These bad boys are here to make your life easier (or at least less complicated) when working with C and C++. Let’s dive in!
To start: what is the Limited C API? It’s a subset of Python’s full C API that includes only those functions necessary for embedding or extending Python modules. This means you can use it to write extensions without having to worry about all the bells and whistles of the full C API.
So, what are some of these new limited C API functions? Well, let’s take a look:
1. Py_InitModule (const char *name, PyObject *dict) This function initializes a module with the given name and dictionary. It returns an error code if initialization fails.
2. PyErr_SetString (PythonExceptionType *type, const char *message) This function sets the string representation of an exception object to the given message. It’s useful for setting custom error messages in your extensions.
3. PyObject_CallFunctionObjArgs (PyObject *func, …) This function calls a Python function with variable arguments and returns the result as an object. It’s similar to calling a C function with varargs, but with Python objects instead of C values.
4. PyArg_ParseTuple (const char *format, PyObject **args, int flags) This function parses a tuple according to the given format string and returns an error code if parsing fails. It’s useful for handling input arguments in your extensions.
5. PyLong_FromUnsignedLong (unsigned long value) This function converts an unsigned long integer to a Python long object. It’s useful when working with large integers that don’t fit into C’s native int type.
6. PyObject_GetAttrString (PyObject *obj, const char *name) This function gets the attribute of an object with the given name as a string. It returns NULL if the attribute doesn’t exist or is not callable.
7. PyDict_SetItemString (PyDictionaryObject *dic, const char *key, PyObject *value) This function sets an item in a dictionary with the given key as a string and value as an object. It returns NULL if setting fails or the old value of the item.
These are just a few examples of the new limited C API functions available to you! There’s plenty more where these came from, so be sure to check out Python’s documentation for all the details.