# Getting started with the C API **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [February 13, 2010, 4:26pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/getting-started-with-the-c-api/183419 "2010-02-13T16:26:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![startrekcafe](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@startrekcafe](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/startrekcafe)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 4:26pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/getting-started-with-the-c-api/183419/1 "2010-02-13T16:26:21Z")
Greets, I’ve been teaching myself Ruby using David Black’s book, “The Well-Grounded Rubyist”. 5 chapters in or so, things are going well. However, things would be going even better if I was able to get started on the project that’s motivating my course of study: there’s a C library I’d like to write Ruby bindings for. The Black book, while appropriate in pace and tone for an experienced programmer, doesn’t cover any sort of Ruby C API. The pickaxe book does, but before I go and buy a copy of that, I’d like to know if those pickaxe chapters are really the canonical reference. That seems weird. What I’m looking for is the analogue to these pages: [perlxstut - Tutorial for writing XSUBs - Perldoc Browser](http://perldoc.perl.org/perlxstut.html) [Python/C API Reference Manual — Python v3.1.5 documentation](http://docs.python.org/3.1/c-api/index.html) [Oracle Java Technologies | Oracle](http://java.sun.com/docs/books/jni/html/jniTOC.html) From what I can tell, the closest thing Ruby has to that is a raw Doxygen dump… [http://www.ruby-doc.org/doxygen/current/](http://www.ruby-doc.org/doxygen/current/) … but that’s not much better than just spelunking the source code, because it doesn’t give you any idea where to get started. I know the first edition of the pickaxe book is online, but I don’t like to waste time learning from dated materials. Where should I be looking? Marvin H. ---
**Author:** ![startrekcafe](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@startrekcafe](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/startrekcafe)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/getting-started-with-the-c-api/183419/2 "2010-02-13T17:00:18Z")
On 13/2/2010 11:25 PM, Marvin H. wrote: > Even if you don’t learn from it, the PickAxe Edition 1 Online will give you an idea of the kind of coverage you can expect in the PickAxe later editions. When I get the chance later, I’ll write back to let you know what is actually in the later edition. I think I did buy the book. Cheers, Mohit. 13/2/2010 | 11:57 PM. ---
**Author:** ![startrekcafe](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@startrekcafe](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/startrekcafe)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/getting-started-with-the-c-api/183419/3 "2010-02-13T17:12:36Z")
On Sat, Feb 13, 2010 at 10:25, Marvin H. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > does, but before I go and buy a copy of that, I’d like to know if > Doxygen dump… > > Marvin H. If you download the Ruby source, there’s a file called README.EXT which gives a pretty good, detailed treatment of the Ruby C API. Better than anything I’ve seen online. Here it is in the Ruby SVN: [http://svn.ruby-lang.org/repos/ruby/branches/ruby\_1\_8/README.EXT](http://svn.ruby-lang.org/repos/ruby/branches/ruby_1_8/README.EXT) This article on Ruby Inside gives you a quick primer on using mkmf to build a Makefile so you can start playing around with it: [http://www.rubyinside.com/how-to-create-a-ruby-extension-in-c-in-under-5-minutes-100.html](http://www.rubyinside.com/how-to-create-a-ruby-extension-in-c-in-under-5-minutes-100.html) ---
**Author:** ![startrekcafe](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@startrekcafe](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/startrekcafe)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 10:55pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/getting-started-with-the-c-api/183419/4 "2010-02-13T22:55:33Z")
On Sun, Feb 14, 2010 at 01:11:42AM +0900, Mat B. wrote: > If you download the Ruby source, there’s a file called README.EXT > which gives a pretty good, detailed treatment of the Ruby C API. That’s exactly the kind of thing I was looking for. On its own, it’s much more useful than the Doxygen dump – but it also makes the Doxygen dump itself more useful. For what it’s worth, I think that README should be given greater prominence, as I was unable to discover such an important document despite some fairly diligent web searching before asking for help here. > Better than anything I’ve seen online. I agree. Marvin H. ---
**Author:** ![startrekcafe](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@startrekcafe](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/startrekcafe)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/getting-started-with-the-c-api/183419/5 "2010-02-13T17:26:03Z")
Basically you can use anything that enlists the API for ruby extensions, I had a hard time figuring all out when embedding ruby into my window manager (subtle) and writing the C extension: Here are some of my favorite links beside the pickaxe: [http://www.eqqon.com/index.php/Ruby/Ruby\_V1.9\_C\_Extension](http://www.eqqon.com/index.php/Ruby/Ruby_V1.9_C_Extension) > **[Ruby to C, a couple snippets](https://macournoyer.wordpress.com/2008/04/16/ruby-to-c-a-couple-snippets/)** > > As you might already know, the Ruby interpreter you’re (probably) using (the one at ruby-lang.org) know as MRI, for Matz Ruby Interpreter, is written in C. The VM is entirely written in C and… [ruby embedded into c++](http://metaeditor.sourceforge.net/embed/) (For embedding, outdated but still helpful) And for building stuff: [http://ruby-doc.org/stdlib/libdoc/mkmf/rdoc/index.html](http://ruby-doc.org/stdlib/libdoc/mkmf/rdoc/index.html) Many other things need to be checked in the ruby doxygen or even worse in the source code for stuff like this: Wbr, Christoph > **[Setup gems load path in embedded ruby - Subforge](http://subforge.org/blogs/show/1)** > > Subforge - where subtle development meets subtler users ---- On Sat, 13 Feb 2010 16:25:46 +0100 Marvin H. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote ---- ---
**Author:** ![startrekcafe](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@startrekcafe](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/startrekcafe)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 10:57pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/getting-started-with-the-c-api/183419/6 "2010-02-13T22:57:53Z")
On Sun, Feb 14, 2010 at 01:25:30AM +0900, Christoph K. wrote: > Here are some of my favorite links beside the pickaxe: > [Ruby/Ruby V1.9 C Extension - eqqon](http://www.eqqon.com/index.php/Ruby/Ruby_V1.9_C_Extension) Ah, that’s the README, html-ified. Curious that [ruby-lang.org](http://ruby-lang.org) doesn’t give it greater visibility. > And for building stuff: > [http://ruby-doc.org/stdlib/libdoc/mkmf/rdoc/index.html](http://ruby-doc.org/stdlib/libdoc/mkmf/rdoc/index.html) I think I’m going to need Rake, as the build process for this library is very involved. The Perl bindings use Module::Build, the pure-Perl successor to ExtUtils::MakeMaker, beause doing complicated stuff with MakeMaker is a nightmare. I’m expecting to need something analogous for the Ruby bindings. I also intend to publish a gem later. It seems like [docs.rubygems.org](http://docs.rubygems.org) is a good place to start, though it references a non-existent “DeveloperGuide” (sigh). ``` http://docs.rubygems.org/read/chapter/5#page18 ``` Also, this… ``` http://rubyforge.org/docman/view.php/5/460/faq.html ``` ## … and there are two books which have a chapter or two on creating gems both apparently out of date: [http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Ruby-Gems-David-Berube/dp/1590598113](http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Ruby-Gems-David-Berube/dp/1590598113) [http://www.amazon.com/Cookbook-Cookbooks-OReilly-Lucas-Carlson/dp/0596523696/](http://www.amazon.com/Cookbook-Cookbooks-OReilly-Lucas-Carlson/dp/0596523696/) > Many other things need to be checked in the ruby doxygen or even worse in > the source code for stuff like this: > > Wbr, Hmm… that’s pretty confusing, all right. 😉 Marvin H.