Re: [capi-sig] Announcing project PyBindGen

Gustavo Carneiro wrote:

On 25/09/2007, *Stefan Behnel* mailto:python_capi@behnel.de> wrote:

I don't understand what "exact API mapping" means.

What I meant was: is the C(++) API mapped directly to Python or can you write abstraction code in between?

But yes, so far you have to write all this by hand. Although would love to have automatic header file scanning, one day... unfortunately I have not had enough time for that, and would rather focus on the code generation for now. Lots of neat things could be done later on top of the pybindgen python module interface...

But that's what most wrapper generators are there for: move the work from the developer into a generator. If you have to write code for every function/method/class you wrap, I think you're better of with Pyrex/Cython, as Pyrex code is readable and meaningful Python, not just a wrapper writer script.

I don't like having to learn a new language for this. Just like Boost.Python users are comfortable with C++ and avoid having to learn a new language, PyBindGen users are comfortable with Python and don't have to learn a new language.

Pyrex is *almost* Python, no new language to learn. And Cython is even closer, as it features a couple of Python 2.5 and Python 3k features.

Besides, pyrex/cython C++ support is poor or nonexistent. Although I acknowledge that if you wrap pure C libraries then this point is moot.

There are a couple of patches that improve the support. Admittedly, Pyrex does not target C++ libraries, so OO support is mostly missing. But nothing keeps you from implementing an object interface against C++ classes. I bet the Cython project would be happy to include it.

Finally, have you ever looked at the code generated by pyrex?

Yes, definitely, it's pretty readable, well optimised (with Cython, that is) and straight forward (ok, loops are ugly and over-optimised - but *very* fast). And I totally like the Cython feature of keeping the surrounding Cython code inside a C comment. That way, you immediately know what you are looking at.

Stefan