The Veil API

The Veil API

This section describes the Veil API. It consists of the following sections

• Veil API Overview
• Variables
• Basic Types: Integers and Ranges
• Bitmaps and Bitmap Refs
• Bitmap Arrays
• Bitmap Hashes
• Integer Arrays
• Veil Serialisation Functions
• Veil Control Functions

Note that all veil objects are placed in the veil schema.

Veil API Overview

Veil is an API that simply provides a set of state variable types, and operations on those variable types, which are optimised for privilege examination and manipulation.

The fundamental data type is the bitmap. Bitmaps are used to efficiently record and test sets of privileges. Bitmaps may be combined into bitmap arrays, which are contiguous groups of bitmaps indexed by integer, and bitmap hashes which are non-contiguous and may be indexed by text strings.

In addition to the bitmap-based types, there are a small number of support types that just help things along. If you think you have a case for defining a new type, please contact the author.

Next: Variables