[Python-Dev] Constifying C API

Serhiy Storchaka storchaka at gmail.com
Sun Dec 18 03:31:50 EST 2016


Originally C API didn't use the const qualifier. Over few last years the 
const qualifier was added to C API if that preserved backward 
compatibility. For example input "char *" parameters were changed to 
"const char *". This makes C API compatible with C++, eliminates C 
compiler warnings, and helps to found possible errors.

Now I have started to make changes that are not absolute compatible, and 
can need modifying third-party code (but unlikely).

* The const qualifier was added to "char *" fields name and doc of some 
structures. They always point to C string literals. 
https://bugs.python.org/issue28761

* The const qualifier was added to private global variable 
_Py_PackageContext. https://bugs.python.org/issue28748

Now I'm going to add the const qualifier to the result of 
PyUnicode_AsUTF8AndSize() and PyUnicode_AsUTF8(). These functions return 
a reference to internal cached UTF8 representations of a string. It 
should never be modified. https://bugs.python.org/issue28769

Later I'm planning following changes:

* Add the const qualifier to the result of functions that return 
references to internal representation of immutable objects, like 
PyBytes_AS_STRING() or PyUnicode_DATA(). While CPython internally can 
modify the content of immutable objets, this is very dangerous, because 
this can invalidates invariants and cached values. Third-party code 
shouldn't do this.

* Add the const qualifier to the format field of Py_buffer. It is a 
reference to C string literal or to the content of bytes object. 
Mutating its content is an error. Only _testbuffer overuses the format 
field of internal Py_buffer object for owning a reference to allocated 
memory. But this is not leaked outside.

What are you think about this?



More information about the Python-Dev mailing list