On this page:
9.1.1 API for 3m Transformation
xform

9.1 Compiling and Linking C Extensions

A dynamic extension is a shared library (a.k.a. DLL) that extends Racket using the C API. An extension can be loaded explicitly via load-extension, or it can be loaded implicitly through require or load/use-compiled in place of a source file when the extension is located at

  (build-path "compiled" "native" (system-library-subpath)
              (path-add-suffix file (system-type 'so-suffix)))

relative to file.

For information on writing extensions, see Inside: Racket C API.

Three raco ctool modes help for building extensions:

Compilation and linking build on the dynext/compile and dynext/link libraries. The following raco ctool flags correspond to setting or accessing parameters for those libraries: --tool, --compiler, --ccf, --ccf, --ccf-clear, --ccf-show, --linker, ++ldf, --ldf, --ldf-clear, --ldf-show, ++ldl, --ldl-show, ++cppf, ++cppf ++cppf-clear, and --cppf-show.

The --3m flag specifies that the extension is to be loaded into the 3m variant of Racket. The --cgc flag specifies that the extension is to be used with the CGC. The default depends on raco: --3m if raco itself is running in 3m, --cgc if raco itself is running in CGC.

9.1.1 API for 3m Transformation

 (require compiler/xform)

(xform quiet?    
  input-file    
  output-file    
  include-dirs    
  [#:keep-lines? keep-lines?])  any/c
  quiet? : any/c
  input-file : path-string?
  output-file : path-string?
  include-dirs : (listof path-string?)
  keep-lines? : boolean? = #f
Transforms C code that is written without explicit GC-cooperation hooks to cooperate with Racket’s 3m garbage collector; see Overview in Inside: Racket C API.

The arguments are as for compile-extension; in addition keep-lines? can be #t to generate GCC-style annotations to connect the generated C code with the original source locations.

The file generated by xform can be compiled via compile-extension.