sidlc

sidlc is the Strata Interface Definition Language compiler. It is built as part of the host tools graph and installed by the folisdk-host package.

The CMake integration module is installed as UseSIDLC.cmake.

Status

• The active compiler is the C++20 executable in sidlc/core and sidlc/lang.
• The compiler uses subcommands: compile, decompile, and generate.
• .sidl is the human-authored source format.
• .sif is the compiled Strata InterFace artifact used for code generation and ABI history extension.
• .sif uses the SIF\0 magic value and stores a binary tree representation of the parsed interface, with 4-byte-aligned strings, mandatory UUID identity/prefix metadata, a root revision hash, and a per-revision hash table. It does not embed the original .sidl source text.
• The only implemented output language is C (generate --lang=c).
• The only architecture ABI currently registered in sidlc is x86_64 (generate --arch=x86_64), with an 8-byte pointer size and six register argument slots.
• Supported SIDL declarations include interface, contiguous abirevision blocks starting at 0, struct, bitfield<T>, enum<T>, and function.
• Supported parameter directions are in, out, and inout.
• Supported type forms include built-ins, user-defined types, ptr<T>, array<T>, and const.
• Built-in C type mappings include opaque, u8/u16/u32/u64, s8/s16/s32/s64, handle, and status.
• Interface source annotations @prefix("...") and @uuid("namespace-uuid", "name") are required and are stored as SIF header metadata after compilation.
• Struct @align_size(...) is recognized and emits an aligned struct attribute.
• generate --weak emits weak client binding symbols.

CLI Usage

Compile a source interface into a SIF artifact:

sidlc compile -o byte_stream.sif byte_stream.sidl

Extend an existing ABI history:

sidlc compile -b byte_stream.sif -o byte_stream.next.sif byte_stream.next.sidl

Decompile a SIF artifact into canonical SIDL source:

sidlc decompile -o byte_stream.sidl byte_stream.sif

Generate C bindings:

sidlc generate \
    --arch=x86_64 \
    --lang=c \
    --mode=client \
    --header-dir=gen/sidl \
    --source-path=gen/sidl/byte_stream.c \
    byte_stream.sif

C Generator

The C generator can emit:

• *.types.h: shared constants, UUID macros, ABI revision metadata, enums, bitfields, and structs.
• *.h / *.client.c: client-side Open, Query, and function wrappers using StHandle_Query, StHandle_Call*, and StHandle_CallN.
• *.server.h / *.server.c: server vtable declarations and ServerDispatchArgs dispatch glue.
• *.server-client.h / *.server-client.c: client-callable wrappers without the Open/Query handle binding helpers.

CMake Usage

include(UseSIDLC)

sidlc_compile(
    OUTPUT_DIR "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/sidl"
    SIFS_VAR SIDL_SIFS
    FILES "${SIDLC_INTERFACE_DIRECTORY}/byte_stream.sidl"
)

sidlc_generate(
    CLIENT
    HEADER_DIR "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/sidl"
    SRCS_VAR SIDL_SRCS
    HDRS_VAR SIDL_HDRS
    SIFS ${SIDL_SIFS}
)

sidlc_compile() creates .sif artifacts from .sidl sources. sidlc_generate() creates source/header bindings from those .sif artifacts. Pass the generated SIF list to later build steps when they need the compiled interface artifacts, such as sma_add_module(PROVIDES ...).