The Ethiopic Library in C Manifest

This is the manifest for LibEth v0.1b, the ``Dila'' release. LibEth provides C programmers with a library of routines for Fidel I/O modeled after ANSI C standard routines for files and strings. Additional routines are available, or proposed, for the library for cultural localization for conversion between number and calendar systems. The package is intended to be a utility for I18N programmers providing Fidel and Ethio-Eritrean language support in their software.

LibEth supports SERA I/O under Unicode, and output only for Junet, JIS, Agafari, ALXEthiopian, Feedel, Washra (Ethio ASCII) character coding systems. Input for the later 4 will appear shortly. The core of the LibEth package is a character stream scanner written in AT&T Lex. The scanner serves as a runtime layer between the I/O functions and the file system. This layer, invisible to the programmer, allows the programmer to work with Fidel, as Fidel, tokenized in the addressing scheme of choice.

Differences From The Standard C Model:

LibEth routines look, perform, and return values like standard c routines will. The primary difference is that the routine names are prefixed with ``fidel'' and require that an extra argument be passed at the end of the argument list. The ``seraflags''

A second difference is that the fidel_ routines expect to be passed string pointers for the ``target'' of the action. This is done to insure a successful operation by providing an automated bounds checking which becomes an issue of greater concern for mixed byte width output.

This code segment demonstrates reading of a file in one coding or encoding system -such as SERA, and writing out in another -such as Unicode. Note that fidel_fgets will allocate the memory needed to hold the actual characters read.


SERAFlags seraFlags;
FCHAR* mystring;
FILE* inptr = stdin;
FILE* outptr = stdout;
   :
   :
  seraFlags->in = sera;
  seraFlags->out = uni;
   :
   :
  while (!feof(inptr))           
   {
     fidel_fgets (&mystring, 80, inptr, seraFlags);
     fidel_fputs (mystring, outptr, seraflags);
     free (mystring);
   }
   :
   :

LIBETH STATUS

LibEth-0.1b is NOT a stable release of the LibEth package. File and string I/O commands HAVE been tested and operate normally in normal conditions. Problems may be lurking when multiple file and string pointers are used simultaneously -this is a lex "lookahead" token issue.

ftoi, arab2eth, fidel_ungetc, and kb_hit may also not be reliable at this stage.

TO DO FOR 0.1

To bring The Dila Motor to a performance release state it is required that :
  1. Make sure the scanner does not read beyond EOF when file pointers change -make sure the lex buffer gets flushed!!
  2. Make sure the number converters are fully functional, write code for working with long ints.
  3. Test (for the first time) if the kbhit routine works, then fix it.
  4. Test on more versions of Lex. Versions of AT&T Lex can vary widely in their compilation outcomes :(
  5. Test on more versions of C.

TO DO FOR 0.2

Version 0.2, The Shashemene Motor, is targeted to feature :
  1. Full support for Flex. A flex version nukes any and all problems with the lex motor. But the world is not perfect and lex is still the LCD.
  2. Initial version of C date functions for the Ethiopian calendar system.
  3. A default behaviour when the seraflags argument is set to NULL.

TO DO FOR 0.3

Version 0.3, The Nazret Engine, is targeted to feature :
  1. LibEth handles Unicode text streams.
  2. Time permitting, LibEth is now a shared library.
  3. Additional routines for XIM appear.
  4. Man pages are finished, or maybe started. 
  :
  :
  :
  :

TO DO FOR 1.0

Version 1.0, The Adwa Driver, is the ultimate goal. Every routine is robust, every routine has a man page. Any predictions now possible.