On this page:
1.10.1 Bytecode Compilation
compile-zos
compile-collection-zos
compile-directory-zos
1.10.2 Recognizing Module Suffixes
get-module-suffixes
get-module-suffix-regexp
1.10.3 Loading Compiler Support
current-compiler-dynamic-require-wrapper
1.10.4 Options for the Compiler
somewhat-verbose
verbose
compile-subcollections
1.10.5 The Compiler as a Unit
1.10.5.1 Signatures
compiler^
compiler:  option^
1.10.5.2 Main Compiler Unit
compiler@
1.10.5.3 Options Unit
compiler:  option@

1.10 API for Raw Compilation

The compiler/compiler library provides the functionality of raco make for compilation to bytecode, but through a Racket API.

1.10.1 Bytecode Compilation

procedure

((compile-zos expr    
  [#:module? module?    
  #:verbose? verbose?])    
  racket-files    
  dest-dir)  void?
  expr : any/c
  module? : any/c = #f
  verbose? : any/c = #f
  racket-files : (listof path-string?)
  dest-dir : (or/c path-string? false/c (one-of/c 'auto))
Supplying just expr returns a compiler that is initialized with the expression expr, as described below.

The compiler takes a list of Racket files and compiles each of them to bytecode, placing the resulting bytecode in a ".zo" file within the directory specified by dest-dir. If dest-dir is #f, each bytecode result is placed in the same directory as its source file. If dest-dir is 'auto, each bytecode file is placed in a "compiled" subdirectory relative to the source; the directory is created if necessary.

If expr is anything other than #f, then a namespace is created for compiling the files that are supplied later, and expr is evaluated to initialize the created namespace. For example, expr might load a set of macros. In addition, the expansion-time part of each expression later compiled is evaluated in the namespace before being compiled, so that the effects are visible when compiling later expressions.

If expr is #f, then no compilation namespace is created (the current namespace is used), and expressions in the files are assumed to compile independently (so there’s no need to evaluate the expansion-time part of an expression to compile).

Typically, expr is #f for compiling module files, and it is (void) for compiling files with top-level definitions and expressions.

If module? is #t, then the given files are read and compiled as modules (so there is no dependency on the current namespace’s top-level environment).

If verbose? is #t, the output file for each given file is reported through the current output port.

procedure

(compile-collection-zos 
  collection ...+ 
  [#:skip-path skip-path 
  #:skip-paths skip-paths 
  #:skip-doc-sources? skip-docs? 
  #:managed-compile-zo managed-compile-zo]) 
  void?
  collection : string?
  skip-path : (or/c path-string? #f) = #f
  skip-paths : (listof path-string?) = null
  skip-docs? : any/c = #f
  managed-compile-zo : (path-string? . -> . void?)
   = (make-caching-managed-compile-zo)
Compiles the specified collection’s files to ".zo" files by using managed-compile-zo on each source file. The ".zo" files are placed into the collection’s "compiled" directory.

By default, all files with the extension ".rkt", ".ss", or ".scm" in a collection are compiled, as are all such files within subdirectories; the set of such suffixes is extensible globally as described in get-module-suffixes, and compile-collection-zos recognizes suffixes from the 'libs group. However, any file or directory whose path starts with skip-path or an element of skip-paths is skipped. (“Starts with” means that the simplified complete path p’s byte-string form after (simplify-path p #f) starts with the byte-string form of (simplify-path skip-path #f); not that each skip-path should normally be a complete path.)

The collection compiler reads the collection’s "info.rkt" file (see "info.rkt" File Format) to obtain further instructions for compiling the collection. The following fields are used:

Changed in version 6.3 of package base: Added support for compile-include-files.
Changed in version 7.8.0.8: Changed “starts with” for skip-path to include an exact match.

procedure

(compile-directory-zos 
  path 
  info 
  [#:verbose verbose? 
  #:skip-path skip-path 
  #:skip-paths skip-paths 
  #:skip-doc-sources? skip-docs? 
  #:managed-compile-zo managed-compile-zo]) 
  void?
  path : path-string?
  info : procedure?
  verbose? : any/c = #f
  skip-path : (or/c path-string? #f) = #f
  skip-paths : (listof path-string?) = null
  skip-docs? : any/c = #f
  managed-compile-zo : (path-string? . -> . void?)
   = (make-caching-managed-compile-zo)
Like compile-collection-zos, but compiles the given directory rather than a collection. The info function behaves like the result of get-info to supply "info.rkt" fields, instead of using an "info.rkt" file (if any) in the directory.

Changed in version 7.8.0.8 of package base: Changed info handling to use info for 'compile-omit-paths, ignoring any "info.rkt" files in parent and child directories.

1.10.2 Recognizing Module Suffixes

The compiler/module-suffix library provides functions for recognizing file suffixes that correspond to Racket modules for the purposes of compiling files in a directory, running tests for files in a directory, and so on. The set of suffixes always includes ".rkt", ".ss", and ".scm", but it can be extended globally by "info.rkt" configurations in collections.

Added in version 6.3 of package base.

procedure

(get-module-suffixes [#:group group    
  #:mode mode    
  #:namespace namespace])  (listof bytes?)
  group : (or/c 'all 'libs 'docs) = 'all
  mode : (or/c 'preferred 'all-available 'no-planet 'no-user)
   = 'preferred
  namespace : (or/c #f namespace?) = #f
Inspects "info.rkt" files (see "info.rkt" File Format) of installed collections to produce a list of file suffixes that should be recognized as Racket modules. Each suffix is reported as a byte string that does not include the . that precedes a suffix.

The mode and namespace arguments are propagated to find-relevant-directories to determine which collection directories might configure the set of suffixes. Consequently, suffix registrations are found reliably only if raco setup (or package installations or updates that trigger raco setup) is run.

The group argument determines whether the result includes all registered suffixes, only those that are registered as general library suffixes, or only those that are registered as documentation suffixes. The set of general-library suffixes always includes ".rkt", ".ss", and ".scm". The set of documentation suffixes always includes ".scrbl".

The following fields in an "info.rkt" file extend the set of suffixes:

procedure

(get-module-suffix-regexp [#:group group    
  #:mode mode    
  #:namespace namespace])  byte-regexp?
  group : (or/c 'all 'libs 'docs) = 'all
  mode : (or/c 'preferred 'all-available 'no-planet 'no-user)
   = 'preferred
  namespace : (or/c #f namespace?) = #f
Returns a regexp value that matches paths ending with a suffix as reported by get-module-suffixes. The pattern includes a subpatterns for the suffix without its leading .

1.10.3 Loading Compiler Support

The compiler unit loads certain tools on demand via dynamic-require and get-info. If the namespace used during compilation is different from the namespace used to load the compiler, or if other load-related parameters are set, then the following parameter can be used to restore settings for dynamic-require.

parameter

(current-compiler-dynamic-require-wrapper)

  ((-> any) . -> . any)
(current-compiler-dynamic-require-wrapper proc)  void?
  proc : ((-> any) . -> . any)
A parameter whose value is a procedure that takes a thunk to apply. The default wrapper sets the current namespace (via parameterize) before calling the thunk, using the namespace in which the compiler/compiler library was originally instantiated.

1.10.4 Options for the Compiler

The compiler/option module provides options (in the form of parameters) that control the compiler’s behaviors.

More options are defined by the dynext/compile and dynext/link libraries, which control the actual C compiler and linker that are used for compilation via C.

parameter

(somewhat-verbose)  boolean?

(somewhat-verbose on?)  void?
  on? : any/c
A #t value for the parameter causes the compiler to print the files that it compiles and produces. The default is #f.

parameter

(verbose)  boolean?

(verbose on?)  void?
  on? : any/c
A #t value for the parameter causes the compiler to print verbose messages about its operations. The default is #f.

parameter

(compile-subcollections)  (one-of/c #t #f)

(compile-subcollections cols)  void?
  cols : (one-of/c #t #f)
A parameter that specifies whether sub-collections are compiled by compile-collection-zos. The default is #t.

1.10.5 The Compiler as a Unit
1.10.5.1 Signatures

 (require compiler/sig) package: compiler-lib

signature

compiler^ : signature

Includes all of the names exported by compiler/compiler.

signature

compiler:option^ : signature

Includes all of the names exported by compiler/option.

1.10.5.2 Main Compiler Unit

 (require compiler/compiler-unit) package: compiler-lib

value

compiler@ : unit?

Provides the exports of compiler/compiler in unit form, where C-compiler operations are imports to the unit, although they are not used.

The unit imports compiler:option^, dynext:compile^, dynext:link^, and dynext:file^. It exports compiler^.

1.10.5.3 Options Unit

 (require compiler/option-unit) package: compiler-lib

Provides the exports of compiler/option in unit form. It imports no signatures, and exports compiler:option^.