4.2.1 Libraries created by compiling IDL

The IDL compiler can produce skeleton, stub, and protocol libraries from an IDL file. This, again, is as specified in Appendix A, "An IDL Binding for Dylan". The purpose of these libraries is to make writing CORBA applications easier, by providing a pre-built interface to CORBA operations.

The skeletons or server skeletons library contains code for use by a CORBA server application, while the stubs or client stubs library contains code for use by a CORBA client application. In both cases, the code hides the details of CORBA communication from the application, allowing you to invoke operations in other CORBA objects without having to worry about where those objects are running. The stubs and skeletons act as proxies for the real, remote operations.

The protocol library is a Dylan representation of the interface described in the IDL file. The Dylan representation is mapped from IDL according to the Dylan IDL binding, with open classes and open generic functions representing IDL interfaces and operations. As we saw in Chapter 2, "Quick Start Tutorial", the protocol provides the basis for implementing clients and servers. The skeletons and the stubs library both use the protocol library and re-export the names from it.

Note: Typically a server project uses the client stubs library in addition to the skeletons and protocol library. This allows the server to make callbacks to the client.

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Developing Component Software with CORBA - 26 May 1999