3.1 File Types

The GAP library consists of the following types of files, distinguished by their suffixes:

.g:

Files which contain parts of the ``inner workings'' of GAP. These files usually do not contain mathematical functionality, except for providing links to kernel functions.

.gd:

Declaration files. These files contain declarations of all categories, attributes, operations, and global functions. These files also contain the operation definitions in comments.

.gi:

Implementation files. These files contain all installations of methods and global functions. Usually declarations of representations are also considered to be part of the implementation and are therefore found in the gi files.

As a rule of thumb, all gd files are read in before the gi files are read. Therefore a gi file usually may use any operation or global function (it has been declared before), and no care has to be taken towards the order in which the gi files are read.

.co:

Completion files. They are used only to speed up loading (see Completion Files in the Reference Manual).

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