Using the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC): Modern GNU Objective-C runtime API

Using the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC): Modern GNU Objective-C runtime API

8.1.1 Modern GNU Objective-C Runtime API

The GNU Objective-C runtime provides an API which is similar to the one provided by the “Objective-C 2.0” Apple/NeXT Objective-C runtime. The API is documented in the public header files of the GNU Objective-C runtime:

objc/objc.h: this is the basic Objective-C header file, defining the basic Objective-C types such as id, Class and BOOL. You have to include this header to do almost anything with Objective-C.
objc/runtime.h: this header declares most of the public runtime API functions allowing you to inspect and manipulate the Objective-C runtime data structures. These functions are fairly standardized across Objective-C runtimes and are almost identical to the Apple/NeXT Objective-C runtime ones. It does not declare functions in some specialized areas (constructing and forwarding message invocations, threading) which are in the other headers below. You have to include objc/objc.h and objc/runtime.h to use any of the functions, such as class_getName(), declared in objc/runtime.h.
objc/message.h: this header declares public functions used to construct, deconstruct and forward message invocations. Because messaging is done in quite a different way on different runtimes, functions in this header are specific to the GNU Objective-C runtime implementation.
objc/objc-exception.h: this header declares some public functions related to Objective-C exceptions. For example functions in this header allow you to throw an Objective-C exception from plain C/C++ code.
objc/objc-sync.h: this header declares some public functions related to the Objective-C @synchronized() syntax, allowing you to emulate an Objective-C @synchronized() block in plain C/C++ code.
objc/thr.h: this header declares a public runtime API threading layer that is only provided by the GNU Objective-C runtime. It declares functions such as objc_mutex_lock(), which provide a platform-independent set of threading functions.

The header files contain detailed documentation for each function in the GNU Objective-C runtime API.