LDG stands in french for Librairies Dynamiques GEM or in english GEM Dynamical Libraries. It is a protocol allowing GEM application to load and share libraries (or plugin if you prefer). The goal of LDG is to provide some usefull functions to the GEM applications like the WinDeath DDL. These libraries are dynamicals i.e. they are loaded when the application need it and unloaded when they are unused. These libraries may be shared with severals clients. Libraries can have special right such as unshareable, memory resident or locked. The LDG works with all TOS-compatible computers and TOS-compatible OS such as MagiC, Geneva or MiNT with singletasking or multitasking systems too.
How does it work ?
With the new LDG 2.00, the mechanism is now really simple (see historic section to understand the LDG evolution). The clients use the cookie functions to load or unload a library. When a library is required, the library is initially searched inside the internal LDG list of libraries used. - if library is already loaded (i.e. already use by an another client), same library is used. - if library is not found, it is loaded in memory.
What you'll find in the LDG package
First, if you are a simple user i.e not a developper, you just have to read the section Installation in order to install correctly the LDG system. Normally, the LDG installer has done properly this job.
Second, if you are a developper, you'll find a C-library for Gcc, Sozobon C and Pure C to write LDG-clients and LDG-libraries. If you use an another language (GFA-basic, Forth, ...), you does not need to use these libraries because the LDG-cookie offers you the functions to handle the LDG-protocol. If you want to write LDG-libraries, only Pure C, Gcc and Sozobon C compilers are currently supported.If you are interested to adapte the LDG-system to an another one , please contact us (see section Authors and the LDG team).
You'll find in the package tools, a LDG demo and some examples of LDG-client and LDG-libraries.
How read the LDG documentation ?
The section Installation describes the way to install your LDG system depending your environement. The section Functions of the C-library describes each functions offered by the C-library. The section Programming advices gives to developper some importants recommandations, tricks and tips to develop LDG-libraries. The section Availables libraries makes the point on the LDG-libraries available on the scene. You'll find the Bugs report section, the History section and finally the Authors contacts.
LDG versus MagiC shared libraries (SLB)
In our opinion LDG has several advantages compare to SLB :
Notes
Notice that all version before the 1.00 version are beta-version. From the 0.99 the LDG-protocol was modified and there is an incompatibility with the newer versions.