platform_build_soong/docs/map_files.md

Native API Map Files

Native APIs such as those exposed by the NDK, LL-NDK, or APEX are described by map.txt files. These files are linker version scripts with comments that are semantically meaningful to gen_stub_libs.py. For an example of a map file, see libc.map.txt.

Basic format

A linker version script defines at least one alphanumeric "version" definition, each of which contain a list of symbols. For example:

MY_API_R { # introduced=R
  global:
    api_foo;
    api_bar;
  local:
    *;
};

MY_API_S { # introduced=S
  global:
    api_baz;
} MY_API_R;

Comments on the same line as either a version definition or a symbol name have meaning. If you need to add any comments that should not be interpreted by the stub generator, keep them on their own line. For a list of supported comments, see the "Tags" section.

Here, api_foo and api_bar are exposed in the generated stubs with the MY_API_R version and api_baz is exposed with the MY_API_S version. No other symbols are defined as public by this API. MY_API_S inherits all symbols defined by MY_API_R.

When generating NDK API stubs from this version script, the stub library for R will define api_foo and api_bar. The stub library for S will define all three APIs.

Note that, with few exceptions (see "Special version names" below), the name of the version has no inherent meaning.

These map files can (and should) also be used as version scripts for building the implementation library rather than just defining the stub interface by using the version_script property of cc_library. This has the effect of limiting symbol visibility of the library to expose only the interface named by the map file. Without this, APIs that you have not explicitly exposed will still be available to users via dlsym. Note: All comments are ignored in this case. Any symbol named in any global: group will be visible in the implementation library. Annotations in comments only affect what is exposed by the stubs.

Special version names

Version names that end with _PRIVATE or _PLATFORM will not be exposed in any stubs, but will be exposed in the implementation library. Using either of these naming schemes is equivalent to marking the version with the platform-only tag. See the docs for platform-only for more information.

Tags

Comments on the same line as a version definition or a symbol name are interpreted by the stub generator. Multiple space-delimited tags may be used on the same line. The supported tags are:

apex

Indicates that the version or symbol is to be exposed by an APEX rather than the NDK. For APIs exposed by the platform for APEX, use systemapi.

May be used in combination with llndk if the symbol is exposed to both APEX and the LL-NDK.

future

Indicates that the version or symbol is first introduced in the "future" API level. This is an arbitrarily high API level used to define APIs that have not yet been added to a specific release.

Warning: APIs marked future will be usable in any module with sdk: "current" but will not be included in the NDK. future should generally not be used, but is useful when developing APIs for an unknown future release.

introduced

Indicates the version in which an API was first introduced. For example, introduced=21 specifies that the API was first added (or first made public) in API level 21. This tag can be applied to either a version definition or an individual symbol. If applied to a version, all symbols contained in the version will have the tag applied. An introduced tag on a symbol overrides the value set for the version, if both are defined.

Note: The map file alone does not contain all the information needed to determine which API level an API was added in. The first_version property of ndk_library will dictate which API levels stubs are generated for. If the module sets first_version: "21", no symbols were introduced before API 21. Symbol names for which no other rule applies will implicitly be introduced in first_version.

Code names can (and typically should) be used when defining new APIs. This allows the actual number of the API level to remain vague during development of that release. For example, introduced=S can be used to define APIs added in S. Any code name known to the build system can be used. For a list of versions known to the build system, see out/soong/api_levels.json (if not present, run m out/soong/api_levels.json to generate it).

Architecture-specific variants of this tag exist:

• introduced-arm=VERSION
• introduced-arm64=VERSION
• introduced-x86=VERSION
• introduced-x86_64=VERSION

The architecture-specific tag will take precedence over the architecture-generic tag when generating stubs for that architecture if both are present. If the symbol is defined with only architecture-specific tags, it will not be present for architectures that are not named.

Note: The architecture-specific tags should, in general, not be used. These are primarily needed for APIs that were wrongly inconsistently exposed by libc/libm in old versions of Android before the stubs were well maintained. Think hard before using an architecture-specific tag for a new API.

llndk

Indicates that the version or symbol is to be exposed in the LL-NDK stubs rather than the NDK. May be used in combination with apex if the symbol is exposed to both APEX and the LL-NDK.

Historically this annotation was spelled vndk, but it has always meant LL-NDK.

When an llndk API is deprecated, the llndk tag is dropped and llndk-deprecate=<V> is added.

platform-only

Indicates that the version or symbol is public in the implementation library but should not be exposed in the stub library. Developers can still access them via dlsym, but they will not be exposed in the stubs so it should at least be clear to the developer that they are up to no good.

The typical use for this tag is for exposing an API to the platform that is not for use by the NDK, LL-NDK, or APEX (similar to Java's @SystemAPI). It is preferable to keep such APIs in an entirely separate library to protect them from access via dlsym, but this is not always possible.

systemapi

Indicates that the symbol is exposed by the platform for an apex. Whereas apex should be used for APIs exposed by an APEX to the platform or another APEX.

May be used in combination with llndk if the symbol is exposed to both APEX and the LL-NDK.

Since a single library can be installed ether in platform or an apex, but not both, a single map.txt file should not contain both # apex and # systemapi symbols.

The granularity between # apex and # systemapi exists to help the API review process (b/191371676). These two symbols have very similar lifetime "in practice". A #systemapi symbol can be dropped from the next release if we are confident that no one is using it. Similarily, #apex can be dropped if we are sure that the old platform which used the symbol has reached EOL and thus is no longer accepting new APEX updates. Unlike the APIs for apps where we have zero control over how APIs are used, we are in a much more controllable environment when talking about #systemapi and #apex symbols. So, we have some flexibility here when determining the lifetime of a symbol.

var

Used to define a public global variable. By default all symbols are exposed as functions. In the uncommon situation of exposing a global variable, the var tag may be used.

versioned=VERSION

Behaves similarly to introduced but defines the first version that the stub library should apply symbol versioning. For example:

R { # introduced=R
  global:
    foo;
    bar; # versioned=S
  local:
    *;
};

The stub library for R will contain symbols for both foo and bar, but only foo will include a versioned symbol foo@R. The stub library for S will contain both symbols, as well as the versioned symbols foo@R and bar@R.

This tag is not commonly needed and is only used to hide symbol versioning mistakes that shipped as part of the platform.

Note: Like introduced, the map file does not tell the whole story. The ndk_library Soong module may define a unversioned_until property that sets the default for the entire map file.

weak

Indicates that the symbol should be weak in the stub library.