README: Cleanup, add Versioning and Update sections

This clarifies the correspondance between this repo's branches and the upstream ones, as well as documents the update workflow used by maintainers to sync the headers, which can be used by anyone for their own builds (or if they're running cutting edge Godot snapshots before this repo gets updated).
2025-12-31 01:49:36 +03:00 · 2021-09-27 10:37:21 +02:00
parent 68174528c9
commit 30298009f5
1 changed files with 111 additions and 64 deletions
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,20 +1,46 @@
 # godot-headers

-#### `GDNative / NativeScript`
+This repository contains C headers for
+[**Godot Engine**](https://github.com/godotengine/godot)'s *GDNative* API,
+which can be used to write *NativeScripts*.

-> `GDNative` enables the use of dynamically linked libraries inside of [**Godot**](https://github.com/godotengine/godot).
+> `GDNative` enables the use of dynamically linked libraries inside of
+> [**Godot**](https://github.com/godotengine/godot).

 > `NativeScript` uses GDNative to implement scripts backed by native code.

-   [**Getting Started**](#getting-started)
-   [**FAQ**](#faq)
+- [**Versioning**](#versioning)
+- [**Getting Started**](#getting-started)
+- [**FAQ**](#faq)
+- [**Updating Headers**](#updating-headers)
+
+## Versioning
+
+This repositories follows the same branch versioning as the main [Godot Engine
+repository](https://github.com/godotengine/godot):
+
+- `master` tracks the current development branch. As this is a moving target,
+  the headers in this repository may not always be fully in sync with upstream.
+  See [**Updating Headers**](#updating-headers) if you need to bring
+  them up to date.
+- `3.x` tracks the development of the next 3.x minor release. Like `master`, it
+  might not always be fully up-to-date with upstream.
+- Other versioned branches (e.g. `3.3`, `3.2`) track the latest stable release
+  in the corresponding branch.
+
+Stable releases are also tagged on this repository:
+[**Tags**](https://github.com/godotengine/godot-headers/tags).
+
+**For any project built against a stable release of Godot, we recommend using
+this repository as a Git submodule, checking out the specific tag matching your
+Godot version.**

 ## Getting Started

-| **Build latest version of Godot** | [**GitHub**](https://github.com/godotengine/godot) | [**Docs**](https://godot.readthedocs.io/en/latest/development/compiling/index.html) |
+| **Build latest version of Godot** | [**GitHub**](https://github.com/godotengine/godot) | [**Docs**](https://docs.godotengine.org/en/latest/development/compiling/index.html) |
 | --- | --- | --- |

-### Clone godot-headers into Library
+### Clone `godot-headers` into Library

 Clone `godot-headers` under `SimpleLibrary/`

@@ -23,9 +49,10 @@ cd SimpleLibrary
 git clone https://github.com/godotengine/godot-headers
 ```

-> Note that the master branch of this repository contains the header for the latest Godot master. If you want to build GDNative modules for older versions of Godot add `-b <version>` to the git clone command above. i.e. `git clone https://github.com/godotengine/godot-headers -b 3.0` will retrieve headers compatible with Godot 3.0.
-
-> With the exception of a breaking change in the ARVR module between 3.0 and 3.1, GDNative plugins written for an older version of Godot will work in newer versions.
+Note that the master branch of this repository contains the headers for the
+latest Godot `master` branch. See [**Versioning**](#versioning) for details.
+You can use `-b <version>` to the above Git clone command to retrieve a specific
+branch or tag (e.g. `-b 3.x` or `-b godot-3.3.3-stable`).

 ```bash
 [SimpleLibrary]
@@ -35,7 +62,7 @@ git clone https://github.com/godotengine/godot-headers

 ### Create Script

-Create `test.c` under `SimpleLibrary/src/`
+Create `test.c` under `SimpleLibrary/src/`.

 <details>

@@ -46,22 +73,22 @@ Create `test.c` under `SimpleLibrary/src/`
 #include <stdio.h>

 void *test_constructor(godot_object *obj, void *method_data) {
-        printf("test.constructor()\n");
-        return 0;
+	printf("test.constructor()\n");
+	return 0;
 }

 void test_destructor(godot_object *obj, void *method_data, void *user_data) {
-        printf("test.destructor()\n");
+	printf("test.destructor()\n");
 }

 /** func _ready() **/
 godot_variant test_ready(godot_object *obj, void *method_data, void *user_data, int num_args, godot_variant **args) {
-        godot_variant ret;
-        godot_variant_new_nil(&ret);
+	godot_variant ret;
+	godot_variant_new_nil(&ret);

-        printf("_ready()\n");
+	printf("_ready()\n");

-        return ret;
+	return ret;
 }

 /** Library entry point **/
@@ -78,64 +105,64 @@ void GDN_EXPORT godot_nativescript_init(void *desc) {

 	godot_instance_create_func create_func = {
 		.create_func = &test_constructor,
-                .method_data = 0,
-                .free_func   = 0
-        };
+		.method_data = 0,
+		.free_func   = 0
+	};

-        godot_instance_destroy_func destroy_func = {
-                .destroy_func = &test_destructor,
-                .method_data  = 0,
-                .free_func    = 0
-        };
+	godot_instance_destroy_func destroy_func = {
+		.destroy_func = &test_destructor,
+		.method_data  = 0,
+		.free_func    = 0
+	};

-        godot_nativescript_register_class(desc, "SimpleClass", "Node", create_func, destroy_func);
+	godot_nativescript_register_class(desc, "SimpleClass", "Node", create_func, destroy_func);

-        {
-                godot_instance_method method = {
-                        .method = &test_ready,
-                        .method_data = 0,
-                        .free_func = 0
-                };
+	{
+		godot_instance_method method = {
+			.method = &test_ready,
+			.method_data = 0,
+			.free_func = 0
+		};

-                godot_method_attributes attr = {
-                        .rpc_type = GODOT_METHOD_RPC_MODE_DISABLED
-                };
+		godot_method_attributes attr = {
+			.rpc_type = GODOT_METHOD_RPC_MODE_DISABLED
+		};

-                godot_nativescript_register_method(desc, "SimpleClass", "_ready", attr, method);
-        }
+		godot_nativescript_register_method(desc, "SimpleClass", "_ready", attr, method);
+	}
 }

 godot_variant GDN_EXPORT some_test_procedure(void *data, godot_array *args) {
-        godot_variant ret;
-        godot_variant_new_int(&ret, 42);
+	godot_variant ret;
+	godot_variant_new_int(&ret, 42);

-        godot_string s;
-        godot_string_new_with_wide_string(&s, L"Hello World", 11);
-        godot_print(&s);
+	godot_string s;
+	godot_string_new_with_wide_string(&s, L"Hello World", 11);
+	godot_print(&s);

-        godot_string_destroy(&s);
+	godot_string_destroy(&s);

-        return ret;
+	return ret;
 }
 ```

 </details>

-`Expand details for example code.`
+Expand *Details* for example code.

 ### Compile Library

 On Linux:

 ```bash
-clang -g -fPIC -std=c99 -c src/test.c -I/path/to/godot/headers/ -o src/test.os
+clang -g -fPIC -c src/test.c -I/path/to/godot/headers/ -o src/test.os
 clang -g -shared src/test.os -o lib/test.so
 ```

 On MacOS:

 ```bash
-clang -g -fPIC -std=c99 -c src/test.c -I/path/to/godot/headers/ -o src/test.os
+clang -g -fPIC -c src/test.c -I/path/to/godot/headers/ -o src/test.os
 clang -g -shared -framework Cocoa -Wl,-undefined,dynamic_lookup src/test.os -o lib/test.dylib
 ```

@@ -146,9 +173,9 @@ clang -g -shared -framework Cocoa -Wl,-undefined,dynamic_lookup src/test.os -o l
 The GDNativeLibrary resource contains links to the libraries for each platform.

 1. Create a new resource in memory and edit it.
-1. Select `Resource > GDNativeLibrary`.
-1. Set the library file for your platform inside the inspector.
-1. Save the edited resource as a `.tres`
+2. Select `Resource > GDNativeLibrary`.
+3. Set the library file for your platform inside the inspector.
+4. Save the edited resource as a `.tres`

 <details>

@@ -162,7 +189,7 @@ The GDNativeLibrary resource contains links to the libraries for each platform.

 </details>

-`Expand details for screenshots.`
+Expand *Details* for screenshots.

 ### Using GDNativeLibrary in GDScript

@@ -170,25 +197,25 @@ The GDNativeLibrary resource contains links to the libraries for each platform.
 extends Node

 func _ready():
-        var gdn = GDNative.new()
-        gdn.library = load("res://lib/libtest.tres")
+	var gdn = GDNative.new()
+	gdn.library = load("res://lib/libtest.tres")

-        gdn.initialize()
+	gdn.initialize()

-        var res = gdn.call_native("standard_varcall", "some_test_procedure", [])
+	var res = gdn.call_native("standard_varcall", "some_test_procedure", [])

-        print("result: ", res)
+	print("result: ", res)

-        gdn.terminate()
+	gdn.terminate()
 ```

 ### Attaching GDNativeLibrary to a Node

 1. Attach a new script to a node.
-1. In the pop-up dialog, choose NativeScript in the `Language` menu.
-1. Enable built-in script, or create a `.gdn` file, which only contains a name.
-1. Specify the `Class Name`.
-1. Press `Create`.
+2. In the pop-up dialog, choose NativeScript in the `Language` menu.
+3. Enable built-in script, or create a `.gdn` file, which only contains a name.
+4. Specify the `Class Name`.
+5. Press `Create`.

 The GDNativeLibrary field in a NativeScript is empty by default.

@@ -201,7 +228,7 @@ The GDNativeLibrary field in a NativeScript is empty by default.

 </details>

-`Expand details for screenshots.`
+Expand *Details* for screenshots.

 ## FAQ

@@ -231,5 +258,25 @@ You can! ✨
 **What is the reason behind the name "GDNative"?**

 GDNative was originally named "cscript" because it exposes a C API, but people
-mistook a relation to C#, which is sometimes abbreviated as "cs". Then named "DLScript", but that brought up some confusion, so we settled with
-GDNative. 📖
+mistook a relation to C#, which is sometimes abbreviated as "cs". Then named
+"DLScript", but that brought up some confusion, so we settled with GDNative. 📖
+
+## Updating Headers
+
+See [**Versioning**](#versioning) for details on the Godot versions tracked by
+each branch of this repository.
+
+If the relevant branch is not up-to-date for your needs, or if you want to sync
+the headers with your own modified version of Godot, here is the update
+procedure used to sync this repository with upstream releases:
+
+- Compile [Godot Engine](https://github.com/godotengine/godot) at the specific
+  version/commit which you are using.
+- Use the compiled executable to generate the `api.json` file with:
+  `godot --gdnative-generate-json-api api.json`
+- Copy the file `modules/gdnative/gdnative_api.json` to this repository.
+- Copy the files and folders from `modules/gdnative/include` to this repository,
+  overwriting existing content. (To be sure to be in sync, you can delete the
+  folders of this repository first, then copy the upstream folders in place.)
+  Make sure that you compiled the correct Godot version so that the generated
+  `gdnative_api_struct.gen.h` is up-to-date.