Compiler docs for 5.005

	Message-Id: <199807211713.SAA20735@sable.ox.ac.uk>

p4raw-id: //depot/perl@1617

1 files changed, 46 insertions, 1 deletions

diff --git a/ext/B/O.pm b/ext/B/O.pm
index 3b0f0543e8..ad391a3f4a 100644
--- a/ext/B/O.pm
+++ b/ext/B/O.pm
@@ -31,7 +31,52 @@ O - Generic interface to Perl Compiler backends
 
 =head1 DESCRIPTION
 
-See F<ext/B/README>.
+This is the module that is used as a frontend to the Perl Compiler.
+
+=head1 CONVENTIONS
+
+Most compiler backends use the following conventions: OPTIONS
+consists of a comma-separated list of words (no white-space).
+The C<-v> option usually puts the backend into verbose mode.
+The C<-ofile> option generates output to B<file> instead of
+stdout. The C<-D> option followed by various letters turns on
+various internal debugging flags. See the documentation for the
+desired backend (named C<B::Backend> for the example above) to
+find out about that backend.
+
+=head1 IMPLEMENTATION
+
+This section is only necessary for those who want to write a
+compiler backend module that can be used via this module.
+
+The command-line mentioned in the SYNOPSIS section corresponds to
+the Perl code
+
+    use O ("Backend", OPTIONS);
+
+The C<import> function which that calls loads in the appropriate
+C<B::Backend> module and calls the C<compile> function in that
+package, passing it OPTIONS. That function is expected to return
+a sub reference which we'll call CALLBACK. Next, the "compile-only"
+flag is switched on (equivalent to the command-line option C<-c>)
+and an END block is registered which calls CALLBACK. Thus the main
+Perl program mentioned on the command-line is read in, parsed and
+compiled into internal syntax tree form. Since the C<-c> flag is
+set, the program does not start running (excepting BEGIN blocks of
+course) but the CALLBACK function registered by the compiler
+backend is called.
+
+In summary, a compiler backend module should be called "B::Foo"
+for some foo and live in the appropriate directory for that name.
+It should define a function called C<compile>. When the user types
+
+    perl -MO=Foo,OPTIONS foo.pl
+
+that function is called and is passed those OPTIONS (split on
+commas). It should return a sub ref to the main compilation function.
+After the user's program is loaded and parsed, that returned sub ref
+is invoked which can then go ahead and do the compilation, usually by
+making use of the C<B> module's functionality.
 
 =head1 AUTHOR