OGR C API

[Frank Warmerdam]

Folks,

I have just committed a preliminary pass as a C API for OGR. This is
primarily done to facilitate use of OGR in the GRASS core but is also helpful
for other applications where a C++ API is inconvenient.

Notably:

o I have added partial Python bindings for the OGR API. SWIG is more
convenient to use for C than c++ entry points (at least the way I use it).

o I am re-implementing the OGR support in OpenEV using the C API. This means
OpenEV itself does need to know about C++ compilers.

o Linking one-step removed applications against the C API instead of the C++
API makes applications much less sensitive to minor changes in the C++ API.
Currently seemingly minor changes in the C++ API frequently make it
impossible to drop in new GDAL/OGR shared libraries into existing application
distributions, such as OpenEV or MapServer.

Anyone interesting in using the C API can look at gdal/ogr/ogr_api.h for
the entry points. I have tried to update the C++ online documentation to
refer to the name of the corresponding C function where available.

Best regards,

-- 
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I set the clouds in motion - turn up | Frank Warmerdam, warmerdam at p...
light and sound - activate the windows | http://pobox.com/~warmerdam
and watch the world go round - Rush | Geospatial Programmer for Rent