Fundamental Types

Table 5.1: SIDL Types

SIDL TYPE	SIZE (BITS)
bool	1
char	8
int	32
long	64
float	32
double	64
fcomplex	64
dcomplex	128
opaque	64
string	varies
enum	32
interface	varies
class	varies
array$<$Type,Dim$>$	varies
array$<$ $>$	varies
rarray$<$Type,Dim$>($index variables$)$	varies

Table 5.1 briefly shows the different data types that are supported in Babel. Refer to each chapter for the language specific bindings for each SIDL type. The ``S'' in SIDL stands for ``Scientific.'' This emphasis is reflected in the fundamental support for complex numbers (fcomplex and dcomplex) and dynamic multidimensional arrays (array$<$Type,Dim$>$).

C++ developers looking at the SIDL syntax for arrays, might think that SIDL is a templated IDL, but this is not so. Although the syntax for SIDL arrays looks like a template, it is specific only to the array type. Developers cannot create templated classes or methods in SIDL.

Discussion of the various types is broken up into sections. Numeric types such as bool, char, int, long, float, double, fcomplex, dcomplex, strings, as well as information about enumerated types and the opaque type are all covered in this Subsection 5.3.

Information about extended types such as Interfaces and Classes along with the methods they contain are described in Section 5.7, and Section 5.4 covers Array.