save-image

Arguments

filename

A string. It is the name of the file that the image is saved as. This name should not be the same as the original name of the image.

dll-exports

A list of strings, or the keyword :default.

dll-added-files

A list of strings.

automatic-init

A generalized boolean.

If non-nil, there is a garbage collection before the image is saved. The default value is t.

type

Determines if some global variables are cleared before the image is saved. You can generally use the default value, which is :user.

normal-gc

If this is t the function normal-gc is called before the image is saved. The default is t.

restart-function

A function to be called on restart.

multiprocessing

Controls whether multiprocessing is enabled on restart. Possible values are discussed below.

console

On Windows console controls whether the new image will be a Console or GUI application and when, if ever, to make a console window in the latter case.

On the Macintosh console controls when, if ever, to make a console window.

Possible values are discussed below.

environment

environment controls whether the LispWorks environment is started on restart. Possible values are discussed below.

remarks

remarks adds a comment to the save history. The value should be a string.

clean-down

When t, calls (clean-down t).

image-type

One of the keywords :exe, :dll and :bundle.

split

A generalized boolean. If non-nil, the Lisp heap and the executable are saved in two separate files.

Description

The function save-image saves the LispWorks image to a new executable or dynamic library containing any modifications you have made to the supplied image.

For information about the sort of changes you might want to save in a new image, see Customization of LispWorks.

Do not use save-image when the graphical IDE is running. Instead create a build script and use it with the -build command line argument similar to the examples below, or run LispWorks in a subprocess using the Application Builder tool.

You cannot use save-image on Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, AIX/PowerPC, x86/x64 Solaris and Mac OS X when multiprocessing is running. It signals an error in this case.

On Cocoa you can combine a call to save-image with the creation of an application bundle containing your new LispWorks image, as in the example shown below.

dll-exports is implemented only on Windows, Linux, x86/x64 Solaris, Macintosh and FreeBSD. It controls whether the image saved is an executable or a dynamic library (DLL). The default value is :default and this value means an executable is saved. The value :com is supported on Microsoft Windows only (see below). Otherwise dll-exports should be list (potentially nil). In this case a dynamic library is saved, and each string in dll-exports names a function which becomes an export of the dynamic library and should be defined as a Lisp function using fli:define-foreign-callable. Each exported name can be found by GetProcAddress (on Windows) or dlsym (on other platforms). The exported symbol is actually a stub which ensures that the LispWorks dynamic library has finished initializing, and then enters the Lisp code.

On Microsoft Windows the dll-exports list can also contain the keyword :com, or dll-exports can simply be the keyword:com, both of which mean that the DLL is intended to be used as a COM server. See the LispWorks COM/Automation User Guide and Reference Manual for details.

On Mac OS X the default behavior is to generate an object of type "Mach-O dynamically linked shared library" with file type dylib. See image-type below for information about creating another type of library on Mac OS X.

On Linux, Macintosh, x86/x64 Solaris and FreeBSD, to save a dynamic library image the computer needs to have a C compiler installed. This is typically gcc (which is available by installing Xcode on the Macintosh).

An image saved as a dynamic library (DLL):

always runs multiprocessing, and
may need to be shut down by QuitLispWorks or by a callback which uses dll-quit.

automatic-init specifies whether a LispWorks dynamic library should initialize inside the call to LoadLibrary (on Microsoft Windows) or dlopen (on other platforms), or wait for further calls. Automatic initialization is useful when the dynamic library does not communicate by function calls. On Microsoft Windows it also allows LoadLibrary to succeed or fail according to whether the LispWorks dynamic library initializes successfully or not. Not using automatic initialization allows you to relocate the library if necessary using InitLispWorks, and do any other initialization that may be required. The default value of automatic-init is t on Windows, nil on other platforms. For more information about automatic initialization in LispWorks dynamic libraries, see LispWorks as a dynamic library.

dll-added-files should be a list of filenames. It is ignored on Microsoft Windows. On other platforms if dll-added-files is non-nil then a dynamic library containing each named file is saved. Each file must be of a format that the default C compiler (scm:*c-default-compiler*) knows about and can incorporate into a shared library. Typically they will be C source files, but can also be assembler or object files. They must not contain exports that clash with names in the LispWorks dynamic library (see Dynamic library C functions for the predefined exports). The added files are useful to write wrappers around calls into the LispWorks dynamic library. Such wrappers are useful for:

Calling InitLispWorks when required, for example to relocate the LispWorks dynamic library to avoid memory clashes with other software, as described under Startup relocation.
Calling QuitLispWorks when required.
Changing calls that involve complex C structs or even C++ objects into plain calls, because accessing C structures in Lisp requires defining the structure, while in C it only needs to include the header.
Creating 'stub' functions that can be called from Lisp, for example for calling a C++ method. The address of the stub function can be passed to Lisp which can call it using a function defined by fli:define-foreign-funcallable.
Adding code that runs automatically inside the call to dlopen, by using __attribute__ ((constructor))

image-type defaults to :exe or :dll according to the value of dll-exports and therefore you do not normally need to supply image-type.

image-type :bundle is used only when saving a dynamic library. On Mac OS X it generates an object of type "Mach-O bundle" and is used for creating shared libraries that will be used by applications that cannot load dylibs (FileMaker for example). It also does not force the filename extension to be dylib. On other Unix-like systems image-type merely has the effect of not forcing the file type of the saved image, and the format of the saved image is the same as the default. On Microsoft Windows image-type :bundle is ignored.

Note: image-type :bundle is completely unrelated to the Mac OS X notion of an application bundle.

If split is nil (the default), then the saved image is written as a single executable file containing the Lisp heap. If split is t, then the saved Lisp heap is split into a separate file, named by adding .lwheap to the name of the executable. When the executable runs, it reloads the Lisp heap from this file automatically.

In addition, when saving LispWorks as an application bundle on the Macintosh (for example by using create-macos-application-bundle), split can be the symbol :resources. This places the Lisp heap file in the Resources directory of the bundle, rather than in the Contents/MacOS directory alongside the executable, which allows the heap to be included in the signature of the bundle.

The main use of split is to allow third-party code signing to be applied to the executable, which is often not possible when saving an image with the Lisp heap included in a single file.

restart-function, if non-nil, specifies a function (with no arguments) to be called when the image is started. If multiprocessing is true, restart-function is called in a new process. restart-function is called after the initialization file is loaded. The default value of restart-function is nil.

Note: restart-function is not called if the command line argument -no-restart-function is present

When multiprocessing is nil, the executable image will start without multiprocessing enabled. When multiprocessing is true or the image is a DLL, the image will start with multiprocessing enabled, starting processes in the list *initial-processes*. When *initial-processes* is nil or multiprocessing is :with-tty-listener, a TTY listener process is started as well. The default value of multiprocessing is nil.

console is implemented only in LispWorks for Windows and LispWorks for Macintosh. The possible values for console are as follows:

:default

Unchanged since previous save.

t

On the Macintosh, the value t has the same effect as the value :always.

On Windows, a Console application is saved, else a Windows application is saved which creates its own console according to the other possible values.

:input, :output, :io

Whenever input, output or any I/O is attempted on *terminal-io*.

:init

At startup, if input and output are not redirected

:always

At startup, even if input and output are redirected.

The LispWorks for Windows and LispWorks for Macintosh images shipped have console set to :input.

The possible values for environment are as follows:

:default

Unchanged since previous save.

nil

Start with just the TTY listener.

t

Start the environment automatically, no TTY listener.

:with-tty-listener

Start the environment automatically, but still have a TTY listener.

The LispWorks image shipped is saved with :environment t on all platforms except for the Motif images on Mac OS X, and SPARC Solaris

You should not try to save a new image over an existing one. Always save images using a unique image name, and then, if necessary, replace the new image with the old one after the call to save-image has returned.

save-image

Function

Summary

Package

Signature

Arguments

Values

Description

Notes

Compatibility notes

Example

See also