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+# Support for UNOIDL Registry Formats
+
+`Library_unoidl` contains the `unoidl::Manager` and `unoidl::Provider` implementations
+for the following registry formats:
+
+* The new `UNOIDL` binary `types.rdb` format.
+* The old legacy binary `types.rdb` format (based on modules "store" and
+ "registry").
+* A source-file format, reading (multiple) `UNOIDL` entity definitions directly
+ from a single `.idl` source file.
+* A source-tree format, reading `UNOIDL` entity definitions directly from a tree
+ of `.idl` source files rooted at a given directory. (Where an entity named
+ `foo.bar.Baz` is expected in a file named `foo/bar/Baz.idl` within that tree.)
+
+(While `.idl` files still contain `#include` directives for legacy idlc, the source-
+based formats ignore any preprocessing directives starting with `#` in the `.idl`
+files.) `unoidl::Manager::addProvider` transparently detects the registry format
+for a given URI and instantiates the corresponding provider implementation.
+
+`Executable_unoidl-write` is a helper tool to convert from any of the registry
+formats to the `UNOIDL` format. It is used at build-time to compile `UNOIDL` format
+`.rdb` files (that are used at build-time only, or included in installation sets
+in `URE` or `program/types/` or as part of bundled extensions that are created
+during the build and not merely included as pre-built `.oxt` files) from source
+`.idl` files. (The SDK still supports deprecated idlc generating legacy format `.rdb` files for
+now.)
+
+`Executable_unoidl-read` is a helper tool to convert from any of the registry
+formats to the source-file format. It can be used manually after a LibreOffice
+version update to create new reference registries for `Executable_unoidl-check`.
+
+`Executable_unoidl-check` is a helper tool to check that one registry is
+backwards-compatible with another registry. It is used at build-time to detect
+inadvertent breakage of the udkapi and offapi APIs.
+
+## Specification of the New UNOIDL types.rdb Format
+
+The format uses byte-oriented, platform-independent, binary files. Larger
+quantities are stored LSB first, without alignment requirements. Offsets are
+32 bit, effectively limiting the overall file size to 4GB, but that is not
+considered a limitation in practice (and avoids unnecessary bloat compared to
+64 bit offsets).
+
+Annotations can be added for (non-module) entities and certain parts of such
+entities (e.g., both for an interface type definition and for a direct method of
+an interface type definition; the idea is that it can be added for direct parts
+that forma a "many-to-one" relationship; there is a tradeoff between generality
+of concept and size of representation, esp. for the C++ representation types in
+namespace `unoidl`) and consist of arbitrary sequences of name/value strings.
+Each name/value string is encoded as a single UTF-8 string containing a name (an
+arbitrary sequence of Unicode code points not containing `U+003D EQUALS SIGN`),
+optionally followed by `U+003D EQUALS SIGN` and a value (an arbitrary sequence of
+Unicode code points). The only annotation name currently in use is "deprecated"
+(without a value).
+
+The following definitions are used throughout:
+
+* `UInt16`: 2-byte value, LSB first
+* `UInt32`: 4-byte value, LSB first
+* `UInt64`: 8-byte value, LSB first
+* Offset: `UInt32` value, counting bytes from start of file
+* `NUL`-Name: zero or more non-`NUL` US-ASCII bytes followed by a `NUL` byte
+* Len-String: UInt32 number of characters, with `0x80000000` bit 0, followed by
+ that many US-ASCII (for `UNOIDL` related names) resp. UTF-8 (for annotations)
+ bytes
+* Idx-String: either an Offset (with `0x80000000` bit 1) of a Len-String, or a
+ Len-String
+* Annotations: `UInt32` number `N` of annotations followed by `N * Idx-String`
+* Entry: Offset of `NUL`-Name followed by Offset of payload
+* Map: zero or more Entries
+
+The file starts with an 8 byte header, followed by information about the root
+map (`unoidl-write` generates files in a single depth-first pass, so the root map
+itself is at the end of the file):
+
+* 7 byte magic header `UNOIDL\xFF`
+* version byte 0
+* Offset of root Map
+* `UInt32` number of entries of root Map
+...
+
+Files generated by unoidl-write follow that by a
+
+ "\0** Created by LibreOffice " LIBO_VERSION_DOTTED " unoidl-write **\0"
+
+banner (cf. `config_host/config_version.h.in`), as a debugging aid. (Old versions
+used `reg2unoidl` instead of `unoidl-write` in that banner.)
+
+Layout of per-entry payload in the root or a module Map:
+
+* kind byte:
+
+ * 0: module
+ * followed by:
+ * `UInt32` number `N1` of entries of Map
+ * `N1 * Entry`
+
+ * otherwise:
+ * `0x80` bit: 1 if published
+ * `0x40` bit: 1 if annotated
+ * `0x20` bit: flag (may only be 1 for certain kinds, see below)
+ * remaining bits:
+
+ * 1: enum type
+ * followed by:
+ * `UInt32` number N1 of members
+ * `N1 * tuple` of:
+ * `Idx-String`
+ * `UInt32`
+ * if annotated: Annotations
+
+ * 2: plain struct type (with base if flag is 1)
+ * followed by:
+ * if "with base": `Idx-String`
+ * `UInt32` number `N1` of direct members
+ * `N1 * tuple` of:
+ * `Idx-String` name
+ * `Idx-String` type
+ * if annotated: Annotations
+
+ * 3: polymorphic struct type template
+ * followed by:
+ * `UInt32` number `N1` of type parameters
+ * `N1 * Idx-String`
+ * `UInt32` number `N2` of members
+ * `N2 * tuple` of:
+ * kind byte: `0x01` bit is 1 if parameterized type
+ * `Idx-String` name
+ * `Idx-String` type
+ * if annotated: Annotations
+
+ * 4: exception type (with base if flag is 1)
+ * followed by:
+ * if "with base": `Idx-String`
+ * `UInt32` number `N1` of direct members
+ * `N1 * tuple` of:
+ * `Idx-String` name
+ * `Idx-String` type
+ * if annotated: Annotations
+
+ * 5: interface type
+ * followed by:
+ * `UInt32` number `N1` of direct mandatory bases
+ * `N1 * tuple` of:
+ * `Idx-String`
+ * if annotated: Annotations
+ * `UInt32` number `N2` of direct optional bases
+ * `N2 * tuple` of:
+ * `Idx-String`
+ * if annotated: Annotations
+ * `UInt32` number `N3` of direct attributes
+ * `N3 * tuple` of:
+ * kind byte:
+ * `0x02` bit: 1 if read-only
+ * `0x01` bit: 1 if bound
+ * `Idx-String` name
+ * `Idx-String` type
+ * `UInt32` number `N4` of get exceptions
+ * `N4 * Idx-String`
+ * `UInt32` number `N5` of set exceptions
+ * `N5 * Idx-String`
+ * if annotated: Annotations
+ * `UInt32` number `N6` of direct methods
+ * `N6 * tuple` of:
+ * `Idx-String` name
+ * `Idx-String` return type
+ * `UInt32` number `N7` of parameters
+ * `N7 * tuple` of:
+ * direction byte: 0 for in, 1 for out, 2 for in-out
+ * `Idx-String` name
+ * `Idx-String` type
+ * `UInt32` number `N8` of exceptions
+ * N8 * Idx-String
+ * if annotated: Annotations
+
+ * 6: typedef
+ * followed by:
+ * `Idx-String`
+
+ * 7: constant group
+ * followed by:
+ * `UInt32` number `N1` of entries of Map
+ * `N1 * Entry`
+
+ * 8: single-interface--based service (with default constructor if flag is 1)
+ * followed by:
+ * `Idx-String`
+ * if not "with default constructor":
+ * `UInt32` number `N1` of constructors
+ * `N1 * tuple` of:
+ * `Idx-String`
+ * `UInt32` number `N2` of parameters
+ * `N2 * tuple` of
+ * kind byte: `0x04` bit is 1 if rest parameter
+ * `Idx-String` name
+ * `Idx-String` type
+ * `UInt32` number `N3` of exceptions
+ * `N3 * Idx-String`
+ * if annotated: Annotations
+
+ * 9: accumulation-based service
+ * followed by:
+ * `UInt32` number `N1` of direct mandatory base services
+ * `N1 * tuple` of:
+ * `Idx-String`
+ * if annotated: Annotations
+ * `UInt32` number `N2` of direct optional base services
+ * `N2 * tuple` of:
+ * `Idx-String`
+ * if annotated: Annotations
+ * `UInt32` number `N3` of direct mandatory base interfaces
+ * `N3 * tuple` of:
+ * `Idx-String`
+ * if annotated: Annotations
+ * `UInt32` number `N4` of direct optional base interfaces
+ * `N4 * tuple` of:
+ * `Idx-String`
+ * if annotated: Annotations
+ * `UInt32` number `N5` of direct properties
+ * `N5 * tuple` of:
+ * `UInt16` kind:
+ * `0x0100` bit: 1 if optional
+ * `0x0080` bit: 1 if removable
+ * `0x0040` bit: 1 if maybedefault
+ * `0x0020` bit: 1 if maybeambiguous
+ * `0x0010` bit: 1 if readonly
+ * `0x0008` bit: 1 if transient
+ * `0x0004` bit: 1 if constrained
+ * `0x0002` bit: 1 if bound
+ * `0x0001` bit: 1 if maybevoid
+ * `Idx-String` name
+ * `Idx-String` type
+ * if annotated: Annotations
+
+ * 10: interface-based singleton
+ * followed by:
+ * `Idx-String`
+
+ * 11: service-based singleton
+ * followed by:
+ * `Idx-String`
+
+ * if annotated, followed by: Annotations
+
+Layout of per-entry payload in a constant group Map:
+
+* kind byte:
+ * `0x80` bit: 1 if annotated
+ * remaining bits:
+
+ * 0: `BOOLEAN`
+ * followed by value byte, 0 represents false, 1 represents true
+
+ * 1: `BYTE`
+ * followed by value byte, representing values with two's complement
+
+ * 2: `SHORT`
+ * followed by `UInt16` value, representing values with two's complement
+
+ * 3: `UNSIGNED SHORT`
+ * followed by `UInt16` value
+
+ * 4: `LONG`
+ * followed by `UInt32` value, representing values with two's complement
+
+ * 5: `UNSIGNED LONG`
+ * followed by `UInt32` value
+
+ * 6: `HYPER`
+ * followed by `UInt64` value, representing values with two's complement
+
+ * 7: `UNSIGNED HYPER`
+ * followed by `UInt64` value
+
+ * 8: `FLOAT`
+ * followed by 4-byte value, representing values in ISO 60599 binary32 format,
+ LSB first
+
+ * 9: `DOUBLE`
+ * followed by 8-byte value, representing values in ISO 60599 binary64 format,
+ LSB first
+
+* if annotated, followed by: Annotations