What are the `ext_marshal.ml` and `caml_*.js` files in the compiler there for?

What is the purpose of this file ext_marshal.ml in the compiler where we see this code:

(* 
let to_file filename v = 
  let chan = open_out_bin filename in
  Marshal.to_channel chan v  [];
  close_out chan
(** [bin] mode for WIN support *)
let from_file filename = 
  let chan = open_in_bin filename in 
  let v = Marshal.from_channel chan in
  close_in chan; 
  v  *)

external from_bytes_unsafe: string -> int -> 'a
  = "caml_input_value_from_string"

let from_string_uncheck (s:string) = 
  from_bytes_unsafe s 0  

More generally, what is the purpose of the lib/js directory?

lib/js files

arg.js camlinternalBigarray.js
array.js camlinternalFormat.js
arrayLabels.js camlinternalFormatBasics.js
belt.js camlinternalLazy.js
belt_Array.js camlinternalMod.js
belt_Float.js camlinternalOO.js
belt_HashMap.js char.js
belt_HashMapInt.js complex.js
belt_HashMapString.js curry.js
belt_HashSet.js digest.js
belt_HashSetInt.js dom.js
belt_HashSetString.js dom_storage.js
belt_Id.js dom_storage2.js
belt_Int.js filename.js
belt_List.js format.js
belt_Map.js genlex.js
belt_MapDict.js hashtbl.js
belt_MapInt.js int32.js
belt_MapString.js int64.js
belt_MutableMap.js js.js
belt_MutableMapInt.js js_OO.js
belt_MutableMapString.js js_array.js
belt_MutableQueue.js js_array2.js
belt_MutableSet.js js_cast.js
belt_MutableSetInt.js js_console.js
belt_MutableSetString.js js_date.js
belt_MutableStack.js js_dict.js
belt_Option.js js_exn.js
belt_Range.js js_float.js
belt_Result.js js_global.js
belt_Set.js js_int.js
belt_SetDict.js js_json.js
belt_SetInt.js js_list.js
belt_SetString.js js_mapperRt.js
belt_SortArray.js js_math.js
belt_SortArrayInt.js js_null.js
belt_SortArrayString.js js_null_undefined.js
belt_internalAVLset.js js_obj.js
belt_internalAVLtree.js js_option.js
belt_internalBuckets.js js_promise.js
belt_internalBucketsType.js js_re.js
belt_internalMapInt.js js_result.js
belt_internalMapString.js js_string.js
belt_internalSetBuckets.js js_string2.js
belt_internalSetInt.js js_typed_array.js
belt_internalSetString.js js_typed_array2.js
buffer.js js_types.js
bytes.js js_undefined.js
bytesLabels.js js_vector.js
callback.js lazy.js
caml_array.js lexing.js
caml_array_extern.js list.js
caml_bytes.js listLabels.js
caml_exceptions.js map.js
caml_external_polyfill.js marshal.js
caml_float.js moreLabels.js
caml_float_extern.js node.js
caml_format.js node_buffer.js
caml_gc.js node_child_process.js
caml_hash.js node_fs.js
caml_hash_primitive.js node_module.js
caml_int32.js node_path.js
caml_int32_extern.js node_process.js
caml_int64.js obj.js
caml_int64_extern.js parsing.js
caml_io.js pervasives.js
caml_js_exceptions.js printexc.js
caml_lexer.js printf.js
caml_md5.js queue.js
caml_module.js random.js
caml_nativeint_extern.js scanf.js
caml_obj.js set.js
caml_oo.js sort.js
caml_oo_curry.js stack.js
caml_option.js stdLabels.js
caml_parser.js std_exit.js
caml_primitive.js stream.js
caml_splice_call.js string.js
caml_string.js stringLabels.js
caml_string_extern.js sys.js
caml_sys.js uchar.js
caml_undefined_extern.js

For example, I see often caml_gc in some old code. Like in bs-batteries which ported batteries-included lib to js sometime ago. caml_*.js files dont seem available to us to be used while other files in this directory like the belt_*.js files are available to us.

Do the caml_*.js files have some equivalent in belt?

Sorry for the kinda general vague question. I am trying to understand the more deeply what the compiler is doing.

Thank you.

Ext_* are some extra helpers for the compiler codebase, e.g. Ext_log, Ext_array.

If you check Ext_marshal.mli you see that it says it’s an extension to the standard library Marshal module, aka an extra helper for encoding/decoding stuff.

lib/js has been your runtime. Including caml_ which is Pervasives. Like this.

Btw we highly recommend to keep their JS output open side by side with the source code. Not doing that will slow down your progress. If people give you a snippet of code that produces unreadable output, then they’re probably also doing it wrong (for the learner’s process at least).

2 Likes

@chenglou, thank you sir. Excellent answer. I’ve used the .js output as a guide but not with understanding the compiler bindings in mind. I will use it regularly i think now. Thanks again.

1 Like