summaryrefslogtreecommitdiffstats
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
authorJeroen Ruigrok van der Werven <asmodai@in-nomine.org>2009-04-25 13:58:58 (GMT)
committerJeroen Ruigrok van der Werven <asmodai@in-nomine.org>2009-04-25 13:58:58 (GMT)
commit140d9d673efdb33178fb4f93ece31bbc1d91ada0 (patch)
treed06c26cf697d80654b73befee7c539bc0be0e526
parent2dcf46ee2cddce17f18081ea7fa3535caad652dc (diff)
downloadcpython-140d9d673efdb33178fb4f93ece31bbc1d91ada0.zip
cpython-140d9d673efdb33178fb4f93ece31bbc1d91ada0.tar.gz
cpython-140d9d673efdb33178fb4f93ece31bbc1d91ada0.tar.bz2
Reformat file prior to editing.
-rw-r--r--Doc/c-api/arg.rst491
1 files changed, 252 insertions, 239 deletions
diff --git a/Doc/c-api/arg.rst b/Doc/c-api/arg.rst
index 9d14d1c..e7d997f 100644
--- a/Doc/c-api/arg.rst
+++ b/Doc/c-api/arg.rst
@@ -10,46 +10,48 @@ methods. Additional information and examples are available in
:ref:`extending-index`.
The first three of these functions described, :cfunc:`PyArg_ParseTuple`,
-:cfunc:`PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords`, and :cfunc:`PyArg_Parse`, all use *format
-strings* which are used to tell the function about the expected arguments. The
-format strings use the same syntax for each of these functions.
+:cfunc:`PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords`, and :cfunc:`PyArg_Parse`, all use
+*format strings* which are used to tell the function about the expected
+arguments. The format strings use the same syntax for each of these
+functions.
A format string consists of zero or more "format units." A format unit
-describes one Python object; it is usually a single character or a parenthesized
-sequence of format units. With a few exceptions, a format unit that is not a
-parenthesized sequence normally corresponds to a single address argument to
-these functions. In the following description, the quoted form is the format
-unit; the entry in (round) parentheses is the Python object type that matches
-the format unit; and the entry in [square] brackets is the type of the C
-variable(s) whose address should be passed.
+describes one Python object; it is usually a single character or a
+parenthesized sequence of format units. With a few exceptions, a format unit
+that is not a parenthesized sequence normally corresponds to a single address
+argument to these functions. In the following description, the quoted form is
+the format unit; the entry in (round) parentheses is the Python object type
+that matches the format unit; and the entry in [square] brackets is the type
+of the C variable(s) whose address should be passed.
``s`` (string or Unicode object) [const char \*]
- Convert a Python string or Unicode object to a C pointer to a character string.
- You must not provide storage for the string itself; a pointer to an existing
- string is stored into the character pointer variable whose address you pass.
- The C string is NUL-terminated. The Python string must not contain embedded NUL
- bytes; if it does, a :exc:`TypeError` exception is raised. Unicode objects are
- converted to C strings using the default encoding. If this conversion fails, a
- :exc:`UnicodeError` is raised.
+ Convert a Python string or Unicode object to a C pointer to a character
+ string. You must not provide storage for the string itself; a pointer to
+ an existing string is stored into the character pointer variable whose
+ address you pass. The C string is NUL-terminated. The Python string must
+ not contain embedded NUL bytes; if it does, a :exc:`TypeError` exception is
+ raised. Unicode objects are converted to C strings using the default
+ encoding. If this conversion fails, a :exc:`UnicodeError` is raised.
``s#`` (string, Unicode or any read buffer compatible object) [const char \*, int (or :ctype:`Py_ssize_t`, see below)]
- This variant on ``s`` stores into two C variables, the first one a pointer to a
- character string, the second one its length. In this case the Python string may
- contain embedded null bytes. Unicode objects pass back a pointer to the default
- encoded string version of the object if such a conversion is possible. All
- other read-buffer compatible objects pass back a reference to the raw internal
- data representation.
-
- Starting with Python 2.5 the type of the length argument can be
- controlled by defining the macro :cmacro:`PY_SSIZE_T_CLEAN` before
- including :file:`Python.h`. If the macro is defined, length is a
- :ctype:`Py_ssize_t` rather than an int.
+ This variant on ``s`` stores into two C variables, the first one a pointer
+ to a character string, the second one its length. In this case the Python
+ string may contain embedded null bytes. Unicode objects pass back a
+ pointer to the default encoded string version of the object if such a
+ conversion is possible. All other read-buffer compatible objects pass back
+ a reference to the raw internal data representation.
+
+ Starting with Python 2.5 the type of the length argument can be controlled
+ by defining the macro :cmacro:`PY_SSIZE_T_CLEAN` before including
+ :file:`Python.h`. If the macro is defined, length is a :ctype:`Py_ssize_t`
+ rather than an int.
``s*`` (string, Unicode, or any buffer compatible object) [Py_buffer \*]
- Similar to ``s#``, this code fills a Py_buffer structure provided by the caller.
- The buffer gets locked, so that the caller can subsequently use the buffer even
- inside a ``Py_BEGIN_ALLOW_THREADS`` block; the caller is responsible for calling
- ``PyBuffer_Release`` with the structure after it has processed the data.
+ Similar to ``s#``, this code fills a Py_buffer structure provided by the
+ caller. The buffer gets locked, so that the caller can subsequently use
+ the buffer even inside a ``Py_BEGIN_ALLOW_THREADS`` block; the caller is
+ responsible for calling ``PyBuffer_Release`` with the structure after it
+ has processed the data.
.. versionadded:: 2.6
@@ -66,83 +68,86 @@ variable(s) whose address should be passed.
.. versionadded:: 2.6
``u`` (Unicode object) [Py_UNICODE \*]
- Convert a Python Unicode object to a C pointer to a NUL-terminated buffer of
- 16-bit Unicode (UTF-16) data. As with ``s``, there is no need to provide
- storage for the Unicode data buffer; a pointer to the existing Unicode data is
- stored into the :ctype:`Py_UNICODE` pointer variable whose address you pass.
+ Convert a Python Unicode object to a C pointer to a NUL-terminated buffer
+ of 16-bit Unicode (UTF-16) data. As with ``s``, there is no need to
+ provide storage for the Unicode data buffer; a pointer to the existing
+ Unicode data is stored into the :ctype:`Py_UNICODE` pointer variable whose
+ address you pass.
``u#`` (Unicode object) [Py_UNICODE \*, int]
- This variant on ``u`` stores into two C variables, the first one a pointer to a
- Unicode data buffer, the second one its length. Non-Unicode objects are handled
- by interpreting their read-buffer pointer as pointer to a :ctype:`Py_UNICODE`
- array.
+ This variant on ``u`` stores into two C variables, the first one a pointer
+ to a Unicode data buffer, the second one its length. Non-Unicode objects
+ are handled by interpreting their read-buffer pointer as pointer to a
+ :ctype:`Py_UNICODE` array.
``es`` (string, Unicode object or character buffer compatible object) [const char \*encoding, char \*\*buffer]
- This variant on ``s`` is used for encoding Unicode and objects convertible to
- Unicode into a character buffer. It only works for encoded data without embedded
- NUL bytes.
+ This variant on ``s`` is used for encoding Unicode and objects convertible
+ to Unicode into a character buffer. It only works for encoded data without
+ embedded NUL bytes.
This format requires two arguments. The first is only used as input, and
- must be a :ctype:`const char\*` which points to the name of an encoding as a
- NUL-terminated string, or *NULL*, in which case the default encoding is used.
- An exception is raised if the named encoding is not known to Python. The
- second argument must be a :ctype:`char\*\*`; the value of the pointer it
- references will be set to a buffer with the contents of the argument text.
- The text will be encoded in the encoding specified by the first argument.
-
- :cfunc:`PyArg_ParseTuple` will allocate a buffer of the needed size, copy the
- encoded data into this buffer and adjust *\*buffer* to reference the newly
- allocated storage. The caller is responsible for calling :cfunc:`PyMem_Free` to
- free the allocated buffer after use.
+ must be a :ctype:`const char\*` which points to the name of an encoding as
+ a NUL-terminated string, or *NULL*, in which case the default encoding is
+ used. An exception is raised if the named encoding is not known to Python.
+ The second argument must be a :ctype:`char\*\*`; the value of the pointer
+ it references will be set to a buffer with the contents of the argument
+ text. The text will be encoded in the encoding specified by the first
+ argument.
+
+ :cfunc:`PyArg_ParseTuple` will allocate a buffer of the needed size, copy
+ the encoded data into this buffer and adjust *\*buffer* to reference the
+ newly allocated storage. The caller is responsible for calling
+ :cfunc:`PyMem_Free` to free the allocated buffer after use.
``et`` (string, Unicode object or character buffer compatible object) [const char \*encoding, char \*\*buffer]
Same as ``es`` except that 8-bit string objects are passed through without
- recoding them. Instead, the implementation assumes that the string object uses
- the encoding passed in as parameter.
+ recoding them. Instead, the implementation assumes that the string object
+ uses the encoding passed in as parameter.
``es#`` (string, Unicode object or character buffer compatible object) [const char \*encoding, char \*\*buffer, int \*buffer_length]
- This variant on ``s#`` is used for encoding Unicode and objects convertible to
- Unicode into a character buffer. Unlike the ``es`` format, this variant allows
- input data which contains NUL characters.
-
- It requires three arguments. The first is only used as input, and must be a
- :ctype:`const char\*` which points to the name of an encoding as a
- NUL-terminated string, or *NULL*, in which case the default encoding is used.
- An exception is raised if the named encoding is not known to Python. The
- second argument must be a :ctype:`char\*\*`; the value of the pointer it
- references will be set to a buffer with the contents of the argument text.
- The text will be encoded in the encoding specified by the first argument.
- The third argument must be a pointer to an integer; the referenced integer
- will be set to the number of bytes in the output buffer.
+ This variant on ``s#`` is used for encoding Unicode and objects convertible
+ to Unicode into a character buffer. Unlike the ``es`` format, this variant
+ allows input data which contains NUL characters.
+
+ It requires three arguments. The first is only used as input, and must be
+ a :ctype:`const char\*` which points to the name of an encoding as a
+ NUL-terminated string, or *NULL*, in which case the default encoding is
+ used. An exception is raised if the named encoding is not known to Python.
+ The second argument must be a :ctype:`char\*\*`; the value of the pointer
+ it references will be set to a buffer with the contents of the argument
+ text. The text will be encoded in the encoding specified by the first
+ argument. The third argument must be a pointer to an integer; the
+ referenced integer will be set to the number of bytes in the output buffer.
There are two modes of operation:
- If *\*buffer* points a *NULL* pointer, the function will allocate a buffer of
- the needed size, copy the encoded data into this buffer and set *\*buffer* to
- reference the newly allocated storage. The caller is responsible for calling
- :cfunc:`PyMem_Free` to free the allocated buffer after usage.
+ If *\*buffer* points a *NULL* pointer, the function will allocate a buffer
+ of the needed size, copy the encoded data into this buffer and set
+ *\*buffer* to reference the newly allocated storage. The caller is
+ responsible for calling :cfunc:`PyMem_Free` to free the allocated buffer
+ after usage.
If *\*buffer* points to a non-*NULL* pointer (an already allocated buffer),
- :cfunc:`PyArg_ParseTuple` will use this location as the buffer and interpret the
- initial value of *\*buffer_length* as the buffer size. It will then copy the
- encoded data into the buffer and NUL-terminate it. If the buffer is not large
- enough, a :exc:`ValueError` will be set.
+ :cfunc:`PyArg_ParseTuple` will use this location as the buffer and
+ interpret the initial value of *\*buffer_length* as the buffer size. It
+ will then copy the encoded data into the buffer and NUL-terminate it. If
+ the buffer is not large enough, a :exc:`ValueError` will be set.
In both cases, *\*buffer_length* is set to the length of the encoded data
without the trailing NUL byte.
``et#`` (string, Unicode object or character buffer compatible object) [const char \*encoding, char \*\*buffer]
- Same as ``es#`` except that string objects are passed through without recoding
- them. Instead, the implementation assumes that the string object uses the
- encoding passed in as parameter.
+ Same as ``es#`` except that string objects are passed through without
+ recoding them. Instead, the implementation assumes that the string object
+ uses the encoding passed in as parameter.
``b`` (integer) [unsigned char]
Convert a nonnegative Python integer to an unsigned tiny int, stored in a C
:ctype:`unsigned char`.
``B`` (integer) [unsigned char]
- Convert a Python integer to a tiny int without overflow checking, stored in a C
- :ctype:`unsigned char`.
+ Convert a Python integer to a tiny int without overflow checking, stored in
+ a C :ctype:`unsigned char`.
.. versionadded:: 2.3
@@ -150,8 +155,8 @@ variable(s) whose address should be passed.
Convert a Python integer to a C :ctype:`short int`.
``H`` (integer) [unsigned short int]
- Convert a Python integer to a C :ctype:`unsigned short int`, without overflow
- checking.
+ Convert a Python integer to a C :ctype:`unsigned short int`, without
+ overflow checking.
.. versionadded:: 2.3
@@ -168,20 +173,21 @@ variable(s) whose address should be passed.
Convert a Python integer to a C :ctype:`long int`.
``k`` (integer) [unsigned long]
- Convert a Python integer or long integer to a C :ctype:`unsigned long` without
- overflow checking.
+ Convert a Python integer or long integer to a C :ctype:`unsigned long`
+ without overflow checking.
.. versionadded:: 2.3
``L`` (integer) [PY_LONG_LONG]
Convert a Python integer to a C :ctype:`long long`. This format is only
- available on platforms that support :ctype:`long long` (or :ctype:`_int64` on
- Windows).
+ available on platforms that support :ctype:`long long` (or :ctype:`_int64`
+ on Windows).
``K`` (integer) [unsigned PY_LONG_LONG]
Convert a Python integer or long integer to a C :ctype:`unsigned long long`
without overflow checking. This format is only available on platforms that
- support :ctype:`unsigned long long` (or :ctype:`unsigned _int64` on Windows).
+ support :ctype:`unsigned long long` (or :ctype:`unsigned _int64` on
+ Windows).
.. versionadded:: 2.3
@@ -204,60 +210,61 @@ variable(s) whose address should be passed.
Convert a Python complex number to a C :ctype:`Py_complex` structure.
``O`` (object) [PyObject \*]
- Store a Python object (without any conversion) in a C object pointer. The C
- program thus receives the actual object that was passed. The object's reference
- count is not increased. The pointer stored is not *NULL*.
+ Store a Python object (without any conversion) in a C object pointer. The
+ C program thus receives the actual object that was passed. The object's
+ reference count is not increased. The pointer stored is not *NULL*.
``O!`` (object) [*typeobject*, PyObject \*]
Store a Python object in a C object pointer. This is similar to ``O``, but
- takes two C arguments: the first is the address of a Python type object, the
- second is the address of the C variable (of type :ctype:`PyObject\*`) into which
- the object pointer is stored. If the Python object does not have the required
- type, :exc:`TypeError` is raised.
+ takes two C arguments: the first is the address of a Python type object,
+ the second is the address of the C variable (of type :ctype:`PyObject\*`)
+ into which the object pointer is stored. If the Python object does not
+ have the required type, :exc:`TypeError` is raised.
``O&`` (object) [*converter*, *anything*]
- Convert a Python object to a C variable through a *converter* function. This
- takes two arguments: the first is a function, the second is the address of a C
- variable (of arbitrary type), converted to :ctype:`void \*`. The *converter*
- function in turn is called as follows::
+ Convert a Python object to a C variable through a *converter* function.
+ This takes two arguments: the first is a function, the second is the
+ address of a C variable (of arbitrary type), converted to :ctype:`void \*`.
+ The *converter* function in turn is called as follows::
status = converter(object, address);
where *object* is the Python object to be converted and *address* is the
- :ctype:`void\*` argument that was passed to the :cfunc:`PyArg_Parse\*` function.
- The returned *status* should be ``1`` for a successful conversion and ``0`` if
- the conversion has failed. When the conversion fails, the *converter* function
- should raise an exception and leave the content of *address* unmodified.
+ :ctype:`void\*` argument that was passed to the :cfunc:`PyArg_Parse\*`
+ function. The returned *status* should be ``1`` for a successful
+ conversion and ``0`` if the conversion has failed. When the conversion
+ fails, the *converter* function should raise an exception and leave the
+ content of *address* unmodified.
``S`` (string) [PyStringObject \*]
Like ``O`` but requires that the Python object is a string object. Raises
- :exc:`TypeError` if the object is not a string object. The C variable may also
- be declared as :ctype:`PyObject\*`.
+ :exc:`TypeError` if the object is not a string object. The C variable may
+ also be declared as :ctype:`PyObject\*`.
``U`` (Unicode string) [PyUnicodeObject \*]
Like ``O`` but requires that the Python object is a Unicode object. Raises
- :exc:`TypeError` if the object is not a Unicode object. The C variable may also
- be declared as :ctype:`PyObject\*`.
+ :exc:`TypeError` if the object is not a Unicode object. The C variable may
+ also be declared as :ctype:`PyObject\*`.
``t#`` (read-only character buffer) [char \*, int]
Like ``s#``, but accepts any object which implements the read-only buffer
- interface. The :ctype:`char\*` variable is set to point to the first byte of
- the buffer, and the :ctype:`int` is set to the length of the buffer. Only
- single-segment buffer objects are accepted; :exc:`TypeError` is raised for all
- others.
+ interface. The :ctype:`char\*` variable is set to point to the first byte
+ of the buffer, and the :ctype:`int` is set to the length of the buffer.
+ Only single-segment buffer objects are accepted; :exc:`TypeError` is raised
+ for all others.
``w`` (read-write character buffer) [char \*]
- Similar to ``s``, but accepts any object which implements the read-write buffer
- interface. The caller must determine the length of the buffer by other means,
- or use ``w#`` instead. Only single-segment buffer objects are accepted;
- :exc:`TypeError` is raised for all others.
+ Similar to ``s``, but accepts any object which implements the read-write
+ buffer interface. The caller must determine the length of the buffer by
+ other means, or use ``w#`` instead. Only single-segment buffer objects are
+ accepted; :exc:`TypeError` is raised for all others.
``w#`` (read-write character buffer) [char \*, Py_ssize_t]
Like ``s#``, but accepts any object which implements the read-write buffer
- interface. The :ctype:`char \*` variable is set to point to the first byte of
- the buffer, and the :ctype:`int` is set to the length of the buffer. Only
- single-segment buffer objects are accepted; :exc:`TypeError` is raised for all
- others.
+ interface. The :ctype:`char \*` variable is set to point to the first byte
+ of the buffer, and the :ctype:`int` is set to the length of the buffer.
+ Only single-segment buffer objects are accepted; :exc:`TypeError` is raised
+ for all others.
``w*`` (read-write byte-oriented buffer) [Py_buffer \*]
This is to ``w`` what ``s*`` is to ``s``.
@@ -265,72 +272,72 @@ variable(s) whose address should be passed.
.. versionadded:: 2.6
``(items)`` (tuple) [*matching-items*]
- The object must be a Python sequence whose length is the number of format units
- in *items*. The C arguments must correspond to the individual format units in
- *items*. Format units for sequences may be nested.
+ The object must be a Python sequence whose length is the number of format
+ units in *items*. The C arguments must correspond to the individual format
+ units in *items*. Format units for sequences may be nested.
.. note::
- Prior to Python version 1.5.2, this format specifier only accepted a tuple
- containing the individual parameters, not an arbitrary sequence. Code which
- previously caused :exc:`TypeError` to be raised here may now proceed without an
- exception. This is not expected to be a problem for existing code.
+ Prior to Python version 1.5.2, this format specifier only accepted a
+ tuple containing the individual parameters, not an arbitrary sequence.
+ Code which previously caused :exc:`TypeError` to be raised here may now
+ proceed without an exception. This is not expected to be a problem for
+ existing code.
It is possible to pass Python long integers where integers are requested;
however no proper range checking is done --- the most significant bits are
silently truncated when the receiving field is too small to receive the value
-(actually, the semantics are inherited from downcasts in C --- your mileage may
-vary).
+(actually, the semantics are inherited from downcasts in C --- your mileage
+may vary).
A few other characters have a meaning in a format string. These may not occur
inside nested parentheses. They are:
``|``
- Indicates that the remaining arguments in the Python argument list are optional.
- The C variables corresponding to optional arguments should be initialized to
- their default value --- when an optional argument is not specified,
- :cfunc:`PyArg_ParseTuple` does not touch the contents of the corresponding C
- variable(s).
+ Indicates that the remaining arguments in the Python argument list are
+ optional. The C variables corresponding to optional arguments should be
+ initialized to their default value --- when an optional argument is not
+ specified, :cfunc:`PyArg_ParseTuple` does not touch the contents of the
+ corresponding C variable(s).
``:``
- The list of format units ends here; the string after the colon is used as the
- function name in error messages (the "associated value" of the exception that
- :cfunc:`PyArg_ParseTuple` raises).
+ The list of format units ends here; the string after the colon is used as
+ the function name in error messages (the "associated value" of the
+ exception that :cfunc:`PyArg_ParseTuple` raises).
``;``
- The list of format units ends here; the string after the semicolon is used as
- the error message *instead* of the default error message. ``:`` and ``;``
- mutually exclude each other.
+ The list of format units ends here; the string after the semicolon is used
+ as the error message *instead* of the default error message. ``:`` and
+ ``;`` mutually exclude each other.
Note that any Python object references which are provided to the caller are
*borrowed* references; do not decrement their reference count!
Additional arguments passed to these functions must be addresses of variables
whose type is determined by the format string; these are used to store values
-from the input tuple. There are a few cases, as described in the list of format
-units above, where these parameters are used as input values; they should match
-what is specified for the corresponding format unit in that case.
-
-For the conversion to succeed, the *arg* object must match the format
-and the format must be exhausted. On success, the
-:cfunc:`PyArg_Parse\*` functions return true, otherwise they return
-false and raise an appropriate exception. When the
-:cfunc:`PyArg_Parse\*` functions fail due to conversion failure in one
-of the format units, the variables at the addresses corresponding to that
+from the input tuple. There are a few cases, as described in the list of
+format units above, where these parameters are used as input values; they
+should match what is specified for the corresponding format unit in that case.
+
+For the conversion to succeed, the *arg* object must match the format and the
+format must be exhausted. On success, the :cfunc:`PyArg_Parse\*` functions
+return true, otherwise they return false and raise an appropriate exception.
+When the :cfunc:`PyArg_Parse\*` functions fail due to conversion failure in
+one of the format units, the variables at the addresses corresponding to that
and the following format units are left untouched.
.. cfunction:: int PyArg_ParseTuple(PyObject *args, const char *format, ...)
- Parse the parameters of a function that takes only positional parameters into
- local variables. Returns true on success; on failure, it returns false and
- raises the appropriate exception.
+ Parse the parameters of a function that takes only positional parameters
+ into local variables. Returns true on success; on failure, it returns
+ false and raises the appropriate exception.
.. cfunction:: int PyArg_VaParse(PyObject *args, const char *format, va_list vargs)
- Identical to :cfunc:`PyArg_ParseTuple`, except that it accepts a va_list rather
- than a variable number of arguments.
+ Identical to :cfunc:`PyArg_ParseTuple`, except that it accepts a va_list
+ rather than a variable number of arguments.
.. cfunction:: int PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(PyObject *args, PyObject *kw, const char *format, char *keywords[], ...)
@@ -348,32 +355,33 @@ and the following format units are left untouched.
.. cfunction:: int PyArg_Parse(PyObject *args, const char *format, ...)
- Function used to deconstruct the argument lists of "old-style" functions ---
- these are functions which use the :const:`METH_OLDARGS` parameter parsing
- method. This is not recommended for use in parameter parsing in new code, and
- most code in the standard interpreter has been modified to no longer use this
- for that purpose. It does remain a convenient way to decompose other tuples,
- however, and may continue to be used for that purpose.
+ Function used to deconstruct the argument lists of "old-style" functions
+ --- these are functions which use the :const:`METH_OLDARGS` parameter
+ parsing method. This is not recommended for use in parameter parsing in
+ new code, and most code in the standard interpreter has been modified to no
+ longer use this for that purpose. It does remain a convenient way to
+ decompose other tuples, however, and may continue to be used for that
+ purpose.
.. cfunction:: int PyArg_UnpackTuple(PyObject *args, const char *name, Py_ssize_t min, Py_ssize_t max, ...)
A simpler form of parameter retrieval which does not use a format string to
- specify the types of the arguments. Functions which use this method to retrieve
- their parameters should be declared as :const:`METH_VARARGS` in function or
- method tables. The tuple containing the actual parameters should be passed as
- *args*; it must actually be a tuple. The length of the tuple must be at least
- *min* and no more than *max*; *min* and *max* may be equal. Additional
- arguments must be passed to the function, each of which should be a pointer to a
- :ctype:`PyObject\*` variable; these will be filled in with the values from
- *args*; they will contain borrowed references. The variables which correspond
- to optional parameters not given by *args* will not be filled in; these should
- be initialized by the caller. This function returns true on success and false if
- *args* is not a tuple or contains the wrong number of elements; an exception
- will be set if there was a failure.
-
- This is an example of the use of this function, taken from the sources for the
- :mod:`_weakref` helper module for weak references::
+ specify the types of the arguments. Functions which use this method to
+ retrieve their parameters should be declared as :const:`METH_VARARGS` in
+ function or method tables. The tuple containing the actual parameters
+ should be passed as *args*; it must actually be a tuple. The length of the
+ tuple must be at least *min* and no more than *max*; *min* and *max* may be
+ equal. Additional arguments must be passed to the function, each of which
+ should be a pointer to a :ctype:`PyObject\*` variable; these will be filled
+ in with the values from *args*; they will contain borrowed references. The
+ variables which correspond to optional parameters not given by *args* will
+ not be filled in; these should be initialized by the caller. This function
+ returns true on success and false if *args* is not a tuple or contains the
+ wrong number of elements; an exception will be set if there was a failure.
+
+ This is an example of the use of this function, taken from the sources for
+ the :mod:`_weakref` helper module for weak references::
static PyObject *
weakref_ref(PyObject *self, PyObject *args)
@@ -388,8 +396,8 @@ and the following format units are left untouched.
return result;
}
- The call to :cfunc:`PyArg_UnpackTuple` in this example is entirely equivalent to
- this call to :cfunc:`PyArg_ParseTuple`::
+ The call to :cfunc:`PyArg_UnpackTuple` in this example is entirely
+ equivalent to this call to :cfunc:`PyArg_ParseTuple`::
PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "O|O:ref", &object, &callback)
@@ -398,40 +406,42 @@ and the following format units are left untouched.
.. cfunction:: PyObject* Py_BuildValue(const char *format, ...)
- Create a new value based on a format string similar to those accepted by the
- :cfunc:`PyArg_Parse\*` family of functions and a sequence of values. Returns
- the value or *NULL* in the case of an error; an exception will be raised if
- *NULL* is returned.
-
- :cfunc:`Py_BuildValue` does not always build a tuple. It builds a tuple only if
- its format string contains two or more format units. If the format string is
- empty, it returns ``None``; if it contains exactly one format unit, it returns
- whatever object is described by that format unit. To force it to return a tuple
- of size 0 or one, parenthesize the format string.
-
- When memory buffers are passed as parameters to supply data to build objects, as
- for the ``s`` and ``s#`` formats, the required data is copied. Buffers provided
- by the caller are never referenced by the objects created by
- :cfunc:`Py_BuildValue`. In other words, if your code invokes :cfunc:`malloc`
- and passes the allocated memory to :cfunc:`Py_BuildValue`, your code is
- responsible for calling :cfunc:`free` for that memory once
+ Create a new value based on a format string similar to those accepted by
+ the :cfunc:`PyArg_Parse\*` family of functions and a sequence of values.
+ Returns the value or *NULL* in the case of an error; an exception will be
+ raised if *NULL* is returned.
+
+ :cfunc:`Py_BuildValue` does not always build a tuple. It builds a tuple
+ only if its format string contains two or more format units. If the format
+ string is empty, it returns ``None``; if it contains exactly one format
+ unit, it returns whatever object is described by that format unit. To
+ force it to return a tuple of size 0 or one, parenthesize the format
+ string.
+
+ When memory buffers are passed as parameters to supply data to build
+ objects, as for the ``s`` and ``s#`` formats, the required data is copied.
+ Buffers provided by the caller are never referenced by the objects created
+ by :cfunc:`Py_BuildValue`. In other words, if your code invokes
+ :cfunc:`malloc` and passes the allocated memory to :cfunc:`Py_BuildValue`,
+ your code is responsible for calling :cfunc:`free` for that memory once
:cfunc:`Py_BuildValue` returns.
- In the following description, the quoted form is the format unit; the entry in
- (round) parentheses is the Python object type that the format unit will return;
- and the entry in [square] brackets is the type of the C value(s) to be passed.
+ In the following description, the quoted form is the format unit; the entry
+ in (round) parentheses is the Python object type that the format unit will
+ return; and the entry in [square] brackets is the type of the C value(s) to
+ be passed.
- The characters space, tab, colon and comma are ignored in format strings (but
- not within format units such as ``s#``). This can be used to make long format
- strings a tad more readable.
+ The characters space, tab, colon and comma are ignored in format strings
+ (but not within format units such as ``s#``). This can be used to make
+ long format strings a tad more readable.
``s`` (string) [char \*]
- Convert a null-terminated C string to a Python object. If the C string pointer
- is *NULL*, ``None`` is used.
+ Convert a null-terminated C string to a Python object. If the C string
+ pointer is *NULL*, ``None`` is used.
``s#`` (string) [char \*, int]
- Convert a C string and its length to a Python object. If the C string pointer
- is *NULL*, the length is ignored and ``None`` is returned.
+ Convert a C string and its length to a Python object. If the C string
+ pointer is *NULL*, the length is ignored and ``None`` is returned.
``z`` (string or ``None``) [char \*]
Same as ``s``.
@@ -440,13 +450,14 @@ and the following format units are left untouched.
Same as ``s#``.
``u`` (Unicode string) [Py_UNICODE \*]
- Convert a null-terminated buffer of Unicode (UCS-2 or UCS-4) data to a Python
- Unicode object. If the Unicode buffer pointer is *NULL*, ``None`` is returned.
+ Convert a null-terminated buffer of Unicode (UCS-2 or UCS-4) data to a
+ Python Unicode object. If the Unicode buffer pointer is *NULL*,
+ ``None`` is returned.
``u#`` (Unicode string) [Py_UNICODE \*, int]
- Convert a Unicode (UCS-2 or UCS-4) data buffer and its length to a Python
- Unicode object. If the Unicode buffer pointer is *NULL*, the length is ignored
- and ``None`` is returned.
+ Convert a Unicode (UCS-2 or UCS-4) data buffer and its length to a
+ Python Unicode object. If the Unicode buffer pointer is *NULL*, the
+ length is ignored and ``None`` is returned.
``i`` (integer) [int]
Convert a plain C :ctype:`int` to a Python integer object.
@@ -467,20 +478,20 @@ and the following format units are left untouched.
Convert a C :ctype:`unsigned short int` to a Python integer object.
``I`` (integer/long) [unsigned int]
- Convert a C :ctype:`unsigned int` to a Python integer object or a Python long
- integer object, if it is larger than ``sys.maxint``.
+ Convert a C :ctype:`unsigned int` to a Python integer object or a Python
+ long integer object, if it is larger than ``sys.maxint``.
``k`` (integer/long) [unsigned long]
- Convert a C :ctype:`unsigned long` to a Python integer object or a Python long
- integer object, if it is larger than ``sys.maxint``.
+ Convert a C :ctype:`unsigned long` to a Python integer object or a
+ Python long integer object, if it is larger than ``sys.maxint``.
``L`` (long) [PY_LONG_LONG]
- Convert a C :ctype:`long long` to a Python long integer object. Only available
- on platforms that support :ctype:`long long`.
+ Convert a C :ctype:`long long` to a Python long integer object. Only
+ available on platforms that support :ctype:`long long`.
``K`` (long) [unsigned PY_LONG_LONG]
- Convert a C :ctype:`unsigned long long` to a Python long integer object. Only
- available on platforms that support :ctype:`unsigned long long`.
+ Convert a C :ctype:`unsigned long long` to a Python long integer object.
+ Only available on platforms that support :ctype:`unsigned long long`.
``n`` (int) [Py_ssize_t]
Convert a C :ctype:`Py_ssize_t` to a Python integer or long integer.
@@ -488,8 +499,8 @@ and the following format units are left untouched.
.. versionadded:: 2.5
``c`` (string of length 1) [char]
- Convert a C :ctype:`int` representing a character to a Python string of length
- 1.
+ Convert a C :ctype:`int` representing a character to a Python string of
+ length 1.
``d`` (float) [double]
Convert a C :ctype:`double` to a Python floating point number.
@@ -502,39 +513,41 @@ and the following format units are left untouched.
``O`` (object) [PyObject \*]
Pass a Python object untouched (except for its reference count, which is
- incremented by one). If the object passed in is a *NULL* pointer, it is assumed
- that this was caused because the call producing the argument found an error and
- set an exception. Therefore, :cfunc:`Py_BuildValue` will return *NULL* but won't
- raise an exception. If no exception has been raised yet, :exc:`SystemError` is
- set.
+ incremented by one). If the object passed in is a *NULL* pointer, it is
+ assumed that this was caused because the call producing the argument
+ found an error and set an exception. Therefore, :cfunc:`Py_BuildValue`
+ will return *NULL* but won't raise an exception. If no exception has
+ been raised yet, :exc:`SystemError` is set.
``S`` (object) [PyObject \*]
Same as ``O``.
``N`` (object) [PyObject \*]
- Same as ``O``, except it doesn't increment the reference count on the object.
- Useful when the object is created by a call to an object constructor in the
- argument list.
+ Same as ``O``, except it doesn't increment the reference count on the
+ object. Useful when the object is created by a call to an object
+ constructor in the argument list.
``O&`` (object) [*converter*, *anything*]
- Convert *anything* to a Python object through a *converter* function. The
- function is called with *anything* (which should be compatible with :ctype:`void
- \*`) as its argument and should return a "new" Python object, or *NULL* if an
- error occurred.
+ Convert *anything* to a Python object through a *converter* function.
+ The function is called with *anything* (which should be compatible with
+ :ctype:`void \*`) as its argument and should return a "new" Python
+ object, or *NULL* if an error occurred.
``(items)`` (tuple) [*matching-items*]
- Convert a sequence of C values to a Python tuple with the same number of items.
+ Convert a sequence of C values to a Python tuple with the same number of
+ items.
``[items]`` (list) [*matching-items*]
- Convert a sequence of C values to a Python list with the same number of items.
+ Convert a sequence of C values to a Python list with the same number of
+ items.
``{items}`` (dictionary) [*matching-items*]
- Convert a sequence of C values to a Python dictionary. Each pair of consecutive
- C values adds one item to the dictionary, serving as key and value,
- respectively.
+ Convert a sequence of C values to a Python dictionary. Each pair of
+ consecutive C values adds one item to the dictionary, serving as key and
+ value, respectively.
- If there is an error in the format string, the :exc:`SystemError` exception is
- set and *NULL* returned.
+ If there is an error in the format string, the :exc:`SystemError` exception
+ is set and *NULL* returned.
.. cfunction:: PyObject* Py_VaBuildValue(const char *format, va_list vargs)