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NAME

JavaScript::V8::XS - Perl XS binding for the V8 Javascript embeddable engine

VERSION

Version 0.000014

SYNOPSIS

    my $vm = JavaScript::V8::XS->new();

    my $options = {
        gather_stats     => 1,
        save_messages    => 1,
    };
    my $vm = JavaScript::V8::XS->new($options);

    $vm->set('global_name', [1, 2, 3]);
    my $aref = $vm->get('global_name');
    $vm->remove('global_name');

    $vm->set('my.object.slot', { foo => [ 4, 5 ] });
    my $href = $vm->get('my.object.slot');

    if ($vm->exists('my.object.slot')) { ... }

    my $typeof = $vm->typeof('my.object.slot');

    my $ok = $vm->instanceof('my.car.object', 'Car');

    # When function_name is called from JS, the arguments passed in
    # will be converted to Perl values; likewise, the value returned
    # from the Perl function will be converted to JS values.
    $vm->set('function_name', sub { my @args = @_; return \@args; });
    my $returned = $vm->eval('function_name(my.object.slot)');

    $vm->dispatch_function_in_event_loop('function_name');

    my $stats_href = $vm->get_stats();
    $vm->reset_stats();

    my $msgs_href = $vm->get_msgs();
    $vm->reset_msgs();

    my $globals = $vm->global_objects();

    my $context = $vm->parse_js_stacktrace($stacktrace_lines, 2);

    my $rounds = $vm->run_gc();

    my $info = $vm->get_version_info();

DESCRIPTION

This module provides an XS wrapper to call V8 from Perl.

The wrapper is used in an OO way: you create an instance of JavaScript::V8::XS and then invoke functions on it.

DEPENDENCIES

This module requires that recent versions of the V8 and ICU libraries have already been installed in your system.

At the time of writing, versions used were V8 6.7 and ICU 61.

The module does not attempt to download / install these required external dependencies:

  • header files

  • shared libraries

  • V8 blobs, usually generated at compilation time (natives_blob.bin and snapshot_blob.bin)

  • ICU data files (icudtl.dat)

METHODS/ATTRIBUTES

new

Create a new instance of JavaScript::V8::XS. You can give an optional hashref with a set of desired options; they can be:

gather_stats

The XS object will gather statistics about elapsed time and memory usage for several of its operations. You can then retrieve the stats by calling get_stats.

save_messages

Any message printed to the JavaScript console will instead be saved in a hashref, where each key represents a "target" for the message (for example, stdout or stderr). You can then retrieve the messages by calling get_msgs.

set

Give a value to a given JavaScript variable or object slot.

The Perl value is converted into an equivalent JavaScript value, so you can freely pass nested structures (hashes of arrays of hashes) and they will be handled correctly.

You can also pass a Perl coderef as a value, in which case the named JavaScript variable / object slot becomes a function which, when executed, will end up calling the Perl coderef. Any values passed from JavaScript into the Perl coderef will be properly converted into equivalent Perl values; likewise, any values returned from the Perl coderef back to JavaScript will be also converted into equivalent JavaScript values.

get

Get the value stored in a JavaScript variable or object slot.

The JavaScript value is converted into an equivalent Perl value, so you can freely pass nested structures (hashes of arrays of hashes) and they will be handled correctly.

remove

Remove a JavaScript variable or object slot.

exists

Checks to see if there is a value stored in a JavaScript variable or object slot. Returns a boolean and avoids all JavaScript to Perl value conversions.

typeof

Returns a string with the JavaScript type of a given variable. Possible returned values are undefined, null, boolean, number, string, array, object, symbol, function, pointer.

This method returns null for null values, which fixes the long-standing JavaScript bug of returning object for null values.

instanceof

Returns a true value when the variable given by the first parameter is an instance of the class given by the second parameter.

eval

Run a piece of JavaScript code, given as a string, and return the results. After running the code, wait until all timers (if any) have been dispatched.

For now the XS object will both compile and run the JavaScript code when this method is invoked; in the future this might be split into separate functions.

Any returned values will be treated in the same way as a call to get.

dispatch_function_in_event_loop

Run a JavaScript function inside an event loop, and wait until all timers have been dispatched. The argument is the function name.

If the function name is 'X', this is equivalent to running the following piece of JavaScript code:

    setTimeout(function() { X(); }, 0);

get_stats

Return a hashref with the statistics gathered as a result of creating the XS object with option gather_stats set to true.

reset_stats

Reset the accumulated statistics, as if the XS object had just been created.

get_msgs

Return a hashref with the messages collected as a result of creating the XS object with option save_messages set to true.

reset_msgs

Reset the accumulated messages, as if the XS object had just been created.

global_objects

Get an arrayref with the names of all global objects known to JavaScript.

parse_js_stacktrace

Parse a JavaScript stacktrace (usually returned via get_msgs) and obtain structured information from it. For each of the number of frames requested (default to 1), it gets the error message, the file name and line number where the error happened, and an array of lines surrounding the actual error message.

The optional third parameter is an arrayref containing names of files that should be treated as top priority, meaning any errors pointing to those files will appear first in the returned stacktrace information.

run_gc

Run at least one round of the JavaScript garbage collector, and return the number of rounds that were effectively run.

get_version_info

Return a hashref with version information.

SEE ALSO

LICENSE

Copyright (C) Gonzalo Diethelm.

This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the MIT license.

AUTHOR

  • Gonzalo Diethelm gonzus AT cpan DOT org

THANKS

  • Authors of JavaScript::V8