[PYTHON MATRIX-SIG] URNG-2.2

[P. Dubois]

URNG-2.2 is available at ftp-icf.llnl.gov/pub/basis/URNG-2.2.tar.gz.

This fixes an error in memory management. This was the first C extension
I wrote. I'd like to describe the error to make sure I have it right this
time.

I have a routine that allocates a new "urngobject", and I was using it
like this:

static PyObject *
URNG_CreateGenerator(self, args)
	PyObject *self;	/* Not used */
	PyObject *args;
{
        int seed;
	PyObject *result;

	if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "i", &seed))
		return NULL;
        result = (PyObject *) newurngobject(seed);

	return result;
}

I was getting a core dump when the program ended if I created such an object.
As a newbie, I assumed I had the reference count stuff messed up, so
I tried returning Py_BuildValue("O", result) instead of just result. I
stopped dumping core and went on. But this is wrong, of course, since
I now have a reference count of two on the object and it is never 
deleted.

I had made the skeleton using modulator and had not checked the "dealloc"
option. When I add such a routine:

static void
urng_dealloc(self)
	urngobject *self;
{
	PyMem_DEL(self);
}

and put it in the object's table, all is well.

So is this right, you *have* to supply a dealloc method when you write an
extension object? If so, maybe modulator shouldn't give you a choice.

Or, am I still confused?

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