[Python-Dev] Advanced C Types

[Michael Hudson]

Pete Shinners <pete at shinners.org> writes:

> Hello Python developers, I have been learning my way through new style
> type in Python, but it hasn't been exactly easy. I have narrowed my
> remaining troubles down to two specific questions for this
> list. Thanks for pointers.
>
> First, I have a base type written in C. Python classes are inheriting
> from these and those instances are being passed to another C
> function. This function needs access to data from the original type's
> PyObject structure. How do I get from the instance PyObject* to my
> base type's PyObject* data? My workaround is a hackish, the base has a
> method like this:
>      PyObject *dirtydirty(PyObject *self, PyObject *args) {
>           Py_INCREF(self);
>           return self;
>      }
> Now my external C code call something like this:
>      PyObject *GetBaseObjectFromInstance(PyObject *o) {
>          PyObject *meth = PyObject_GetAttrString(o, "dirtydirty");
>          PyObject *baseobj = PyObject_CallObject(meth, NULL);
> 	Py_DECREF(meth);
>          return baseobj;
>      }
> How can I recreate this without requiring the 'dirtydirty' method?
> Obviously Python is internally keeping this data around, as it is
> passed to the C methods on my type. I cannot find a more direct route.

Um.  What am I missing that makes this not totally pointless?  The
"instance PyObject*" *is* the "base type's PyObject* data".  Cast it.

> Second, I am very uncomfortable with the newstyle type allocation
> mechanisms. I understand the use of separate tp_init, tp_alloc, and
> tp_new. I do not understand how to use these from C. This is more a
> matter of clarification, my question is this; What is the proper way
> for one of my C functions to create my C type?

The same way _randommodule.c does it :-)

> Especially when my C type is derived from other C type? 

Hmm, not sure about that.  Have you looked at xxsubtype in the Python
source?  (Mind you, almost all C types derive from another C type:
PyBaseObjectType, so maybe this isn't a big deal).

> I feel wrong digging into my PyTypeObject for various tp_
> pointers. 

Why?

> I was comfortable with the PyObject_New() type functions, but from
> what I can see those are illegal for newstyle types?

I think so, yes.

Cheers,
mwh

-- 
  Considering that this thread is completely on-topic in the way only
  c.l.py threads can be, I think I can say that you should replace
  "Oblivion" with "Gravity", and increase your Radiohead quotient.
                                      -- Ben Wolfson, comp.lang.python