The CINT C/C++ Interpreter
CINT is a C/C++ interpreter which is aimed at processing C/C++
scripts. Scripts are programs which perform specific tasks. Generally
execution time is not critical, but rapid development is. Using an
interpreter the compile and link cycle is dramatically reduced
facilitating rapid development. CINT makes C/C++ programming enjoyable
even for part-time programmers.
CINT covers about 95% of ANSI C and 85% of C++. CINT, written in
ANSI C (about 80000 loc), is solid enough to interpret itself and let the
interpreted version execute a program. A CINT script can call compiled
classes/functions and compiled code can make callbacks to CINT user
defined functions. Utilities like, makecint and rootcint, automate the
process of embedding compiled C/C++ library code as shared objects (as
Dynamic Link Library, DLL, or shared library, .so). Source files and
shared objects can be dynamically loaded/unloaded without stopping the CINT
process. CINT offers a gdb like debugging environment for interepreted
programs.
CINT works on number of operating systems. Linux, HP-UX, SunOS,
Solaris, AIX, Alpha-OSF, IRIX, FreeBSD, NetBSD, NEC EWS4800, NewsOS,
BeBox, HI-UX, Windows-NT/95/98, MS-DOS, MacOS, VMS, NextStep,
Convex, and with number of compilers, g++, HP-CC/aCC, Sun-CC/CC5,
IBM-xlC, Compac-cxx, SGI-CC, Visual-C++ Borland-C++, Symantec-C++, DJGPP.
CINT is developed by Masaharu Goto, who works for Agilent
Technologies. Masaharu collaborates closely with the ROOT team to
integrate CINT seamlessly into ROOT and to further optimize CINT/ROOT.
The ROOT system, developed at CERN, embeds CINT to be able to execute
C++ scripts and C++ command line input. CINT also provides ROOT with
extensive RTTI capabilities.
Currently CINT 5.15 is available via anonymous ftp for the following
platforms:
CINT is free software in terms of charge and freedom of utilization.
See the included README for more details.
See the following chapters on how CINT is used in ROOT:
-
Adding Your own Classes to ROOT
-
CINT as Dictionary Generator
-
CINT as Command Line and Macro Interpreter
For more detailed CINT information see below:
Rene Brun,
Masaharu Goto & Fons
Rademakers
Last update 21/10/2000 by MG