Mocha

Objective-C / JavaScript Bridge and Scripting Environment

Mocha is a runtime that bridges JavaScript to Objective-C. It is built on top of JavaScriptCore, the component of WebKit responsible for parsing and evaluating JavaScript code, and BridgeSupport, which enables libraries to expose the definition of their C structures and functions for use at run-time (as opposed to compile-time).

Usage

Instances of the Mocha class are representations of a runtime. A runtime can be used either through shared instance (returned from +sharedRuntime) or by creating an instance by calling -init.

Values and Boxed Objects

When arguments are passed between the Objective-C and JavaScript sides of the bridge they may be implicitly converted to an appropriate type counterpart or boxed within an opaque proxy object. The following type conventions are in effect when moving between each side of the bridge:

Objective-C to JavaScript

nil is converted to null
MOUndefined is converted to undefined
char* is converted to String
Objective-C methods are converted to MOMethod, and are callable
Blocks are boxed within an opaque Object type, and are callable
C functions are boxed within an opaque Object type, and are callable
C structs are boxed within an opaque Object type, allowing direct access to members in a dictionary-like manner.
C numeric primitives (int, long, short, char, float, double, etc.) are converted to Number
bool and _Bool are converted to Boolean
Pointers are boxed within an opaque Object type
All other Objective-C objects are boxed within an opaque Object type. This type can be converted to String or Number from within JavaScript. NSString instances will convert to String appropriately. NSNumber instances will convert to Number appropriately. All other conversions will use the -description method of the NSObject subclass.

Note: BOOL, unlike bool, is converted to Number, as BOOL is typedef'd as an unsigned char in Objective-C.

JavaScript to Objective-C

null is converted to nil (when bare) or NSNull (when placed in a container)
undefined is converted to MOUndefined
String is converted to NSString or char*, depending on context
Number is converted to NSNumber or a C numeric primitive, depending on context
Boolean is converted to NSNumber, bool, or _Bool, depending on context
Array is converted to NSArray
JavaScript functions are boxed within an opaque class
All boxed types are unboxed
All other pure Object types are converted to NSDictionary

Callables

Functions, Methods, and Blocks… Oh My!

All three of these constructs are automatically converted across the bridge. The specifics of how each of them are boxed is different, but the end result is the same: All three are available to be called from within the runtime as if they were a normal JavaScript function.

Example:

// ObjC
typedef NSString * (^UppercaseBlock)(NSString *);
UppercaseBlock toUppercaseBlock = [myObject toUppercaseBlock];
toUppercaseBlock(@"Hello, World!");
>>> "HELLO, WORLD!"

// JavaScript
var toUppercaseBlock = myObject.toUppercaseBlock();
toUppercaseBlock("Hello, World!");
>>> "HELLO, WORLD!"

Arguments

Arguments to boxed callables are automatically converted when crossing the bridge. Care is taken to automatically allocate storage space for return values and maintain type consistency between the C, Objective-C, and JavaScript layers.

Callables that return other callables (e.g. a block that returns another block) or take callables as arguments also work as expected.

Variable-argument functions work as expected. Objective-C methods that require a terminating sentinel (through the NS_REQUIRES_NIL_TERMINATION compiler attribute) do not require a trailing null.

Example:

// ObjC
NSArray *array = [NSArray arrayWithObjects:first, second, third, nil];

// JavaScript
var array = NSArray.arrayWithObjects_(first, second, third);

Since JavaScript is a dynamic, weak, duck typed language, type safety is key. Mocha will throw an exception if a callable receives more or fewer arguments than is expected, but the actual type of those arguments is mostly left up to the user. The runtime will attempt to convert the JavaScript arguments to the appropriate type as best it can.

This is an important note: While normal JavaScript functions can have optional arguments, callables provided from the bridge must receive the exact number of arguments that are expected. (Except in the case of variadic functions, in which case the minimum number of arguments needed for calling are required.)

Objective-C Selectors

Objective-C methods are exposed as properties of the object's opaque JavaScript proxy. When a method is invoked, it is automatically converted to the appropriate selector on the Objective-C side of the bridge, and all arguments are converted to the appropriate types.

Method name conversion follow a similar pattern to PyObjC. The following steps are taken when converting a selector name to the JavaScript property name:

All colons are converted to underscores.
Each component of the selector is concatenated into a single string with no separation.

As such, a selector such as executeOperation:withObject:error: is converted to the function name executeOperation_withObject_error_(). The reverse is done to convert the property name back into an Objective-C selector.

If you wish to change this behavior (for example, to shorten an Objective-C method name for ease of use), you can. Use the +selectorForMochaPropertyName: method, defined within a category on NSObject. Objects implementing this method can return the selector for a give JavaScript property name, which will cause the runtime to forward invocations of that property to the appropriate method selector.

Example:

// ObjC
@implementation MyClass
…

+ (SEL)selectorForMochaPropertyName:(NSString *)propertyName; {
    if ([propertyName isEqualToString:@"someMethod") {
        return @selector(someMethodTakingArgument:otherArgument:)
    }
    return [super selectorForMochaPropertyName:propertyName];
}

@end

// JavaScript
myObject.someMethod(argument, otherArgument);

Objective-C Properties

Objective-C properties behave as they should on the JavaScript side of the bridge. Invoking a property will immediately return its value (as opposed to methods, which return a callable object). A property can also be set using the normal setter syntax. For this to work, the property must be declared using the Objective-C @property syntax.

Example:

// JavaScript
myObject.name;
>>> "Foobar"

myObject.name = "Baz";

myObject.name;
>>> "Baz";

Exposing Objective-C methods

By default, all methods and properties of an Objective-C object crossing the bridge are available to be invoked. If you wish to specifically exclude methods from invocation on the JavaScript side of the bridge, use the +isSelectorExcludedFromMochaScript: method. Objects implementing this method can return YES for any selector that should not be invoked from the bridge.

Example:

// ObjC
@implementation MyClass
…

+ (BOOL)isSelectorExcludedFromMochaScript:(SEL)selector {
    if (selector == @selector(someMethod)) {
        return YES;
    }
    return [super isSelectorExcludedFromMochaScript:selector];
}

@end

// JavaScript
var result = myObject.someMethod();
>>> "MOJavaScriptException: ReferenceError: Can't find variable: someMethod"

Frameworks

Frameworks that expose BridgeSupport information (as all public OS X frameworks do) can be imported through the use of the framework built-in function.

Example:

AVAsset.assetWithURL_(url);
>>> "MOJavaScriptException: ReferenceError: Can't find variable: AVAsset"

framework('AVFoundation');

AVAsset.assetWithURL_(url);
>>> "<AVURLAsset: 0x7fe803ce8340>"

On OS X, the following frameworks are imported automatically: Foundation, CoreGraphics.

Globals

Global Objects

Arbitrary Objective-C objects and methods can be exposed as global objects to the runtime without needing to declare BridgeSupport information. The Mocha class is a fully Key-Value Coding compliant container for just this purpose. Calling -valueForKey: and -setValue:forKey: exposes an object to the runtime, assuming it can be boxed as an appropriate JavaScript type (see above).

Example:

// ObjC
Mocha *runtime = [Mocha sharedRuntime];
MyClass *object = [[[MyClass alloc] init];
[runtime setValue:object forKey:@"MyObject"];

// JavaScript
var result = MyObject.someMethod();

Global Functions

To expose arbitrary global functions to the runtime, use the MOMethod class. Instances of the class keep reference to a target object and Objective-C selector, which can be invoked dynamically by the runtime whenever the method is called on the JavaScript side of the bridge. Like all other objects, methods can be exposed using the -valueForKey: and -setValue:forKey: methods of the Mocha class.

Example:

// ObjC
Mocha *runtime = [Mocha sharedRuntime];
MOMethod *method = [MOMethod methodWithTarget:myObject selector:@selector(someMethod)];
[runtime setValue:method forKey:@"someMethod"];

// JavaScript
var result = someMethod();

Pointers

Some C functions and Cocoa methods expect pointers to types. This introduces an issue to bridged languages that do not have the concept of pointers, like JavaScript. The runtime solves this by exposing a mechanism for creating pointers to values explicitly.

Creating a pointer will wrap a value in an opaque container, which will be passed properly to functions and methods which expect a pointer type.

Pointer arguments typically come in one of three flavors:

in, where the value is simply passed by reference
out, where the function or method may modify the value of the pointer on output
inout, a combination of in and out

In Arguments

In arguments are just normal by-reference value arguments. As such, the runtime handles these transparently. If a function or method expects a pointer to an NSRect structure, you can pass it along like so:

Example

// ObjC
@interface MyClass : NSObject
- (CGFloat)getWidthOfRect:(const NSRect *)rect;
@end

// JavaScript
var rect = NSMakeRect(0.0, 0.0, 100.0, 100.0:
var ptr = MOPointer.alloc().initWithValue_(rect);

myObject.getWidthOfRect_(ptr);
>>> 100.0;

Out Arguments

Out arguments are commonly used to return more than one value from a function or method. Cocoa uses this paradigm often to return error objects in the case where an operation fails.

NSScanner also uses this paradigm for its scanning methods. The -scanFloat: method returns a BOOL indicating whether a value was successfully scanned. The argument passed is a pointer to a value that will be modified on the method's return.

Example

// JavaScript
var scanner = NSScanner.alloc().initWithString_("3.14159");
var ptr = MOPointer.alloc().init();

scanner.scanFloat_(ptr);

ptr.value();
>>> 3.14159

Inout arguments

Inout argument don't require anything special. They are just a combination of the two previous types of arguments.

Object Subscripting

Objects that support indexed-access (acting as array-types) or keyed-access (acting as dictionary-types) can support the JavaScript subscripting syntax for accessing values.

Indexed Subscripting

Implementing -objectForIndexedSubscript: allows an object to use the object[idx] syntax for read-only access to values. For read-write access, you should also implement the -setObject:forIndexedSubscript: method. Both of these methods are declared within an informal protocol defined in MochaRuntime.h.

NSArray and NSMutableArray, and NSOrderedSet and NSMutableOrderedSet automatically adopt this syntax (through a swizzled category on 10.7 and before, or through automatically supporting the Objective-C indexed subscripting syntax on 10.8+).

Keyed Subscripting

Implementing -objectForKeyedSubscript: allows an object to use the object['key'] syntax for read-only access to values. For read-write access, you should also implement the -setObject:forKeyedSubscript: method. Both of these methods are declared within an informal protocol defined in MochaRuntime.h.

NSDictionary and NSMutableDictionary automatically adopt this syntax (through a swizzled category on 10.7 and before, or through automatically supporting the Objective-C keyed subscripting syntax on 10.8+).

Introspecting the Objective-C Runtime

Mocha adds several facilities for introspecting the Objective-C runtime. The built-in object objc can be used to query various attributes about the Objective-C runtime. Use the -classes method to get a list of classes registered with the runtime, or -protocols method to get a list of protocols registered with the runtime.

An NSObject category is also added by the Mocha runtime to add additional introspection abilities to class objects. Use the +mocha method on any class object to get an MOClassDescription object, which is used in describing the class's abilities and layout.

MOClassDescription gives access to a class's instance variables, class and instance methods, properties and conformed protocols. Use the +ancestors method to get a list of a class's superclass chain. Use the +classMethods, +instanceMethods, +properties, and +protocols methods to query information about a class's class methods, instance methods, properties, and protocols, respectively. Note that these methods only return methods, properties and protocols defined by the class itself. As a convenience, Mocha also provides the following methods to query for the entire superclass chain: +classMethodsWithAncestors, +instanceMethodsWithAncestors, +propertiesWithAncestors, and +protocolsWithAncestors.

In addition, MOClassDescription has the ability to add methods to existing classes, or even to define and register completly new classes from within the Mocha runtime.

Facilities are also provided for introspecting Objective-C protocols through the MOProtocolDescription class in a similar way to class introspection. Similarly, new protocols can be defined and existing protocols can be amended.

Exceptions

Exceptions in Objective-C code can be automatically caught by JavaScript exception handlers. The value of the err argument within the try {} catch (err) {} block will be a boxed NSException instance.

JavaScript exceptions that are uncaught will be converted to NSException objects with a name of MOJavaScriptException. They can be caught in an Objective-C @try {} @catch (NSException *e) {} block just like any other exception.

Mocha exceptions that do not originate from within the JavaScript environment carry the name MORuntimeException, and generally indicate a more serious failure caused by an issue within the runtime.

mocha: The Mocha Interpreter

mocha is the command-line interpreter for Mocha. It has two modes: script and interactive. Its scripting mode is similar to python and ruby. Its interactive mode is similar to python, irb, and jsc.

Interactive

Interactive mode adds the following set of built-in functions:

exit() – Exits the interpreter
gc() – Instructs the JavaScript garbage collector to perform a collection
checkSyntax(string) – Validates the syntax of string, returning a Boolean

Scripting

You can use mocha the same way you use other scripting envorinments. Add a shebang declaration to the top of a script to enable its use on the command line, like so:

Example

#!/usr/local/bin/mocha

var d = {};
d['foo'] = 'bar';
d['baz'] = 1.0;
d['bin'] = ['foo', 'bar', 'baz'];

print(d);

Using Mocha with OS X

To use Mocha in your OS X project, follow these steps:

Add the Mocha project to your project (by dragging the *.xcodeproj file to your Frameworks group in Xcode).
Open your target's Build Phases, and under the Link Binary With Libraries build phase, click Add and choose Mocha.framework from the workspace.
Build!

Using Mocha with iOS

Mocha works with iOS, too! libMocha is a static library built for iOS targets. To use libMocha in your project, follow these steps:

Add the Mocha project to your project (by dragging the *.xcodeproj file to your Frameworks group in Xcode).
Open your target's Build Phases, and under the Link Binary With Libraries build phase, click Add and choose libMocha from the workspace.
Next, add the following system libraries the same way: libstdc++.dylib, libicucore.dylib.
Open your target's Build Settings and add -ObjC to your Other Linker Flags.
Under your Header Search Paths add ${BUILT_PRODUCTS_DIR}/usr/local/include and "${SRCROOT}/(path to Mocha's source folder)/libMocha (iOS)/JavaScriptCore"
Build!

To Do's

The following items are currently on the docket for future development:

~~iOS Support~~ (Added 5/20/12)
~~Runtime support for creating and modifying Objective-C classes~~ (Added 6/13/12)
Objective-J/JSTalk-style syntax for defining Objective-C classes and categories

Code Usage

Mocha utilizes code and ideas from the following projects:

PyObjC (http://pyobjc.sourceforge.net/, MIT license)
JSCocoa (http://inexdo.com/JSCocoa, MIT license)
JavaScriptCore (http://www.webkit.org/projects/javascript/index.html, WebKit license).
libffi-iphone (https://github.com/parmanoir/libffi-iphone, MIT license)
JavaScriptCore-iOS (http://www.phoboslab.org/log/2011/06/javascriptcore-project-files-for-ios, WebKit license).

Files are marked appropriately when code it utilized in complete or near-complete duplicate from these awesome projects.

License

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at

http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under the License.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 222 Commits
InstallPackage/Scripts		InstallPackage/Scripts
Mocha.xcodeproj		Mocha.xcodeproj
Mocha		Mocha
UnitTests		UnitTests
libMocha (iOS)		libMocha (iOS)
moc		moc
.gitignore		.gitignore
.gitmodules		.gitmodules
README.mdown		README.mdown

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Mocha

Objective-C / JavaScript Bridge and Scripting Environment

Usage

Values and Boxed Objects

Objective-C to JavaScript

JavaScript to Objective-C

Callables

Functions, Methods, and Blocks… Oh My!

Example:

Arguments

Example:

Objective-C Selectors

Example:

Objective-C Properties

Example:

Exposing Objective-C methods

Example:

Frameworks

Example:

Globals

Global Objects

Example:

Global Functions

Example:

Pointers

In Arguments

Example

Out Arguments

Example

Inout arguments

Object Subscripting

Indexed Subscripting

Keyed Subscripting

Introspecting the Objective-C Runtime

Exceptions

mocha: The Mocha Interpreter

Interactive

Scripting

Example

Using Mocha with OS X

Using Mocha with iOS

To Do's

Code Usage

License

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