Revamping the FlatBuffers docs.

Adding an API reference for the supported languages.

General docs cleanup, including a new `tutorial` section that
supports all of the supported languages.

Added samples for each supported language to mirror the new
tutorial page.

Cleaned up all the links by making them `@ref` style links,
instead of referencing the names of the generated `.html` files.

Removed all generated files that were unnecessarily committed.

Also fixed the C# tests (two were failing due to a missing file).

Bug: b/25801305

Tested: Tested all samples on Ubuntu, Mac, and Android. Docs were
generated using doxygen and viewed on Chrome.

Change-Id: I2acaba6e332a15ae2deff5f26a4a25da7bd2c954
This commit is contained in:
Mark Klara
2015-12-03 20:30:54 -08:00
parent d75d29e2fe
commit 69a31b807a
115 changed files with 5537 additions and 5917 deletions

View File

@@ -1,11 +1,51 @@
# Use in Go
Use in Go {#flatbuffers_guide_use_go}
=========
There's experimental support for reading FlatBuffers in Go. Generate code
for Go with the `-g` option to `flatc`.
## Before you get started
See `go_test.go` for an example. You import the generated code, read a
FlatBuffer binary file into a `[]byte`, which you pass to the
`GetRootAsMonster` function:
Before diving into the FlatBuffers usage in Go, it should be noted that
the [Tutorial](@ref flatbuffers_guide_tutorial) page has a complete guide
to general FlatBuffers usage in all of the supported languages (including Go).
This page is designed to cover the nuances of FlatBuffers usage, specific to
Go.
You should also have read the [Building](@ref flatbuffers_guide_building)
documentation to build `flatc` and should be familiar with
[Using the schema compiler](@ref flatbuffers_guide_using_schema_compiler) and
[Writing a schema](@ref flatbuffers_guide_writing_schema).
## FlatBuffers Go library code location
The code for the FlatBuffers Go library can be found at
`flatbuffers/go`. You can browse the library code on the [FlatBuffers
GitHub page](https://github.com/google/flatbuffers/tree/master/go).
## Testing the FlatBuffers Go library
The code to test the Go library can be found at `flatbuffers/tests`.
The test code itself is located in [go_test.go](https://github.com/google/
flatbuffers/blob/master/tests/go_test.go).
To run the tests, use the [GoTest.sh](https://github.com/google/flatbuffers/
blob/master/tests/GoTest.sh) shell script.
*Note: The shell script requires [Go](https://golang.org/doc/install) to
be installed.*
## Using the FlatBuffers Go library
*Note: See [Tutorial](@ref flatbuffers_guide_tutorial) for a more in-depth
example of how to use FlatBuffers in Go.*
FlatBuffers supports reading and writing binary FlatBuffers in Go.
To use FlatBuffers in your own code, first generate Go classes from your
schema with the `--go` option to `flatc`. Then you can include both FlatBuffers
and the generated code to read or write a FlatBuffer.
For example, here is how you would read a FlatBuffer binary file in Go: First,
include the library and generated code. Then read a FlatBuffer binary file into
a `[]byte`, which you pass to the `GetRootAsMonster` function:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{.go}
import (
@@ -27,96 +67,10 @@ Now you can access values like this:
pos := monster.Pos(nil)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Note that whenever you access a new object like in the `Pos` example above,
a new temporary accessor object gets created. If your code is very performance
sensitive (you iterate through a lot of objects), you can replace nil with a
pointer to a `Vec3` object you've already created. This allows
you to reuse it across many calls and reduce the amount of object allocation
(and thus garbage collection) your program does.
To access vectors you pass an extra index to the
vector field accessor. Then a second method with the same name suffixed
by `Length` let's you know the number of elements you can access:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{.go}
for i := 0; i < monster.InventoryLength(); i++ {
monster.Inventory(i) // do something here
}
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can also construct these buffers in Go using the functions found in the
generated code, and the FlatBufferBuilder class:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{.go}
builder := flatbuffers.NewBuilder(0)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Create strings:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{.go}
str := builder.CreateString("MyMonster")
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Create a table with a struct contained therein:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{.go}
example.MonsterStart(builder)
example.MonsterAddPos(builder, example.CreateVec3(builder, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 3.0, 4, 5, 6))
example.MonsterAddHp(builder, 80)
example.MonsterAddName(builder, str)
example.MonsterAddInventory(builder, inv)
example.MonsterAddTest_Type(builder, 1)
example.MonsterAddTest(builder, mon2)
example.MonsterAddTest4(builder, test4s)
mon := example.MonsterEnd(builder)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unlike C++, Go does not support table creation functions like 'createMonster()'.
This is to create the buffer without
using temporary object allocation (since the `Vec3` is an inline component of
`Monster`, it has to be created right where it is added, whereas the name and
the inventory are not inline, and **must** be created outside of the table
creation sequence).
Structs do have convenient methods that allow you to construct them in one call.
These also have arguments for nested structs, e.g. if a struct has a field `a`
and a nested struct field `b` (which has fields `c` and `d`), then the arguments
will be `a`, `c` and `d`.
Vectors also use this start/end pattern to allow vectors of both scalar types
and structs:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{.go}
example.MonsterStartInventoryVector(builder, 5)
for i := 4; i >= 0; i-- {
builder.PrependByte(byte(i))
}
inv := builder.EndVector(5)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The generated method 'StartInventoryVector' is provided as a convenience
function which calls 'StartVector' with the correct element size of the vector
type which in this case is 'ubyte' or 1 byte per vector element.
You pass the number of elements you want to write.
You write the elements backwards since the buffer
is being constructed back to front. Use the correct `Prepend` call for the type,
or `PrependUOffsetT` for offsets. You then pass `inv` to the corresponding
`Add` call when you construct the table containing it afterwards.
There are `Prepend` functions for all the scalar types. You use
`PrependUOffset` for any previously constructed objects (such as other tables,
strings, vectors). For structs, you use the appropriate `create` function
in-line, as shown above in the `Monster` example.
Once you're done constructing a buffer, you call `Finish` with the root object
offset (`mon` in the example above). Your data now resides in Builder.Bytes.
Important to note is that the real data starts at the index indicated by Head(),
for Offset() bytes (this is because the buffer is constructed backwards).
If you wanted to read the buffer right after creating it (using
`GetRootAsMonster` above), the second argument, instead of `0` would thus
also be `Head()`.
## Text Parsing
There currently is no support for parsing text (Schema's and JSON) directly
from Go, though you could use the C++ parser through cgo. Please see the
C++ documentation for more on text parsing.
<br>