API

NOTE: This is the documentation for Link 2.0, which is distrubuted with Dyalog APL versions 17.1 and 18.0. If you are looking for documentation for Link version 3.0 it is available separately. If you are using version 18.0 and just getting started with Link, installing version 3.0 is highly recommended.

The Link API functions are normally found in ⎕SE.Link. All API functions take a character vector or a nested vector as a right argument, and optionally a namespace containing option values on the left. For more details on setting options, look below the following table:

Link API Function reference

Function	Right Argument(s)	Options	Result
Add]	items	filename all
Break]	namespace
CaseCode	filename		case-coded filename
Create]	namespace directory	source watch [and many more]
Export]	namespace directory
Expunge]	items
Fix	source	namespace name oldname⍺
GetFileName]	item
GetItemName]	filename		itemname
Import]	namespace directory
List]	[namespace]	extended
Notify	event filename oldfilename
Refresh]	namespace
StripCaseCode	filename		filename without case code

 ^] These functions have user command covers.

 ^⍺ The left argument to Fix is a 3-element vector, not an option namespace.

Option Namespaces

API functions take a primary argument on the right which is a simple character vector or a nested vector as documented above. With the exception of Fix, which takes a 3-element left argument, API functions typically accept an option namespace as the left argument. For example, to create a link with non-default source and flatten options, you would write:

      options←⎕NS ''                                    ⍝ create empty namespace
      options.(source flatten)←'dir' 1                  ⍝ set two named options
      options ⎕SE.Link.Create 'myapp' '/sources/myapp'  ⍝ namespace and director name on the right, options on left

User commands

Most, but not all, API functions have a corresponding user command, to make them a little easier to use interactively. The API functions with user command covers are indicated with ^] in the above table. These user commands all take exactly the same arguments and options as the API functions, specified using user command syntax. The Link.Create call above would thus be written:

      ]LINK.Create myapp /sources/myapp -source=dir -flatten

Specifying extensions: Two options require arrays identifying file extensions: codeExtensions and typeExtensions. For convenience, the ]Link.Create user command accepts the name of a variable containing the array, rather than the array values. However, in this case, it is highly recommended to use the API function directly rather than the user command.