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-HOWTO WRITE a PLUGIN for AFB-DAEMON
-===================================
-    version: 1
-    Date:    25 May 2016
-    Author:  José Bollo
-
-TABLE-OF-CONTENT-HERE
-
-Summary
--------
-
-The binder afb-daemon serves files through
-the HTTP protocol and offers access to API's through
-HTTP or WebSocket protocol.
-
-The plugins are used to add API's to afb-daemon.
-This part describes how to write a plugin for afb-daemon.
-Excepting this summary, this part is intended to be read
-by developpers.
-
-Before going into details, through a tiny example,
-a short overview plugins basis is needed.
-
-### Nature of a plugin
-
-A plugin is a separate piece of code made of a shared library.
-The plugin is loaded and activated by afb-daemon when afb-daemon
-starts.
-
-Technically, a plugin is not linked to any library of afb-daemon.
- 
-### Live cycle of a plugin within afb-daemon
-
-The plugins are loaded and activated when afb-daemon starts.
-
-At start, the plugin initialise itself.
-If it fails to initialise then afb-daemon stops.
-
-Conversely, if it success to initialize, it must declare
-a name, that must be unique, and a list of API's verbs.
-
-When initialized, the functions implementing the API's verbs
-of the plugin are activated on call.
-
-At the end, nothing special is done by afb-daemon.
-Consequently, developpers of plugins should use 'atexit'
-or 'on_exit' during initialisation if they need to
-perform specific actions when stopping.
-
-### Content of a plugin
-
-For afb-daemon, a plugin contains 2 different
-things: names and functions.
-
-There is two kind of names:
- - the name of the plugin,
- - the names of the verbs.
-
-There is two kind of functions:
- - the initialisation function
- - functions implementing verbs
-
-Afb-daemon translates the name of the method that is
-invoked to a pair of API and verb names. For example,
-the method named **foo/bar** translated to the API
-name **foo** and the verb name **bar**.
-To serve it, afb-daemon search the plugin that record
-the name **foo** and if it also recorded the verb **bar**,
-it calls the implementation function declared for this verb.
-
-Afb-daemon make no distinction between lower case
-and upper case when searching for a method.
-Thus, The names **TicTacToe/Board** and **tictactoe/borad**
-are equals.
-
-#### The name of the plugin
-
-The name of the plugin is also known as the name
-of the API that defines the plugin.
-
-This name is also known as the prefix.
-
-The name of a plugin MUST be unique within afb-daemon.
-
-For example, when a client of afb-daemon
-calls a method named **foo/bar**. Afb-daemon
-extracts the prefix **foo** and the suffix **bar**.
-**foo** is the API name and must match a plugin name,
-the plugin that implements the verb **bar**.
-
-#### Names of verbs
-
-Each plugin exposes a set of verbs that can be called
-by client of afb-daemon.
-
-The name of a verb MUST be unique within a plugin.
-
-Plugins link verbs to functions that are called
-when clients emit requests for that verb.
-
-For example, when a client of afb-daemon
-calls a method named **foo/bar**.
-
-#### The initialisation function
-
-The initialisation function serves several purposes.
-
-1. It allows afb-daemon to check the version
-of the plugin using the name of the initialisation
-functions that it found. Currently, the initialisation
-function is named **pluginAfbV1Register**. It identifies
-the first version of plugins.
-
-2. It allows the plugin to initialise itself.
-
-3. It serves to the plugin to declare names, descriptions,
-requirements and implmentations of the verbs that it exposes.
-
-#### Functions implementing verbs
-
-When a method is called, afb-daemon constructs a request
-object and pass it to the implementation function for verb
-within the plugin of the API.
-
-An implementation function receives a request object that
-is used to get arguments of the request, to send
-answer, to store session data.
-
-A plugin MUST send an answer to the request.
-
-But it is not mandatory to send the answer
-before to return from the implementing function.
-This behaviour is important for implementing
-asynchronous actions.
-
-Implementation functions that always reply to the request
-before returning are named *synchronous implementations*.
-Those that don't always reply to the request before
-returning are named *asynchronous implementations*.
-
-Asynchronous implementations typically initiate an
-asynchronous action and record to send the reply
-on completion of this action.
-
-The Tic-Tac-Toe example
------------------------
-
-This part explains how to write an afb-plugin.
-For the sake of being practical we will use many
-examples from the tic-tac-toe example.
-This plugin example is in *plugins/samples/tic-tac-toe.c*.
-
-This plugin is named ***tictactoe***.
-
-Choosing names
---------------
-
-The designer of a plugin must defines names for its plugin
-(or its API) and for the verbs of its API. He also
-must defines names for arguments given by name.
-
-While forging names, the designer should take into account
-the rules for making valid names and some rules that make
-the names easy to use across plaforms.
-
-The names and strings used ALL are UTF-8 encoded.
-
-### Names for API (plugin)
-
-The names of the API are checked.
-All characters are authorised except:
-
-- the control characters (\u0000 .. \u001f)
-- the characters of the set { ' ', '"', '#', '%', '&',
-  '\'', '/', '?', '`', '\x7f' }
-
-In other words the set of forbidden characters is
-{ \u0000..\u0020, \u0022, \u0023, \u0025..\u0027,
-  \u002f, \u003f, \u0060, \u007f }.
-
-Afb-daemon make no distinction between lower case
-and upper case when searching for an API by its name.
-
-### Names for verbs
-
-The names of the verbs are not checked.
-
-However, the validity rules for verb's names are the
-same as for API's names except that the dot (.) character
-is forbidden.
-
-Afb-daemon make no distinction between lower case
-and upper case when searching for an API by its name.
-
-### Names for arguments
-
-The names for arguments are not restricted and can be
-anything.
-
-The arguments are searched with the case sensitive
-string comparison. Thus the names "index" and "Index"
-are not the same.
-
-### Forging names widely available
-
-The key names of javascript object can be almost
-anything using the arrayed notation:
-
-	object[key] = value
-
-That is not the case with the dot notation:
-
-	object.key = value
-
-Using the dot notation, the key must be a valid javascript
-identifier.
-
-For this reason, the chosen names should better be
-valid javascript identifier.
-
-It is also a good practice, even for arguments, to not
-rely on the case sensitivity and to avoid the use of
-names different only by the case.
-
-Options to set when compiling plugins
--------------------------------------
-
-Afb-daemon provides a configuration file for *pkg-config*.
-Typing the command
-
-	pkg-config --cflags afb-daemon
-
-will print the flags to use for compiling, like this:
-
-	$ pkg-config --cflags afb-daemon
-	-I/opt/local/include -I/usr/include/json-c 
-
-For linking, you should use
-
-	$ pkg-config --libs afb-daemon
-	-ljson-c
-
-As you see, afb-daemon automatically includes dependency to json-c.
-This is done through the **Requires** keyword of pkg-config.
-
-If this behaviour is a problem, let us know.
-
-Header files to include
------------------------
-
-The plugin *tictactoe* has the following lines for its includes:
-
-	#define _GNU_SOURCE
-	#include <stdio.h>
-	#include <string.h>
-	#include <json-c/json.h>
-	#include <afb/afb-plugin.h>
-
-The header *afb/afb-plugin.h* includes all the features that a plugin
-needs except two foreign header that must be included by the plugin
-if it needs it:
-
-- *json-c/json.h*: this header must be include to handle json objects;
-- *systemd/sd-event.h*: this must be include to access the main loop;
-- *systemd/sd-bus.h*: this may be include to use dbus connections.
-
-The *tictactoe* plugin does not use systemd features so it is not included.
-
-When including *afb/afb-plugin.h*, the macro **_GNU_SOURCE** must be
-defined.
-
-Writing a synchronous verb implementation
------------------------------------------
-
-The verb **tictactoe/board** is a synchronous implementation.
-Here is its listing:
-
-	/*
-	 * get the board
-	 */
-	static void board(struct afb_req req)
-	{
-		struct board *board;
-		struct json_object *description;
-
-		/* retrieves the context for the session */
-		board = board_of_req(req);
-		INFO(afbitf, "method 'board' called for boardid %d", board->id);
-
-		/* describe the board */
-		description = describe(board);
-
-		/* send the board's description */
-		afb_req_success(req, description, NULL);
-	}
-
-This examples show many aspects of writing a synchronous
-verb implementation. Let summarize it:
-
-1. The function **board_of_req** retrieves the context stored
-for the plugin: the board.
-
-2. The macro **INFO** sends a message of kind *INFO*
-to the logging system. The global variable named **afbitf**
-used represents the interface to afb-daemon.
-
-3. The function **describe** creates a json_object representing
-the board.
-
-4. The function **afb_req_success** sends the reply, attaching to
-it the object *description*.
-
-### The incoming request
-
-For any implementation,  the request is received by a structure of type
-**struct afb_req**.
-
-***Important: note that this is a PLAIN structure, not a pointer to a structure.***
-
-This structure, here named *req*, is used
-
-*req* is used to get arguments of the request, to send
-answer, to store session data.
-
-This object and its interface is defined and documented
-in the file names *afb/afb-req-itf.h*
-
-The above example uses 2 times the request object *req*.
-
-The first time, it is used for retrieving the board attached to
-the session of the request.
-
-The second time, it is used to send the reply: an object that
-describes the current board.
-
-### Associating an object to the session for the plugin
-
-When the plugin *tic-tac-toe* receives a request, it musts regain
-the board that describes the game associated to the session.
-
-For a plugin, having data associated to a session is a common case.
-This data is called the context of the plugin for the session.
-For the plugin *tic-tac-toe*, the context is the board.
-
-The requests *afb_req* offer four functions for
-storing and retrieving the context associated to the session.
-
-These functions are:
-
-- **afb_req_context_get**:
-  retrieves the context data stored for the plugin.
-
-- **afb_req_context_set**:
-  store the context data of the plugin.
-
-- **afb_req_context**:
-  retrieves the context data of the plugin,
-  if needed, creates the context and store it.
-
-- **afb_req_context_clear**:
-  reset the stored data.
-
-The plugin *tictactoe* use a convenient function to retrieve
-its context: the board. This function is *board_of_req*:
-
-	/*
-	 * retrieves the board of the request
-	 */
-	static inline struct board *board_of_req(struct afb_req req)
-	{
-		return afb_req_context(req, (void*)get_new_board, (void*)release_board);
-	}
-
-The function **afb_req_context** ensure an existing context
-for the session of the request.
-Its two last arguments are functions. Here, the casts are required
-to avoid a warning when compiling.
-
-Here is the definition of the function **afb_req_context**
-
-	/*
-	 * Gets the pointer stored by the plugin for the session of 'req'.
-	 * If the stored pointer is NULL, indicating that no pointer was
-	 * already stored, afb_req_context creates a new context by calling
-	 * the function 'create_context' and stores it with the freeing function
-	 * 'free_context'.
-	 */
-	static inline void *afb_req_context(struct afb_req req, void *(*create_context)(), void (*free_context)(void*))
-	{
-		void *result = afb_req_context_get(req);
-		if (result == NULL) {
-			result = create_context();
-			afb_req_context_set(req, result, free_context);
-		}
-		return result;
-	}
-
-The second argument if the function that creates the context.
-For the plugin *tic-tac-toe* it is the function **get_new_board**.
-The function **get_new_board** creates a new board and set its
-count of use to 1. The boards are counting their count of use
-to free there ressources when no more used.
-
-The third argument if the function that frees the context.
-For the plugin *tic-tac-toe* it is the function **release_board**.
-The function **release_board** decrease the the count of use of
-the board given as argument. If the use count decrease to zero,
-the board data are freed.
-
-### Sending the reply to a request
-
-Sending a reply to a request must be done at most one time.
-
-Two kinds of replies can be made: successful replies and
-failure replies.
-
-The functions to send replies are defined as below:
-
-	/*
-	 * Sends a reply of kind success to the request 'req'.
-	 * The status of the reply is automatically set to "success".
-	 * Its send the object 'obj' (can be NULL) with an
-	 * informationnal comment 'info (can also be NULL).
-	 */
-	static inline void afb_req_success(struct afb_req req, struct json_object *obj, const char *info)
-	{
-		req.itf->success(req.closure, obj, info);
-	}
-
-	/*
-	 * Same as 'afb_req_success' but the 'info' is a formatting
-	 * string followed by arguments.
-	 */
-	static inline void afb_req_success_f(struct afb_req req, struct json_object *obj, const char *info, ...)
-	{
-		char *message;
-		va_list args;
-		va_start(args, info);
-		if (info == NULL || vasprintf(&message, info, args) < 0)
-			message = NULL;
-		va_end(args);
-		afb_req_success(req, obj, message);
-		free(message);
-	}
-
-	/*
-	 * Sends a reply of kind failure to the request 'req'.
-	 * The status of the reply is set to 'status' and an
-	 * informationnal comment 'info' (can also be NULL) can be added.
-	 *
-	 * Note that calling afb_req_fail("success", info) is equivalent
-	 * to call afb_req_success(NULL, info). Thus even if possible it
-	 * is strongly recommanded to NEVER use "success" for status.
-	 */
-	static inline void afb_req_fail(struct afb_req req, const char *status, const char *info)
-	{
-		req.itf->fail(req.closure, status, info);
-	}
-
-	/*
-	 * Same as 'afb_req_fail' but the 'info' is a formatting
-	 * string followed by arguments.
-	 */
-	static inline void afb_req_fail_f(struct afb_req req, const char *status, const char *info, ...)
-	{
-		char *message;
-		va_list args;
-		va_start(args, info);
-		if (info == NULL || vasprintf(&message, info, args) < 0)
-			message = NULL;
-		va_end(args);
-		afb_req_fail(req, status, message);
-		free(message);
-	}
-
-
-
-Getting argument of invocation
-------------------------------
-
-Sending messages to the log system
-----------------------------------
-
-How to build a plugin
----------------------
-
-Afb-daemon provides a *pkg-config* configuration file.
-
-