if given the choice between calling two native methods and
writing a single native method that does the job of both, it will
usually be better to write the single native method.  You can even call
the other two native methods directly from your native code and not
incur the overhead of a method call from Java to C.

   Cache `jmethodID's and `jfieldID's wherever you can.  String lookups
are expensive.  The best way to do this is to use the
`native/jni/classpath/jnilink.h' library.  It will ensure that
`jmethodID's are always valid, even if the class is unloaded at some
point.  In 1.1, jnilink simply caches a `NewGlobalRef()' to the
method's underlying class; however, when 1.2 comes along, it will use a
weak reference to allow the class to be unloaded and then re-resolve
the `jmethodID' the next time it is used.

   Cache classes that you need to access often.  jnilink will help with
this as well.  The issue here is the same as the methodID and fieldID
issue-how to make certain the class reference remains valid.

   If you need to associate native C data with your class, use Paul
Fisher's native_state library (NSA).  It will allow you to get and set
state fairly efficiently.  Japhar now supports this library, making
native state get and set calls as fast as accessing a C variable
directly.

   If you are using native libraries defined outside of Classpath, then
these should be wrapped by a Classpath function instead and defined
within a library of their own.  This makes porting Classpath's native
libraries to new platforms easier in the long run.  It would be nice to
be able to use Mozilla's NSPR or Apache's APR, as these libraries are
already ported to numerous systems and provide all the necessary system
functions as well.


File: hacking.info,  Node: Security,  Prev: Native Efficiency,  Up: Programming Goals

8.6 Security
============

Security is such a huge topic it probably deserves its own chapter.
Most of the current code needs to be audited for security to ensure all
of the proper security checks are in place within the Java platform,
but also to verify that native code is reasonably secure and avoids
common pitfalls, buffer overflows, etc.  A good source for information
on secure programming is the excellent HOWTO by David Wheeler, Secure
Programming for Linux and Unix HOWTO
(http://www.dwheeler.com/secure-programs/Secure-Programs-HOWTO/index.html).


File: hacking.info,  Node: API Compatibility,  Next: Specification Sources,  Prev: Programming Goals,  Up: Top

9 API Compatibility
*******************

* Menu:

* Serialization::               Serialization
* Deprecated Methods::          Deprecated methods


File: hacking.info,  Node: Serialization,  Next: Deprecated Methods,  Prev: API Compatibility,  Up: API Compatibility

9.1 Serialization
=================

Sun has produced documentation concerning much of the information
needed to make Classpath serializable compatible with Sun
implementations.  Part of doing this is to make sure that every class
that is Serializable actually defines a field named serialVersionUID
with a value that matches the output of serialver on Sun's
implementation.  The reason for doing this is below.

   If a class has a field (of any accessibility) named serialVersionUID
of type long, that is what serialver uses. Otherwise it computes a
value using some sort of hash function on the names of all method
signatures in the .class file.  The fact that different compilers
create different synthetic method signatures, such as access$0() if an
inner class needs access to a private member of an enclosing class,
make it impossible for two distinct compilers to reliably generate the
same serial #, because their .class files differ. However, once you
have a .class file, its serial # is unique, and the computation will
give the same result no matter what platform you execute on.

   Serialization compatibility can be tested using tools provided with
Japitools (http://www.kaffe.org/~stuart/japi/).  These tools can test
binary serialization compatibility and also provide information about
unknown serialized formats by writing these in XML instead.  Japitools
is also the primary means of checking API compatibility for GNU
Classpath with Sun's Java Platform.


File: hacking.info,  Node: Deprecated Methods,  Prev: Serialization,  Up: API Compatibility

9.2 Deprecated Methods
======================

Sun has a practice of creating "alias" methods, where a public or
protected method is deprecated in favor of a new one that has the same
function but a different name.  Sun's reasons for doing this vary; as
an example, the original name may contain a spelling error or it may
not follow Java naming conventions.

   Unfortunately, this practice complicates class library code that
calls these aliased methods.  Library code must still call the
deprecated method so that old client code that overrides it continues
to work.  But library code must also call the new version, because new
code is expected to override the new method.

   The correct way to handle this (and the way Sun does it) may seem
counterintuitive because it means that new code is less efficient than
old code: the new method must call the deprecated method, and throughout
the library code calls to the old method must be replaced with calls to
the new one.

   Take the example of a newly-written container laying out a component
and wanting to know its preferred size.  The Component class has a
deprecated preferredSize method and a new method, getPreferredSize.
Assume that the container is laying out an old component that overrides
preferredSize and a new component that overrides getPreferredSize.  If
the container calls getPreferredSize and the default implementation of
getPreferredSize calls preferredSize, then the old component will have
its preferredSize method called and new code will have its
getPreferredSize method called.

   Even using this calling scheme, an old component may still be laid
out improperly if it implements a method, getPreferredSize, that has the
same signature as the new Component.getPreferredSize.  But that is a
general problem - adding new public or protected methods to a
widely-used class that calls those methods internally is risky, because
existing client code may have already declared methods with the same
signature.

   The solution may still seem counterintuitive - why not have the
deprecated method call the new method, then have the library always call
the old method?  One problem with that, using the preferred size example
again, is that new containers, which will use the non-deprecated
getPreferredSize, will not get the preferred size of old components.


File: hacking.info,  Node: Specification Sources,  Next: Naming Conventions,  Prev: API Compatibility,  Up: Top

10 Specification Sources
************************

There are a number of specification sources to use when working on
Classpath.  In general, the only place you'll find your classes
specified is in the JavaDoc documentation or possibly in the
corresponding white paper.  In the case of java.lang, java.io and
java.util, you should look at the Java Language Specification.

   Here, however, is a list of specs, in order of canonicality:

  1. Clarifications and Amendments to the JLS - 1.1
     (http://java.sun.com/docs/books/jls/clarify.html)

  2. JLS Updates - 1.1
     (http://java.sun.com/docs/books/jls/html/1.1Update.html)

  3. The 1.0 JLS (http://java.sun.com/docs/books/jls/html/index.html)

  4. JVM spec - 1.1 (http://java.sun.com/docs/books/vmspec/index.html)

  5. JNI spec - 1.1
     (http://java.sun.com/products/jdk/1.1/docs/guide/jni/spec/jniTOC.doc.html)

  6. Sun's javadoc - 1.1
     (http://java.sun.com/products/jdk/1.1/docs/api/packages.html)
     (since Sun's is the reference implementation, the javadoc is
     documentation for the Java platform itself.)

  7. JVMDI spec - 1.2
     (http://java.sun.com/products/jdk/1.2/docs/guide/jvmdi/jvmdi.html),
     JNI spec - 1.2
     (http://java.sun.com/products/jdk/1.2/docs/guide/jni/jni-12.html)
     (sometimes gives clues about unspecified things in 1.1; if it was
     not specified accurately in 1.1, then use the spec for 1.2; also,
     we are using JVMDI in this project.)

  8. Sun's javadoc - 1.2
     (http://java.sun.com/products/jdk/1.2/docs/api/frame.html)
     (sometimes gives clues about unspecified things in 1.1; if it was
     not specified accurately in 1.1, then use the spec for 1.2)

  9. The Bug Parade
     (http://developer.java.sun.com/developer/bugParade/index.html): I
     have obtained a ton of useful information about how things do work
     and how they *should* work from the Bug Parade just by searching
     for related bugs.  The submitters are very careful about their use
     of the spec.  And if something is unspecified, usually you can find
     a request for specification or a response indicating how Sun
     thinks it should be specified here.

   You'll notice that in this document, white papers and specification
papers are more canonical than the JavaDoc documentation.  This is true
in general.


File: hacking.info,  Node: Naming Conventions,  Next: Character Conversions,  Prev: Specification Sources,  Up: Top

11 Directory and File Naming Conventions
****************************************

The Classpath directory structure is laid out in the following manner:

     classpath
      |
      |---->java
      |       |
      |       |-->awt
      |       |-->io
      |       |-->lang
      |       |-->util
      |       |     |
      |       |     |--->zip
      |       |     |--->jar
      |       |-->net
      |       |-->etc
      |
      |---->gnu
      |       |
      |       |-->java
      |             |
      |             |-->awt
      |             |-->lang
      |             |-->util
      |             |     |
      |             |     |-->zip
      |             |-->etc
      |
      |---->native
              |
              |-->jni
              |    |-->classpath
              |    |-->gtk-peer
              |    |-->java-io
              |    |-->java-lang
              |    |-->java-net
              |    |-->java-util
              |    |-->etc
              |-->cni

   Here is a brief description of the toplevel directories and their
contents.

java
     Contains the source code to the Java packages that make up the core
     class library.  Because this is the public interface to Java, it is
     important that the public classes, interfaces, methods, and
     variables are exactly the same as specified in Sun's
     documentation.  The directory structure is laid out just like the
     java package names.  For example, the class java.util.zip would be
     in the directory java-util.

gnu/java
     Internal classes (roughly analogous to Sun's sun.* classes) should
     go under the `gnu/java' directory.  Classes related to a
     particular public Java package should go in a directory named like
     that package.  For example, classes related to java.util.zip
     should go under a directory `gnu/java/util/zip'.  Sub-packages
     under the main package name are allowed.  For classes spanning
     multiple public Java packages, pick an appropriate name and see
     what everybody else thinks.

native
     This directory holds native code needed by the public Java
     packages.  Each package has its own subdirectory, which is the
     "flattened" name of the package.  For example, native method
     implementations for java.util.zip should go in
     `native/classpath/java-util'.  Classpath actually includes an all
     Java version of the zip classes, so no native code is required.


   Each person working on a package get's his or her own "directory
space" underneath each of the toplevel directories.  In addition to the
general guidelines above, the following standards should be followed:

   * Classes that need to load native code should load a library with
     the same name as the flattened package name, with all hyphens
     removed.  For example, the native library name specified in
     LoadLibrary for java-util would be "javautil".

   * Each package has its own shared library for native code (if any).

   * The main native method implementation for a given method in class
     should go in a file with the same name as the class with a ".c"
     extension.  For example, the JNI implementation of the native
     methods in java.net.InetAddress would go in
     `native/jni/java-net/InetAddress.c'.  "Internal" native functions
     called from the main native method can reside in files of any name.


File: hacking.info,  Node: Character Conversions,  Next: Localization,  Prev: Naming Conventions,  Up: Top

12 Character Conversions
************************

Java uses the Unicode character encoding system internally.  This is a
sixteen bit (two byte) collection of characters encompassing most of the
world's written languages.  However, Java programs must often deal with
outside interfaces that are byte (eight bit) oriented.  For example, a
Unix file, a stream of data from a network socket, etc.  Beginning with
Java 1.1, the `Reader' and `Writer' classes provide functionality for
dealing with character oriented streams.  The classes
`InputStreamReader' and `OutputStreamWriter' bridge the gap between
byte streams and character streams by converting bytes to Unicode
characters and vice versa.

   In Classpath, `InputStreamReader' and `OutputStreamWriter' rely on
an internal class called `gnu.java.io.EncodingManager' to load
translaters that perform the actual conversion.  There are two types of
converters, encoders and decoders.  Encoders are subclasses of
`gnu.java.io.encoder.Encoder'.  This type of converter takes a Java
(Unicode) character stream or buffer and converts it to bytes using a
specified encoding scheme.  Decoders are a subclass of
`gnu.java.io.decoder.Decoder'.  This type of converter takes a byte
stream or buffer and converts it to Unicode characters.  The `Encoder'
and `Decoder' classes are subclasses of `Writer' and `Reader'
respectively, and so can be used in contexts that require character
streams, but the Classpath implementation currently does not make use
of them in this fashion.

   The `EncodingManager' class searches for requested encoders and
decoders by name.  Since encoders and decoders are separate in
Classpath, it is possible to have a decoder without an encoder for a
particular encoding scheme, or vice versa.  `EncodingManager' searches
the package path specified by the `file.encoding.pkg' property.  The
name of the encoder or decoder is appended to the search path to
produce the required class name.  Note that `EncodingManager' knows
about the default system encoding scheme, which it retrieves from the
system property `file.encoding', and it will return the proper
translator for the default encoding if no scheme is specified.  Also,
the Classpath standard translator library, which is the `gnu.java.io'
package, is automatically appended to the end of the path.

   For efficiency, `EncodingManager' maintains a cache of translators
that it has loaded.  This eliminates the need to search for a commonly
used translator each time it is requested.

   Finally, `EncodingManager' supports aliasing of encoding scheme
names.  For example, the ISO Latin-1 encoding scheme can be referred to
as "8859_1" or "ISO-8859-1".  `EncodingManager' searches for aliases by
looking for the existence of a system property called
`gnu.java.io.encoding_scheme_alias.<encoding name>'.  If such a
property exists.  The value of that property is assumed to be the
canonical name of the encoding scheme, and a translator with that name
is looked up instead of one with the original name.

   Here is an example of how `EncodingManager' works.  A class requests
a decoder for the "UTF-8" encoding scheme by calling
`EncodingManager.getDecoder("UTF-8")'.  First, an alias is searched for
by looking for the system property
`gnu.java.io.encoding_scheme_alias.UTF-8'.  In our example, this
property exists and has the value "UTF8".  That is the actual decoder
that will be searched for.  Next, `EncodingManager' looks in its cache
for this translator.  Assuming it does not find it, it searches the
translator path, which is this example consists only of the default
`gnu.java.io'.  The "decoder" package name is appended since we are
looking for a decoder.  ("encoder" would be used if we were looking for
an encoder).  Then name name of the translator is appended.  So
`EncodingManager' attempts to load a translator class called
`gnu.java.io.decoder.UTF8'.  If that class is found, an instance of it
is returned.  If it is not found, a `UnsupportedEncodingException'.

   To write a new translator, it is only necessary to subclass
`Encoder' and/or `Decoder'.  Only a handful of abstract methods need to
be implemented.  In general, no methods need to be overridden.  The
needed methods calculate the number of bytes/chars that the translation
will generate, convert buffers to/from bytes, and read/write a
requested number of characters to/from a stream.

   Many common encoding schemes use only eight bits to encode
characters.  Writing a translator for these encodings is very easy.
There are abstract translator classes
`gnu.java.io.decode.DecoderEightBitLookup' and
`gnu.java.io.encode.EncoderEightBitLookup'.  These classes implement
all of the necessary methods.  All that is necessary to create a lookup
table array that maps bytes to Unicode characters and set the class
variable `lookup_table' equal to it in a static initializer.  Also, a
single constructor that takes an appropriate stream as an argument must
be supplied.  These translators are exceptionally easy to create and
there are several of them supplied in the Classpath distribution.

   Writing multi-byte or variable-byte encodings is more difficult, but
often not especially challenging.  The Classpath distribution ships with
translators for the UTF8 encoding scheme which uses from one to three
bytes to encode Unicode characters.  This can serve as an example of
how to write such a translator.

   Many more translators are needed.  All major character encodings
should eventually be supported.


File: hacking.info,  Node: Localization,  Prev: Character Conversions,  Up: Top

13 Localization
***************

There are many parts of the Java standard runtime library that must be
customized to the particular locale the program is being run in.  These
include the parsing and display of dates, times, and numbers; sorting
words alphabetically; breaking sentences into words, etc.  In general,
Classpath uses general classes for performing these tasks, and
customizes their behavior with configuration data specific to a given
locale.

* Menu:

* String Collation::            Sorting strings in different locales
* Break Iteration::             Breaking up text into words, sentences, and lines
* Date Formatting and Parsing::  Locale specific date handling
* Decimal/Currency Formatting and Parsing::  Local specific number handling

   In Classpath, all locale specific data is stored in a
`ListResourceBundle' class in the package `gnu/java/locale'.  The
basename of the bundle is `LocaleInformation'.  See the documentation
for the `java.util.ResourceBundle' class for details on how the
specific locale classes should be named.

   `ListResourceBundle''s are used instead of
`PropertyResourceBundle''s because data more complex than simple
strings need to be provided to configure certain Classpath components.
Because `ListResourceBundle' allows an arbitrary Java object to be
associated with a given configuration option, it provides the needed
flexibility to accomodate Classpath's needs.

   Each Java library component that can be localized requires that
certain configuration options be specified in the resource bundle for
it.  It is important that each and every option be supplied for a
specific component or a critical runtime error will most likely result.

   As a standard, each option should be assigned a name that is a
string.  If the value is stored in a class or instance variable, then
the option should name should have the name name as the variable.
Also, the value associated with each option should be a Java object
with the same name as the option name (unless a simple scalar value is
used).  Here is an example:

   A class loads a value for the `format_string' variable from the
resource bundle in the specified locale.  Here is the code in the
library class:

       ListResourceBundle lrb =
         ListResourceBundle.getBundle ("gnu/java/locale/LocaleInformation", locale);
       String format_string = lrb.getString ("format_string");

   In the actual resource bundle class, here is how the configuration
option gets defined:

     /**
       * This is the format string used for displaying values
       */
     private static final String format_string = "%s %d %i";

     private static final Object[][] contents =
     {
       { "format_string", format_string }
     };

   Note that each variable should be `private', `final', and `static'.
Each variable should also have a description of what it does as a
documentation comment.  The `getContents()' method returns the
`contents' array.

   There are many functional areas of the standard class library that
are configured using this mechanism.  A given locale does not need to
support each functional area.  But if a functional area is supported,
then all of the specified entries for that area must be supplied.  In
order to determine which functional areas are supported, there is a
special key that is queried by the affected class or classes.  If this
key exists, and has a value that is a `Boolean' object wrappering the
`true' value, then full support is assumed.  Otherwise it is assumed
that no support exists for this functional area.  Every class using
resources for configuration must use this scheme and define a special
scheme that indicates the functional area is supported.  Simply checking
for the resource bundle's existence is not sufficient to ensure that a
given functional area is supported.

   The following sections define the functional areas that use resources
for locale specific configuration in GNU Classpath.  Please refer to the
documentation for the classes mentioned for details on how these values
are used.  You may also wish to look at the source file for
`gnu/java/locale/LocaleInformation_en' as an example.


File: hacking.info,  Node: String Collation,  Next: Break Iteration,  Prev: Localization,  Up: Localization

13.1 String Collation
=====================

Collation involves the sorting of strings.  The Java class library
provides a public class called `java.text.RuleBasedCollator' that
performs sorting based on a set of sorting rules.

   * RuleBasedCollator - A `Boolean' wrappering `true' to indicate that
     this functional area is supported.

   * collation_rules - The rules the specify how string collation is to
     be performed.

   Note that some languages might be too complex for `RuleBasedCollator'
to handle.  In this case an entirely new class might need to be written
in lieu of defining this rule string.


File: hacking.info,  Node: Break Iteration,  Next: Date Formatting and Parsing,  Prev: String Collation,  Up: Localization

13.2 Break Iteration
====================

The class `java.text.BreakIterator' breaks text into words, sentences,
and lines.  It is configured with the following resource bundle entries:

   * BreakIterator - A `Boolean' wrappering `true' to indicate that
     this functional area is supported.

   * word_breaks - A `String' array of word break character sequences.

   * sentence_breaks - A `String' array of sentence break character
     sequences.

   * line_breaks - A `String' array of line break character sequences.


File: hacking.info,  Node: Date Formatting and Parsing,  Next: Decimal/Currency Formatting and Parsing,  Prev: Break Iteration,  Up: Localization

13.3 Date Formatting and Parsing
================================

Date formatting and parsing is handled by the
`java.text.SimpleDateFormat' class in most locales.  This class is
configured by attaching an instance of the `java.text.DateFormatSymbols'
class.  That class simply reads properties from our locale specific
resource bundle.  The following items are required (refer to the
documentation of the `java.text.DateFormatSymbols' class for details io
what the actual values should be):

   * DateFormatSymbols - A `Boolean' wrappering `true' to indicate that
     this functional area is supported.

   * months - A `String' array of month names.

   * shortMonths - A `String' array of abbreviated month names.

   * weekdays - A `String' array of weekday names.

   * shortWeekdays - A `String' array of abbreviated weekday names.

   * ampms - A `String' array containing AM/PM names.

   * eras - A `String' array containing era (ie, BC/AD) names.

   * zoneStrings - An array of information about valid timezones for
     this locale.

   * localPatternChars - A `String' defining date/time pattern symbols.

   * shortDateFormat - The format string for dates used by
     `DateFormat.SHORT'

   * mediumDateFormat - The format string for dates used by
     `DateFormat.MEDIUM'

   * longDateFormat - The format string for dates used by
     `DateFormat.LONG'

   * fullDateFormat - The format string for dates used by
     `DateFormat.FULL'

   * shortTimeFormat - The format string for times used by
     `DateFormat.SHORT'

   * mediumTimeFormat - The format string for times used by
     `DateFormat.MEDIUM'

   * longTimeFormat - The format string for times used by
     `DateFormat.LONG'

   * fullTimeFormat - The format string for times used by
     `DateFormat.FULL'

   Note that it may not be possible to use this mechanism for all
locales.  In those cases a special purpose class may need to be written
to handle date/time processing.


File: hacking.info,  Node: Decimal/Currency Formatting and Parsing,  Prev: Date Formatting and Parsing,  Up: Localization

13.4 Decimal/Currency Formatting and Parsing
============================================

`NumberFormat' is an abstract class for formatting and parsing numbers.
The class `DecimalFormat' provides a concrete subclass that handles
this is in a locale independent manner.  As with `SimpleDateFormat',
this class gets information on how to format numbers from a class that
wrappers a collection of locale specific formatting values.  In this
case, the class is `DecimalFormatSymbols'.  That class reads its default
values for a locale from the resource bundle.  The required entries are:

   * DecimalFormatSymbols - A `Boolean' wrappering `true' to indicate
     that this functional area is supported.

   * currencySymbol - The string representing the local currency.

   * intlCurrencySymbol - The string representing the local currency in
     an international context.

   * decimalSeparator - The character to use as the decimal point as a
     `String'.

   * digit - The character used to represent digits in a format string,
     as a `String'.

   * exponential - The char used to represent the exponent separator of
     a number written in scientific notation, as a `String'.

   * groupingSeparator - The character used to separate groups of
     numbers in a large number, such as the "," separator for thousands
     in the US, as a `String'.

   * infinity - The string representing infinity.

   * NaN - The string representing the Java not a number value.

   * minusSign - The character representing the negative sign, as a
     `String'.

   * monetarySeparator - The decimal point used in currency values, as a
     `String'.

   * patternSeparator - The character used to separate positive and
     negative format patterns, as a `String'.

   * percent - The percent sign, as a `String'.

   * perMill - The per mille sign, as a `String'.

   * zeroDigit - The character representing the digit zero, as a
     `String'.

   Note that several of these values are an individual character.
These should be wrappered in a `String' at character position 0, not in
a `Character' object.



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