What is a language binding?

Question

Let's say you create a C library to post stuff to stackoverflow. Now you want to be able to use the same library from Python. In this case, you will write Python bindings for your library.

Also see SWIG: http://www.swig.org

In the context of code libraries, bindings are wrapper libraries that bridge between two programming languages so that a library that was written for one language can also be implicitly used in another language.

For example, libsvn is the API for Subversion and was written in C. If you want to access Subversion from within Java code you can use libsvn-java. libsvn-java depends on libsvn being installed because libsvn-java is a mere bridge between the Java programming language and libsvn, providing an API that merely calls functions of libsvn to do the real work.

Okay, now the question has been clarified, this isn't really relevant so I'm moving it to a new question

Binding generally refers to a mapping of one thing to another - i.e. a datasource to a presentation object. It can typically refer to binding data from a database, or similar source (XML file, web service etc) to a presentation control or element - think list or table in HTML, combo box or data grid in desktop software.

...If that's the kind of binding you're interested in, read on...

You generally have to bind the presentation element to the datasource, not the other way around. This would involve some kind of mapping - i.e. which fields from the datasource do you want to appear in the output.

For more information in a couple of environments see:

• Data binding in .Net using Windows Forms
  • http://www.codeproject.com/KB/database/databindingconcepts.aspx
  • http://www.akadia.com/services/dotnet_databinding.html
• ASP.NET data binding
  • http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307860
  • http://www.15seconds.com/issue/040630.htm
  • http://www.w3schools.com/ASPNET/aspnet_databinding.asp
• Java data binding
  • http://www.xml.com/pub/a/2003/09/03/binding.html
• Python data binding
  • http://www.xml.com/pub/a/2005/07/27/py-xml.html
• General XML data binding
  • http://www.rpbourret.com/xml/XMLDataBinding.htm