gmoduleopen

Gmoduleopen refers to GLib’s dynamic module loading facilities, specifically the function g_module_open, which opens a dynamic library at runtime. It provides a cross-platform wrapper around the platform’s loader (such as dlopen on Unix-like systems and LoadLibrary on Windows), enabling plugins or extensions to be loaded without linking at build time.

The function prototype is GModule* g_module_open(const gchar *file, GModuleFlags flags). It returns a handle to the opened module on success, or NULL on failure. In case of failure, the error message can be obtained with g_module_error(), which returns a string describing the last error that occurred during module loading.

The file parameter can be a path to a shared object or library that the platform loader can locate. The flags parameter controls how symbol binding and visibility are performed; typical usage uses G_MODULE_BIND to request immediate resolution of symbols, while other flags adjust binding behavior and scope depending on the platform.

Once opened, symbols within the module can be looked up with g_module_symbol(GModule*, const gchar *symbol_name, gpointer *symbol). The retrieved symbol can be cast to a function pointer or data pointer and used accordingly. g_module_close(GModule*) releases the resources associated with the loaded module; after closing, the module’s pointers become invalid.

GModule is part of GLib and is intended to be a portable wrapper for dynamic modules, enabling plugin architectures in GNOME applications and other software that uses GLib. It is commonly used for plugins, optional features, or extensions loaded at runtime, providing a mechanism for extending functionality without recompilation.