| Information | |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.0.0 |
| Type | Miscellaneous |
| MIME | Not applicable |
| File Extension | Not applicable |
- Abstract
- Data storage 2.1 Integers 2.1.1 Octet 2.1.2 Word 2.1.3 Double Word 2.1.4 Quad Word 2.2 Strings 2.3 Floats
- General 3.1 Executable 3.2 Library 3.3 Resource 3.3 API
This document defines standard terminology for use when writing a standard. Whenever a standard uses a term defined in this document, it must link back here. Whenever a standard uses a term not defined in this document, it must provide appropriate explanation.
This standard does not cover terms that are implicit to the context or too simple: things like computer and file, in a ComputerCraft context, have a meaning set in stone, and there is no need to reiterate.
This section of the document specifies terms regarding how data is laid out in memory, or stored in a mass storage device.
also acceptable: octads not acceptable: bytes
Octets are 8-bit-wide numbers, ranging from -127 to 127 when signed or from 0 to 255 when unsigned.
not acceptable: short
A word is comprised of two octets (16 bits), ranging from -32,768 to 36,768 when signed or from 0 to 65535.
also acceptable: ints
A double word, double (not to be confused with an IEEE 754 double precision floating point) or int is comprised of two words (32 bits), ranging from -2,147,483,647 to 2,147,483,647 when signed or from 0 to 4,294,967,295 when unsigned.
Note: while technically correct, the use of double to mean double word can entail some ambiguity, as double can also mean an IEEE 754 double precision floating point. See section 2.3 for further details.
also acceptable: longs, quads
A quad word, long int or quad is comprised of two double words, ranging from -9.22337203685478 × 10¹⁸ to 9.22337203685478 × 10¹⁸ when signed or from 0 to 1.84467440737096 × 10¹⁹ when unsigned.
A string is a sequence of octets, layed out in memory sequentially from the first character to the last character, then
followed by a NUL (ASCII 0, \0) to signify the end of the string.
Strings are always encoded in UTF-8 (but are limited to the ASCII range), without byte-order marks.
Printable strings are a subset of strings that only contain characters in the printable ASCII range.
Floating-point numbers (floats, for short) refer IEEE 754 double-precision floating points unless explicitly stated otherwise.
An executable is a file containing Lua (or otherwise) that can be loaded by CraftOS (or otherwise) and executed. Most executables are user-facing applications.
A library is a file containing Lua (or otherwise) that can be loaded by CraftOS (or otherwise) and used for code reusal. Do note the difference between an API and a library.
A resource is a file containing Lua (or otherwise) that can be loaded by a program or library, but is neither executable code or library code. Resources are typically images, but can also be localization strings or configuration files.
An API (application programming interface) is similar, but different, from a library. Whereas a library contains actual code for performing tasks, an API is just a description of the interface a library exposes. An API can be public, for use in application development with the library, or private, for use in internal development of the library itself.