.\" Copyright (C) 2001 Information-technology Promotion Agency (IPA)
.\" Copyright (C) 2001-2011
.\"   National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)
.\" This file is part of the m17n library documentation.
.\" Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
.\" under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or
.\" any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
.\" Invariant Section, no Front-Cover Texts,
.\" and no Back-Cover Texts.  A copy of the license is included in the
.\" appendix entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".
.TH "m17nSymbol" 3m17n "Mon Sep 25 2023" "Version 1.8.4" "The m17n Library" \" -*- nroff -*-
.ad l
.nh
.SH NAME
m17nSymbol_\-_Sy \-  \- Symbol objects and API for them\&.  

.SH SYNOPSIS
.br
.PP
.SS "Functions"

.in +1c
.ti -1c
.RI "MSymbol \fBmsymbol\fP (const char *name)"
.br
.RI "Get a symbol\&. "
.ti -1c
.RI "MSymbol \fBmsymbol_as_managing_key\fP (const char *name)"
.br
.RI "Create a managing key\&. "
.ti -1c
.RI "int \fBmsymbol_is_managing_key\fP (MSymbol symbol)"
.br
.RI "Check if a symbol is a managing key\&. "
.ti -1c
.RI "MSymbol \fBmsymbol_exist\fP (const char *name)"
.br
.ti -1c
.RI "char * \fBmsymbol_name\fP (MSymbol symbol)"
.br
.ti -1c
.RI "int \fBmsymbol_put\fP (MSymbol symbol, MSymbol key, void *val)"
.br
.RI "Set the value of a symbol property\&. "
.ti -1c
.RI "void * \fBmsymbol_get\fP (MSymbol symbol, MSymbol key)"
.br
.RI "Get the value of a symbol property\&. "
.ti -1c
.RI "int \fBmsymbol_put_func\fP (MSymbol symbol, MSymbol key, \fBM17NFunc\fP func)"
.br
.RI "Set the value (function pointer) of a symbol property\&. "
.ti -1c
.RI "\fBM17NFunc\fP \fBmsymbol_get_func\fP (MSymbol symbol, MSymbol key)"
.br
.RI "Get the value (function pointer) of a symbol property\&. "
.in -1c
.SS "Variables"

.in +1c
.ti -1c
.RI "MSymbol \fBMnil\fP"
.br
.RI "Symbol whose name is 'nil'\&. "
.ti -1c
.RI "MSymbol \fBMt\fP"
.br
.RI "Symbol whose name is 't'\&. "
.ti -1c
.RI "MSymbol \fBMstring\fP"
.br
.RI "Symbol whose name is 'string'\&. "
.ti -1c
.RI "MSymbol \fBMsymbol\fP"
.br
.RI "Symbol whose name is 'symbol'\&. "
.in -1c
.SH "Detailed Description"
.PP 
Symbol objects and API for them\&. 

The m17n library uses objects called \fIsymbols\fP as unambiguous identifiers\&. Symbols are similar to atoms in the X library, but a symbol can have zero or more \fIsymbol\fP \fIproperties\fP\&. A symbol property consists of a \fIkey\fP and a \fIvalue\fP, where key is also a symbol and value is anything that can be cast to \fC(void *)\fP\&. 
.br
 'The symbol property that belongs to the symbol S and
whose key is K' may be shortened to 'K property of S'\&.
.PP
Symbols are used mainly in the following three ways\&.
.PP
.PD 0
.IP "\(bu" 2
As keys of symbol properties and other properties\&.
.PP
.PD 0
.IP "\(bu" 2
To represent various objects, e\&.g\&. charsets, coding systems, fontsets\&.
.PP
.PD 0
.IP "\(bu" 2
As arguments of the m17n library functions to control their behavior\&.
.PP
There is a special kind of symbol, a \fImanaging\fP \fIkey\fP\&. The value of a property whose key is a managing key must be a \fImanaged\fP \fIobject\fP\&. See \fBManaged Object\fP for the detail\&. 
.SH "Variable Documentation"
.PP 
.SS "MSymbol Mnil"

.PP
Symbol whose name is 'nil'\&. The symbol \fBMnil\fP has the name \fC'nil'\fP and, in general, represents \fIfalse\fP or \fIno\fP\&. When coerced to 'int', its value is zero\&. \fBMnil\fP can't have any symbol property\&. 
.br
 
.SS "MSymbol Mt"

.PP
Symbol whose name is 't'\&. The symbol \fBMt\fP has the name \fC't'\fP and, in general, represents \fItrue\fP or \fIyes\fP\&. 
.br
 
.SS "MSymbol Mstring"

.PP
Symbol whose name is 'string'\&. The symbol \fBMstring\fP has the name \fC'string'\fP and is used as an argument of the functions \fBmchar_define_property()\fP, etc\&. 
.br
 
.SS "MSymbol Msymbol"

.PP
Symbol whose name is 'symbol'\&. The symbol \fBMsymbol\fP has the name \fC'symbol'\fP and is used as an argument of the functions \fBmchar_define_property()\fP, etc\&. 
.br
 
.SH "Author"
.PP 
Generated automatically by Doxygen for The m17n Library from the source code\&.
.SH COPYRIGHT
Copyright (C) 2001 Information\-technology Promotion Agency (IPA)
.br
Copyright (C) 2001\-2011 National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)
.br
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License 
<http://www.gnu.org/licenses/fdl.html>.