Scilab Function

call - Fortran or C user routines call

Calling Sequence

// long form 'out' is present
[y1,...,yk]=call("ident",x1,px1,"tx1",...,xn,pxn,"txn",
"out",[ny1,my1],py1,"ty1",...,[nyl,myl],pyl,"tyl")
// short form : no 'out' parameter
[y1,....,yk]=call("ident",x1,...,xn)

Parameters

Description

Interactive call of Fortran (or C) user program from Scilab. The routine must be previously linked with Scilab. This link may be done:

  • - with Scilab "link" command (incremental "soft" linking) during the Scilab session.(see link)
  • - by "hard" re-linking. Writing the routine call within Scilab routine default/Ex-fort.f, adding the entry point in the file default/Flist and then re_linking Scilab with the command make bin/scilex in main Scilab directory.

    • There are two forms of calling syntax, a short one and a long one. The short one will give faster code and an easier calling syntax but one has to write a small (C or Fortran) interface in order to make the short form possible. The long one make it possible to call a Fortran routine (or a C one) whitout modification of the code but the syntax is more complex and the interpreted code slower.

    The meaning of each parameter is described now:

  • "ident" is the name of the called subroutine.
  • x1,...,xn are input variables (real matrices or strings) sent to the routine,
  • px1,...,pxn are the respective positions of these variables in the calling sequence of the routine "ident" and
  • tx1,...,txn are their types ("r", "i", "d" and "c" for real (float) , integer, double precision and strings)
  • "out" is a keyword used to separate input variables from output variables. when this key word is present it is assumes that the long form will be used and when it is not prsent, the short form is used.
  • [ny1, my1] are the size (# of rows and columns. For 'c' arguments,m1*n1 is the number of charaters ) of output variables and
  • py1, ... are the positions of output variables (possibly equal to pxi ) in the calling sequence of the routine. The pyi's integers must be in increasing order.
  • "ty1", ... are the Fortran types of output variables. The k first output variables are put in y1,..., yk.

    • If an output variable coincides with an input variable (i.e. pyi=pxj ) one can pass only its position pyi . The size and type of yi are then the same as those of xi. If an output variable coincides with an input variable and one specify the dimensions of the output variable [myl,nyl] must follow the compatibility condition mxk*nxk >= myl*nyl.

    In the case of short syntax , [y1,....,yk]=call("ident",x1,...,xn), the input parameters xi's and the name "ident" are sent to the interface routine Ex-fort. This interface routine is then very similar to an interface (see the source code in the directory SCIDIR/default/Ex-fort.f).

    For example the following program: 

     subroutine foof(c,a,b,n,m)
 integer n,m
 double precision a(*),b,c(*)
 do 10 i=1,m*n 
   c(i) = sin(a(i))+b
 10 continue
 end

link("foof.o","foof")
a=[1,2,3;4,5,6];b= %pi;
[m,n]=size(a);
// Inputs:
// a is in position 2 and double
// b                3     double
// n                4     integer
// m                5     integer
// Outputs:
// c is in position 1 and double with size [m,n]
c=call("foof",a,2,"d",b,3,"d",n,4,"i",m,5,"i","out",[m,n],1,"d");

    returns the matrix c=2*a+b.

    If your machine is a DEC Alpha, SUN Solaris or SGI you may have to change the previous command line link("foo.o","foo") by one of the followings: 

    link('foof.o -lfor -lm -lc','foof').
link('foof.o -lftn -lm -lc','foof').
link('foof.o -L/opt/SUNWspro/SC3.0/lib/lib77 -lm -lc','foof').

    The same example coded in C: 

      void fooc(c,a,b,m,n) 
 double a[],*b,c[];
 int *m,*n;
      { double sin();
 int i;
 for ( i =0 ; i < (*m)*(*n) ; i++) 
        c[i] = sin(a[i]) + *b; 
 }

link("fooc.o","fooc","C") // note the third argument 
a=[1,2,3;4,5,6];b= %pi;
[m,n]=size(a);
c=call("fooc",a,2,"d",b,3,"d",m,4,"i",n,5,"i","out",[m,n],1,"d");

    See Also