The Boost Python Library (BPL)
Synopsis
Use the Boost Python Library to quickly and easily export a C++ library to Python such that the Python interface is
very similar to the C++ interface. It is designed to be minimally
intrusive on your C++ design. In most cases, you should not have to alter
your C++ classes in any way in order to use them with BPL. The system
should simply ``reflect'' your C++ classes and functions into
Python. The major features of BPL include support for:
among others.
Supported Platforms
BPL has been tested in the following configurations:
- Against Python 1.5.2 using the following compiler/library:
- Against Python 2.0 using the following compiler/library combinations:
Credits
- David Abrahams originated
and wrote the library.
- Ullrich Koethe
had independently developed a similar system. When he discovered BPL,
he generously contributed countless hours of coding and much insight into
improving it. He is responsible for an early version of the support for function overloading and wrote the support for
reflecting C++ inheritance
relationships. He has helped to improve error-reporting from both
Python and C++, and has designed an extremely easy-to-use way of
exposing numeric operators, including
a way to avoid explicit coercion by means of overloading.
- The members of the boost mailing list and the Python community
supplied invaluable early feedback. In particular, Ron Clarke, Mark Evans,
Anton Gluck, Ralf W. Grosse-Kunstleve, Chuck Ingold, Prabhu Ramachandran,
and Barry Scott took the brave step of trying to use BPL while it was
still in early stages of development.
- The development of BPL wouldn't have been
possible without the generous support of Dragon Systems/Lernout and
Hauspie, Inc who supported its development as an open-source project.
Table of Contents
- A Brief Introduction to writing Python
extension modules
- Comparisons between BPL and other
systems for extending Python
- A Simple Example
- Overridable Virtual Functions
- Function Overloading
- Inheritance
- Special Method and Operator Support
- A Peek Under the Hood
- Building an Extension Module
- Advanced Topics
- Pickling
- class_builder<>
- enums
- References
- Pointers and Smart Pointers
- Built-in Python Types
- Other Extension Types
- Templates
- Internal Data Structures
Documentation is a major ongoing project; assistance is greatly
appreciated! In the meantime, useful examples of every BPL feature should
be evident in the regression test files test/comprehensive.[py/hpp/cpp]
Questions should be directed to the boost mailing list.
© Copyright David Abrahams 2000. Permission to copy, use, modify,
sell and distribute this document is granted provided this copyright
notice appears in all copies. This document is provided ``as is'' without
express or implied warranty, and with no claim as to its suitability for
any purpose.
Updated: Nov 26, 2000