docs: park varargs constructor bindings analysis#128
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Markdown-only design note in gir_gen/docs/plans/varargs-bindings.md covering the seven shapes of varargs functions across the bound GIR namespaces, which ones are already covered by introspectable _v / _variant / _value counterparts, and what would be needed to bind the residual five GObject-property-style constructors (gtk_alert_dialog_new, gtk_message_dialog_new, gtk_about_dialog_new, gtk_show_about_dialog, gtk_app_chooser_dialog_new). Recommendation in the document: do not build the override-system extension. Two small generator changes (per-class get_type external, common Gobject.Object.create) plus one optional per-class create_empty emitter cover all five with idiomatic OCaml at lower complexity than a new override directive. Open questions included; intended as a discussion starter, not a queued work item. No code changes. Chris Armstrong
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Summary
Adds a single design note at
gir_gen/docs/plans/varargs-bindings.md. No code changes.The binding generator skips C functions marked variadic (printf-style or property-list constructors), because the variable arguments carry no type information and can't be mapped to a typed OCaml signature. This document surveys what's in that gap across the nine bound libraries, sorts the variadic functions into seven structural shapes, and asks which ones are actually worth supporting.
The headline finding: most variadic functions in GTK/GLib have a non-variadic counterpart that the generator already binds (
_varray variants,_variantGVariant variants,_valuetyped-value variants — all confirmed present in the GIR XML). After accounting for those, only five constructors are genuinely uncovered, all sharing the same shape: a GObject type plus a list of property/value pairs.For those five, the document recommends two small changes — generate a
get_typeexternal for every class, and bind a genericg_object_newin the common runtime — instead of building a new override directive. The result is that callers can construct any GObject manually using the existing setter methods, with no new generator code paths beyond a one-lineexternalper class.The document is intentionally a discussion starter, not a queued work item. Open questions about layout, eager vs. lazy registration, and whether any examples actually need this are listed at the end.
Test plan
dune build— clean (markdown-only change)dune build @fmtfromocgtk/— cleanxvfb-run dune test ocgtk— all suites passdune test gir_genfrom workspace root — all 454 tests passchris-armstrong