Pico C Standard Library

A compact and portable C Standard Library implementation

PicoCSL is a minimalist, highly compatible C Standard Library designed to streamline development across platforms, particularly for those working with legacy systems, embedded environments, and games. If you've encountered compatibility headaches when porting, maintaining legacy code, or working with non-standard environments, PicoCSL is here to simplify your workflow.

Lightweight and Self-Contained

With a dynamic library size under 40 KB, PicoCSL is not only compact but can also be bundled with your application or game, reducing external dependencies. This avoids common runtime errors like "The program can't start because msvcr120 DLL is missing", which often confuse end-users and require extra downloads. Often, these external installers not only introduce extra steps but also require administrative privileges–permissions that users may lack or be reluctant to grant. Instead, PicoCSL ensures a seamless, out-of-the-box experience that's just a double-click away.

Dependency Walker View

Robust Legacy Platform Compatibility

PicoCSL is optimized to run on both modern and legacy systems, enabling software compiled with the latest Visual Studio to operate on platforms as old as Windows 95 and Win32s without changes. This compatibility opens new possibilities for maintaining, upgrading, and building classic applications without sacrificing access to modern development tools.

Separation of Core and OS-Dependent Functions

To facilitate portability, PicoCSL organizes functions into two categories:

Portable Functions: Includes non-OS-dependent functions like sprintf, bsearch, etc., which can run consistently across platforms.
OS-Dependent Functions: Encompasses functions like fopen and time that may vary by platform, easing the process of isolating and adapting platform-specific code where necessary.

Common Extension Functions

PicoCSL includes all the favorite non-standard utility functions frequently seen across compilers, such as:

tchar.h - ANSI/UTF8 and wide character dual support (ex. _tcscmp)
itoa - integer to string conversion
ipow - integer power function
isqrt - integer square root function
alloca - stack allocation
strtrim - trim whitespace or other sequences from ends
strprecat - prepend strings
strrev - reverse strings
strtoargv - parse an argument string into argc/argv format
argtostr - append an argument to a string while escaping shell characters (such as quotes) so that it can be parsed correctly by a program started via system
xminmax.h - min, max and limit macros

These functions enhance compatibility with pre-existing codebases while also being helpful utilities that reduce code duplication.

Clean Headers with Minimal Verbosity

Unlike many standard libraries that crowd your IDE's autocomplete with excessive macros and obscure headers, PicoCSL is crafted to keep headers concise and helpful. This design reduces the "macro spam" that often clutters code completion, helping you focus on relevant, useful suggestions instead of sifting through unnecessary definitions.

Ideal for Developers of Legacy Systems, Embedded Solutions, and Game Demos

PicoCSL's modular design, low memory footprint, and wide compatibility make it ideal for:

Legacy Software Maintainers looking to bring older codebases to modern compilers without breaking functionality on vintage platforms.
Game Developers focused on lightweight, cross-platform deployment with minimal dependencies.
Embedded Developers who need an efficient, minimal library tailored for systems with limited resources and platform-specific requirements, or for compilers that don't include a standard library. All of the aforementioned "Portable Functions" can be used in freestanding implementations and environments.

Get Started with PicoCSL

With PicoCSL, reduce the hassle of cross-platform development and simplify legacy code maintenance, all while keeping your project footprint minimal. Give your software a true plug-and-play experience, whether it's running on the latest system or a legacy platform.

Software that uses PicoCSL

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