SWIG 1.3.39

SWIG is a software development tool that reads C/C++ header files and generates wrapper code to make C/C++ code accessible from other languages including Perl, Python, Tcl, Ruby, PHP, Java, Ocaml, Lua, C#, Modula-3 and various Scheme and Lisp variants.
SWIG is an interface compiler that connects programs written in C and C++ with scripting languages such as Perl, Python, Ruby, and Tcl.
It works by taking the declarations found in C/C++ header files and using them to generate the wrapper code that scripting languages need to access the underlying C/C++ code. In addition, SWIG provides a variety of customization features that let you tailor the wrapping process to suit your application.
Even though SWIG is occasionally compared to other more specialized scripting language extension building tools (e.g., Python bgen, Perl XS, etc.), its primary audience is C/C++ programmers who want to easily add a scripting language component to their ap
Because of this, SWIG tends to have a slightly different focus than tools designed to build small modules for widespread use in a scripting language distribution. applications.
NOTE: SWIG is released under the BSD License.

Main features:
- Building more powerful C/C++ programs: Using SWIG, you can replace the main() function of a C program with a scripting interpreter from which you can control the application. This adds quite a lot of flexibility and makes the program "programmable." That is, the scripting interface allows users and developers to easily modifiy the behavior of the program without having to modify low-level C/C++ code. The benefits of this are numerous. In fact think of all of the large software packages that you use every day---nearly all of them include special a macro language, configuration language, or even a scripting engine that allows users to make customizations.
- Rapid prototyping and debugging: SWIG allows C/C++ programs to be placed in a scripting environment that can be used for testing and debugging. For example, you might test a library with a collection of scripts or use the scripting interpreter as an interactive debugger. Since SWIG requires no modifications to the underlying C/C++ code, it can be used even if the final product does not rely upon scripting.
- Systems integration: Scripting languages work fairly well for controlling and gluing loosely-coupled software components together. With SWIG, different C/C++ programs can be turned into scripting language extension modules. These modules can then be combined together to create new and interesting applications.
- Construction of scripting language extension modules: SWIG can be used to turn common C/C++ libraries into components for use in popular scripting languages. Of course, you will still want to make sure that no-one else has already created a module before doing this.
- ANSI C/C++ syntax: SWIG parses ANSI C++ that has been extended with a number of special directives. As a result, interfaces are usually built by grabbing a header file and tweaking it a little bit. This particular approach is especially useful when the underlying C/C++ program undergoes frequent modification.
- SWIG is not a stub generator: SWIG produces code that you simply compile and run. You dont have to fill in any stubs or write special client/server code as you do with RPC-like systems.
- SWIG does not define a protocol nor is it a component framework: SWIG does not define mechanisms or enforce rules regarding the way in which software components are supposed to interact with each other. Nor is it a specialized runtime library or alternative scripting language API. SWIG is merely a code generator that provides the glue necessary to hook C/C++ to other languages.
- Designed to work with existing C/C++ code: SWIG requires little, if any, modifications to existing code. For the most part, it encourages you to keep a clean separation between C/C++ and its scripting interface.
- Extensibility: SWIG provides a variety of customization options that allow you to blow your whole leg off if thats what you want to do. SWIG is not here to enforce programming morality.

System requirements:
- C++ compiler

Enhancements
- Some new small feature enhancements.
- Improved C# std:vector wrappers.
- Bug fixes: mainly Python, but also Perl, MzScheme, CFFI, Allegrocl and Ruby