The core library

This chapter describes the functions provided by the Caml Light core library. This library is special in two ways:

• It is automatically linked with the user's object code files by the camlc command (chapter 5). Hence, the globals defined by these libraries can be used in standalone programs without having to add any .zo file on the command line for the linking phase. Similarly, in interactive use, these globals can be used in toplevel phrases without having to load any .zo file in memory.

• The interfaces for the modules below are automatically ``opened'' when a compilation starts, or when the toplevel system is launched. Hence, it is possible to use unqualified identifiers to refer to the functions provided by these modules, without adding #open directives. Actually, the list of automatically opened modules depend on the -O option given to the compiler or to the toplevel system:

  -O option	Opened modules (reverse opening order)
  -O cautious (default)	io, eq, int, float, ref, pair, list, vect, char, string, bool, exc, stream, builtin
  -O fast	io, eq, int, float, ref, pair, list, fvect, fchar, fstring, bool, exc, stream, builtin
  -O none	builtin

• Conventions
• bool: boolean operations
• builtin: base types and constructors
• char: character operations
• eq: generic comparisons
• exc: exceptions
• fchar: character operations, without sanity checks
• float: operations on floating-point numbers
• fstring: string operations, without sanity checks
• fvect: operations on vectors, without sanity checks
• int: operations on integers
• io: buffered input and output
• list: operations on lists
• pair: operations on pairs
• ref: operations on references
• stream: operations on streams
• string: string operations
• vect: operations on vectors