WebAssembly (Wasm) is a binary instruction format for a stack-based virtual machine. It is designed to be a portable target for the compilation of high-level languages like C, C++, and Rust, enabling deployment on the web for client and server applications. WebAssembly aims to execute at native speed by taking advantage of common hardware capabilities.
To get started with WebAssembly, you need to set up your environment. This involves installing the Emscripten SDK, which compiles C and C++ code to WebAssembly.
git clone https://github.com/emscripten-core/emsdk.git
cd emsdk
./emsdk install latest
./emsdk activate latest
source ./emsdk_env.sh
emcc --version
Let’s start with a simple “Hello, World!” program in C and compile it to WebAssembly.
#include
int main() {
printf("Hello, World!\n");
return 0;
}
emcc hello.c -o hello.html
This command generates three files: hello.html
, hello.js
, and hello.wasm
.
To use WebAssembly in a web application, we typically load the .wasm
file and interact with it using JavaScript. We’ll integrate this with jQuery to handle DOM manipulation.
WebAssembly with jQuery
In this example:
For more complex applications, you might want to call specific functions in your WebAssembly module and pass data between JavaScript and WebAssembly.
#include
EMSCRIPTEN_KEEPALIVE
int add(int a, int b) {
return a + b;
}
EMSCRIPTEN_KEEPALIVE
int multiply(int a, int b) {
return a * b;
}
emcc math.c -o math.js -s EXPORTED_FUNCTIONS='["_add", "_multiply"]' -s EXTRA_EXPORTED_RUNTIME_METHODS='["ccall", "cwrap"]'
WebAssembly with jQuery
In this example:
add
and multiply
).Module.ccall
to call these functions from JavaScript, passing arguments and receiving the result.WebAssembly provides direct access to the linear memory, which can be managed manually. This is crucial for performance-critical applications.
#include
#include
EMSCRIPTEN_KEEPALIVE
char* allocateMemory(int size) {
return (char*)malloc(size);
}
EMSCRIPTEN_KEEPALIVE
void deallocateMemory(char* ptr) {
free(ptr);
}
emcc memory.c -o memory.js -s EXPORTED_FUNCTIONS='["_allocateMemory", "_deallocateMemory"]' -s EXTRA_EXPORTED_RUNTIME_METHODS='["ccall", "cwrap"]'
WebAssembly with jQuery
In this example:
Module.HEAP8
to access the allocated memory in JavaScript.Integrating jQuery with WebAssembly allows you to leverage the performance benefits of WebAssembly while maintaining the ease of DOM manipulation provided by jQuery. This combination is powerful for creating high-performance web applications. By following these steps and examples, you should have a solid understanding of how to use jQuery with WebAssembly, from basic concepts to advanced techniques. This chapter should serve as a comprehensive guide, making further research unnecessary. Happy coding !❤️