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+:mod:`packaging.compiler` --- Compiler classes
+==============================================
+
+.. module:: packaging.compiler
+   :synopsis: Compiler classes to build C/C++ extensions or libraries.
+
+
+This subpackage contains an abstract base class representing a compiler and
+concrete implementations for common compilers.  The compiler classes should not
+be instantiated directly, but created using the :func:`new_compiler` factory
+function.  Compiler types provided by Packaging are listed in
+:ref:`packaging-standard-compilers`.
+
+
+Public functions
+----------------
+
+.. function:: new_compiler(plat=None, compiler=None, verbose=0, dry_run=0, force=0)
+
+   Factory function to generate an instance of some
+   :class:`~.ccompiler.CCompiler` subclass for the requested platform or
+   compiler type.
+
+   If no argument is given for *plat* and *compiler*, the default compiler type
+   for the platform (:attr:`os.name`) will be used: ``'unix'`` for Unix and
+   Mac OS X, ``'msvc'`` for Windows.
+
+   If *plat* is given, it must be one of ``'posix'``, ``'darwin'`` or ``'nt'``.
+   An invalid value will not raise an exception but use the default compiler
+   type for the current platform.
+
+   .. XXX errors should never pass silently; this behavior is particularly
+      harmful when a compiler type is given as first argument
+
+   If *compiler* is given, *plat* will be ignored, allowing you to get for
+   example a ``'unix'`` compiler object under Windows or an ``'msvc'`` compiler
+   under Unix.  However, not all compiler types can be instantiated on every
+   platform.
+
+
+.. function:: customize_compiler(compiler)
+
+   Do any platform-specific customization of a CCompiler instance.  Mainly
+   needed on Unix to plug in the information that varies across Unices and is
+   stored in CPython's Makefile.
+
+
+.. function:: gen_lib_options(compiler, library_dirs, runtime_library_dirs, libraries)
+
+   Generate linker options for searching library directories and linking with
+   specific libraries.  *libraries* and *library_dirs* are, respectively, lists
+   of library names (not filenames!) and search directories.  Returns a list of
+   command-line options suitable for use with some compiler (depending on the
+   two format strings passed in).
+
+
+.. function:: gen_preprocess_options(macros, include_dirs)
+
+   Generate C preprocessor options (:option:`-D`, :option:`-U`, :option:`-I`) as
+   used by at least two types of compilers: the typical Unix compiler and Visual
+   C++. *macros* is the usual thing, a list of 1- or 2-tuples, where ``(name,)``
+   means undefine (:option:`-U`) macro *name*, and ``(name, value)`` means
+   define (:option:`-D`) macro *name* to *value*.  *include_dirs* is just a list
+   of directory names to be added to the header file search path (:option:`-I`).
+   Returns a list of command-line options suitable for either Unix compilers or
+   Visual C++.
+
+
+.. function:: get_default_compiler(osname, platform)
+
+   Determine the default compiler to use for the given platform.
+
+   *osname* should be one of the standard Python OS names (i.e. the ones
+   returned by ``os.name``) and *platform* the common value returned by
+   ``sys.platform`` for the platform in question.
+
+   The default values are ``os.name`` and ``sys.platform``.
+
+
+.. function:: set_compiler(location)
+
+   Add or change a compiler
+
+
+.. function:: show_compilers()
+
+   Print list of available compilers (used by the :option:`--help-compiler`
+   options to :command:`build`, :command:`build_ext`, :command:`build_clib`).
+
+
+.. _packaging-standard-compilers:
+
+Standard compilers
+------------------
+
+Concrete subclasses of :class:`~.ccompiler.CCompiler` are provided in submodules
+of the :mod:`packaging.compiler` package.  You do not need to import them, using
+:func:`new_compiler` is the public API to use.  This table documents the
+standard compilers; be aware that they can be replaced by other classes on your
+platform.
+
+=============== ======================================================== =======
+name            description                                              notes
+=============== ======================================================== =======
+``'unix'``      typical Unix-style command-line C compiler               [#]_
+``'msvc'``      Microsoft compiler                                       [#]_
+``'bcpp'``      Borland C++ compiler
+``'cygwin'``    Cygwin compiler (Windows port of GCC)
+``'mingw32'``   Mingw32 port of GCC (same as Cygwin in no-Cygwin mode)
+=============== ======================================================== =======
+
+
+.. [#] The Unix compiler class assumes this behavior:
+
+       * macros defined with :option:`-Dname[=value]`
+
+       * macros undefined with :option:`-Uname`
+
+       * include search directories specified with :option:`-Idir`
+
+       * libraries specified with :option:`-llib`
+
+       * library search directories specified with :option:`-Ldir`
+
+       * compile handled by :program:`cc` (or similar) executable with
+         :option:`-c` option: compiles :file:`.c` to :file:`.o`
+
+       * link static library handled by :program:`ar` command (possibly with
+         :program:`ranlib`)
+
+       * link shared library handled by :program:`cc` :option:`-shared`
+
+
+.. [#] On Windows, extension modules typically need to be compiled with the same
+       compiler that was used to compile CPython (for example Microsoft Visual
+       Studio .NET 2003 for CPython 2.4 and 2.5).  The AMD64 and Itanium
+       binaries are created using the Platform SDK.
+
+       Under the hood, there are actually two different subclasses of
+       :class:`~.ccompiler.CCompiler` defined: one is compatible with MSVC 2005
+       and 2008, the other works with older versions.  This should not be a
+       concern for regular use of the functions in this module.
+
+       Packaging will normally choose the right compiler, linker etc. on its
+       own.  To override this choice, the environment variables
+       *DISTUTILS_USE_SDK* and *MSSdk* must be both set.  *MSSdk* indicates that
+       the current environment has been setup by the SDK's ``SetEnv.Cmd``
+       script, or that the environment variables had been registered when the
+       SDK was installed; *DISTUTILS_USE_SDK* indicates that the user has made
+       an explicit choice to override the compiler selection done by Packaging.
+
+       .. TODO document the envvars in Doc/using and the man page
+
+
+:mod:`packaging.compiler.ccompiler` --- CCompiler base class
+============================================================
+
+.. module:: packaging.compiler.ccompiler
+   :synopsis: Abstract CCompiler class.
+
+
+This module provides the abstract base class for the :class:`CCompiler`
+classes.  A :class:`CCompiler` instance can be used for all the compile and
+link steps needed to build a single project. Methods are provided to set
+options for the compiler --- macro definitions, include directories, link path,
+libraries and the like.
+
+.. class:: CCompiler([verbose=0, dry_run=0, force=0])
+
+   The abstract base class :class:`CCompiler` defines the interface that must be
+   implemented by real compiler classes.  The class also has some utility
+   methods used by several compiler classes.
+
+   The basic idea behind a compiler abstraction class is that each instance can
+   be used for all the compile/link steps in building a single project.  Thus,
+   attributes common to all of those compile and link steps --- include
+   directories, macros to define, libraries to link against, etc. --- are
+   attributes of the compiler instance.  To allow for variability in how
+   individual files are treated, most of those attributes may be varied on a
+   per-compilation or per-link basis.
+
+   The constructor for each subclass creates an instance of the Compiler object.
+   Flags are *verbose* (show verbose output), *dry_run* (don't actually execute
+   the steps) and *force* (rebuild everything, regardless of dependencies).  All
+   of these flags default to ``0`` (off). Note that you probably don't want to
+   instantiate :class:`CCompiler` or one of its subclasses directly - use the
+   :func:`packaging.CCompiler.new_compiler` factory function instead.
+
+   The following methods allow you to manually alter compiler options for the
+   instance of the Compiler class.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.add_include_dir(dir)
+
+      Add *dir* to the list of directories that will be searched for header
+      files.  The compiler is instructed to search directories in the order in
+      which they are supplied by successive calls to :meth:`add_include_dir`.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.set_include_dirs(dirs)
+
+      Set the list of directories that will be searched to *dirs* (a list of
+      strings). Overrides any preceding calls to :meth:`add_include_dir`;
+      subsequent calls to :meth:`add_include_dir` add to the list passed to
+      :meth:`set_include_dirs`. This does not affect any list of standard
+      include directories that the compiler may search by default.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.add_library(libname)
+
+      Add *libname* to the list of libraries that will be included in all links
+      driven by this compiler object.  Note that *libname* should *not* be the
+      name of a file containing a library, but the name of the library itself:
+      the actual filename will be inferred by the linker, the compiler, or the
+      compiler class (depending on the platform).
+
+      The linker will be instructed to link against libraries in the order they
+      were supplied to :meth:`add_library` and/or :meth:`set_libraries`.  It is
+      perfectly valid to duplicate library names; the linker will be instructed
+      to link against libraries as many times as they are mentioned.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.set_libraries(libnames)
+
+      Set the list of libraries to be included in all links driven by this
+      compiler object to *libnames* (a list of strings).  This does not affect
+      any standard system libraries that the linker may include by default.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.add_library_dir(dir)
+
+      Add *dir* to the list of directories that will be searched for libraries
+      specified to :meth:`add_library` and :meth:`set_libraries`.  The linker
+      will be instructed to search for libraries in the order they are supplied
+      to :meth:`add_library_dir` and/or :meth:`set_library_dirs`.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.set_library_dirs(dirs)
+
+      Set the list of library search directories to *dirs* (a list of strings).
+      This does not affect any standard library search path that the linker may
+      search by default.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.add_runtime_library_dir(dir)
+
+      Add *dir* to the list of directories that will be searched for shared
+      libraries at runtime.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.set_runtime_library_dirs(dirs)
+
+      Set the list of directories to search for shared libraries at runtime to
+      *dirs* (a list of strings).  This does not affect any standard search path
+      that the runtime linker may search by default.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.define_macro(name[, value=None])
+
+      Define a preprocessor macro for all compilations driven by this compiler
+      object. The optional parameter *value* should be a string; if it is not
+      supplied, then the macro will be defined without an explicit value and the
+      exact outcome depends on the compiler used (XXX true? does ANSI say
+      anything about this?)
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.undefine_macro(name)
+
+      Undefine a preprocessor macro for all compilations driven by this compiler
+      object.  If the same macro is defined by :meth:`define_macro` and
+      undefined by :meth:`undefine_macro` the last call takes precedence
+      (including multiple redefinitions or undefinitions).  If the macro is
+      redefined/undefined on a per-compilation basis (i.e. in the call to
+      :meth:`compile`), then that takes precedence.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.add_link_object(object)
+
+      Add *object* to the list of object files (or analogues, such as explicitly
+      named library files or the output of "resource compilers") to be included
+      in every link driven by this compiler object.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.set_link_objects(objects)
+
+      Set the list of object files (or analogues) to be included in every link
+      to *objects*.  This does not affect any standard object files that the
+      linker may include by default (such as system libraries).
+
+   The following methods implement methods for autodetection of compiler
+   options, providing some functionality similar to GNU :program:`autoconf`.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.detect_language(sources)
+
+      Detect the language of a given file, or list of files. Uses the instance
+      attributes :attr:`language_map` (a dictionary), and :attr:`language_order`
+      (a list) to do the job.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.find_library_file(dirs, lib[, debug=0])
+
+      Search the specified list of directories for a static or shared library file
+      *lib* and return the full path to that file.  If *debug* is true, look for a
+      debugging version (if that makes sense on the current platform).  Return
+      ``None`` if *lib* wasn't found in any of the specified directories.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.has_function(funcname [, includes=None, include_dirs=None, libraries=None, library_dirs=None])
+
+      Return a boolean indicating whether *funcname* is supported on the current
+      platform.  The optional arguments can be used to augment the compilation
+      environment by providing additional include files and paths and libraries and
+      paths.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.library_dir_option(dir)
+
+      Return the compiler option to add *dir* to the list of directories searched for
+      libraries.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.library_option(lib)
+
+      Return the compiler option to add *dir* to the list of libraries linked into the
+      shared library or executable.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.runtime_library_dir_option(dir)
+
+      Return the compiler option to add *dir* to the list of directories searched for
+      runtime libraries.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.set_executables(**args)
+
+      Define the executables (and options for them) that will be run to perform the
+      various stages of compilation.  The exact set of executables that may be
+      specified here depends on the compiler class (via the 'executables' class
+      attribute), but most will have:
+
+      +--------------+------------------------------------------+
+      | attribute    | description                              |
+      +==============+==========================================+
+      | *compiler*   | the C/C++ compiler                       |
+      +--------------+------------------------------------------+
+      | *linker_so*  | linker used to create shared objects and |
+      |              | libraries                                |
+      +--------------+------------------------------------------+
+      | *linker_exe* | linker used to create binary executables |
+      +--------------+------------------------------------------+
+      | *archiver*   | static library creator                   |
+      +--------------+------------------------------------------+
+
+      On platforms with a command line (Unix, DOS/Windows), each of these is a string
+      that will be split into executable name and (optional) list of arguments.
+      (Splitting the string is done similarly to how Unix shells operate: words are
+      delimited by spaces, but quotes and backslashes can override this.  See
+      :func:`packaging.util.split_quoted`.)
+
+   The following methods invoke stages in the build process.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.compile(sources[, output_dir=None, macros=None, include_dirs=None, debug=0, extra_preargs=None, extra_postargs=None, depends=None])
+
+      Compile one or more source files. Generates object files (e.g. transforms a
+      :file:`.c` file to a :file:`.o` file.)
+
+      *sources* must be a list of filenames, most likely C/C++ files, but in reality
+      anything that can be handled by a particular compiler and compiler class (e.g.
+      an ``'msvc'`` compiler` can handle resource files in *sources*).  Return a list of
+      object filenames, one per source filename in *sources*.  Depending on the
+      implementation, not all source files will necessarily be compiled, but all
+      corresponding object filenames will be returned.
+
+      If *output_dir* is given, object files will be put under it, while retaining
+      their original path component.  That is, :file:`foo/bar.c` normally compiles to
+      :file:`foo/bar.o` (for a Unix implementation); if *output_dir* is *build*, then
+      it would compile to :file:`build/foo/bar.o`.
+
+      *macros*, if given, must be a list of macro definitions.  A macro definition is
+      either a ``(name, value)`` 2-tuple or a ``(name,)`` 1-tuple. The former defines
+      a macro; if the value is ``None``, the macro is defined without an explicit
+      value.  The 1-tuple case undefines a macro.  Later
+      definitions/redefinitions/undefinitions take precedence.
+
+      *include_dirs*, if given, must be a list of strings, the directories to add to
+      the default include file search path for this compilation only.
+
+      *debug* is a boolean; if true, the compiler will be instructed to output debug
+      symbols in (or alongside) the object file(s).
+
+      *extra_preargs* and *extra_postargs* are implementation-dependent. On platforms
+      that have the notion of a command line (e.g. Unix, DOS/Windows), they are most
+      likely lists of strings: extra command-line arguments to prepend/append to the
+      compiler command line.  On other platforms, consult the implementation class
+      documentation.  In any event, they are intended as an escape hatch for those
+      occasions when the abstract compiler framework doesn't cut the mustard.
+
+      *depends*, if given, is a list of filenames that all targets depend on.  If a
+      source file is older than any file in depends, then the source file will be
+      recompiled.  This supports dependency tracking, but only at a coarse
+      granularity.
+
+      Raises :exc:`CompileError` on failure.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.create_static_lib(objects, output_libname[, output_dir=None, debug=0, target_lang=None])
+
+      Link a bunch of stuff together to create a static library file. The "bunch of
+      stuff" consists of the list of object files supplied as *objects*, the extra
+      object files supplied to :meth:`add_link_object` and/or
+      :meth:`set_link_objects`, the libraries supplied to :meth:`add_library` and/or
+      :meth:`set_libraries`, and the libraries supplied as *libraries* (if any).
+
+      *output_libname* should be a library name, not a filename; the filename will be
+      inferred from the library name.  *output_dir* is the directory where the library
+      file will be put. XXX defaults to what?
+
+      *debug* is a boolean; if true, debugging information will be included in the
+      library (note that on most platforms, it is the compile step where this matters:
+      the *debug* flag is included here just for consistency).
+
+      *target_lang* is the target language for which the given objects are being
+      compiled. This allows specific linkage time treatment of certain languages.
+
+      Raises :exc:`LibError` on failure.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.link(target_desc, objects, output_filename[, output_dir=None, libraries=None, library_dirs=None, runtime_library_dirs=None, export_symbols=None, debug=0, extra_preargs=None, extra_postargs=None, build_temp=None, target_lang=None])
+
+      Link a bunch of stuff together to create an executable or shared library file.
+
+      The "bunch of stuff" consists of the list of object files supplied as *objects*.
+      *output_filename* should be a filename.  If *output_dir* is supplied,
+      *output_filename* is relative to it (i.e. *output_filename* can provide
+      directory components if needed).
+
+      *libraries* is a list of libraries to link against.  These are library names,
+      not filenames, since they're translated into filenames in a platform-specific
+      way (e.g. *foo* becomes :file:`libfoo.a` on Unix and :file:`foo.lib` on
+      DOS/Windows).  However, they can include a directory component, which means the
+      linker will look in that specific directory rather than searching all the normal
+      locations.
+
+      *library_dirs*, if supplied, should be a list of directories to search for
+      libraries that were specified as bare library names (i.e. no directory
+      component).  These are on top of the system default and those supplied to
+      :meth:`add_library_dir` and/or :meth:`set_library_dirs`.  *runtime_library_dirs*
+      is a list of directories that will be embedded into the shared library and used
+      to search for other shared libraries that \*it\* depends on at run-time.  (This
+      may only be relevant on Unix.)
+
+      *export_symbols* is a list of symbols that the shared library will export.
+      (This appears to be relevant only on Windows.)
+
+      *debug* is as for :meth:`compile` and :meth:`create_static_lib`, with the
+      slight distinction that it actually matters on most platforms (as opposed to
+      :meth:`create_static_lib`, which includes a *debug* flag mostly for form's
+      sake).
+
+      *extra_preargs* and *extra_postargs* are as for :meth:`compile` (except of
+      course that they supply command-line arguments for the particular linker being
+      used).
+
+      *target_lang* is the target language for which the given objects are being
+      compiled. This allows specific linkage time treatment of certain languages.
+
+      Raises :exc:`LinkError` on failure.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.link_executable(objects, output_progname[, output_dir=None, libraries=None, library_dirs=None, runtime_library_dirs=None, debug=0, extra_preargs=None, extra_postargs=None, target_lang=None])
+
+      Link an executable.  *output_progname* is the name of the file executable, while
+      *objects* are a list of object filenames to link in. Other arguments are as for
+      the :meth:`link` method.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.link_shared_lib(objects, output_libname[, output_dir=None, libraries=None, library_dirs=None, runtime_library_dirs=None, export_symbols=None, debug=0, extra_preargs=None, extra_postargs=None, build_temp=None, target_lang=None])
+
+      Link a shared library. *output_libname* is the name of the output library,
+      while *objects* is a list of object filenames to link in. Other arguments are
+      as for the :meth:`link` method.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.link_shared_object(objects, output_filename[, output_dir=None, libraries=None, library_dirs=None, runtime_library_dirs=None, export_symbols=None, debug=0, extra_preargs=None, extra_postargs=None, build_temp=None, target_lang=None])
+
+      Link a shared object. *output_filename* is the name of the shared object that
+      will be created, while *objects* is a list of object filenames to link in.
+      Other arguments are as for the :meth:`link` method.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.preprocess(source[, output_file=None, macros=None, include_dirs=None, extra_preargs=None, extra_postargs=None])
+
+      Preprocess a single C/C++ source file, named in *source*. Output will be written
+      to file named *output_file*, or *stdout* if *output_file* not supplied.
+      *macros* is a list of macro definitions as for :meth:`compile`, which will
+      augment the macros set with :meth:`define_macro` and :meth:`undefine_macro`.
+      *include_dirs* is a list of directory names that will be added to the default
+      list, in the same way as :meth:`add_include_dir`.
+
+      Raises :exc:`PreprocessError` on failure.
+
+   The following utility methods are defined by the :class:`CCompiler` class, for
+   use by the various concrete subclasses.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.executable_filename(basename[, strip_dir=0, output_dir=''])
+
+      Returns the filename of the executable for the given *basename*.  Typically for
+      non-Windows platforms this is the same as the basename, while Windows will get
+      a :file:`.exe` added.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.library_filename(libname[, lib_type='static', strip_dir=0, output_dir=''])
+
+      Returns the filename for the given library name on the current platform. On Unix
+      a library with *lib_type* of ``'static'`` will typically be of the form
+      :file:`liblibname.a`, while a *lib_type* of ``'dynamic'`` will be of the form
+      :file:`liblibname.so`.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.object_filenames(source_filenames[, strip_dir=0, output_dir=''])
+
+      Returns the name of the object files for the given source files.
+      *source_filenames* should be a list of filenames.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.shared_object_filename(basename[, strip_dir=0, output_dir=''])
+
+      Returns the name of a shared object file for the given file name *basename*.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.execute(func, args[, msg=None, level=1])
+
+      Invokes :func:`packaging.util.execute` This method invokes a Python function
+      *func* with the given arguments *args*, after logging and taking into account
+      the *dry_run* flag. XXX see also.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.spawn(cmd)
+
+      Invokes :func:`packaging.util.spawn`. This invokes an external process to run
+      the given command. XXX see also.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.mkpath(name[, mode=511])
+
+      Invokes :func:`packaging.dir_util.mkpath`. This creates a directory and any
+      missing ancestor directories. XXX see also.
+
+
+   .. method:: CCompiler.move_file(src, dst)
+
+      Invokes :meth:`packaging.file_util.move_file`. Renames *src* to *dst*.  XXX see
+      also.
+
+
+:mod:`packaging.compiler.extension` --- The Extension class
+===========================================================
+
+.. module:: packaging.compiler.extension
+   :synopsis: Class used to represent C/C++ extension modules.
+
+
+This module provides the :class:`Extension` class, used to represent C/C++
+extension modules.
+
+.. class:: Extension
+
+   The Extension class describes a single C or C++ extension module.  It accepts
+   the following keyword arguments in its constructor
+
+   +------------------------+--------------------------------+---------------------------+
+   | argument name          | value                          | type                      |
+   +========================+================================+===========================+
+   | *name*                 | the full name of the           | string                    |
+   |                        | extension, including any       |                           |
+   |                        | packages --- i.e. *not* a      |                           |
+   |                        | filename or pathname, but      |                           |
+   |                        | Python dotted name             |                           |
+   +------------------------+--------------------------------+---------------------------+
+   | *sources*              | list of source filenames,      | string                    |
+   |                        | relative to the distribution   |                           |
+   |                        | root (where the setup script   |                           |
+   |                        | lives), in Unix form (slash-   |                           |
+   |                        | separated) for portability.    |                           |
+   |                        | Source files may be C, C++,    |                           |
+   |                        | SWIG (.i), platform-specific   |                           |
+   |                        | resource files, or whatever    |                           |
+   |                        | else is recognized by the      |                           |
+   |                        | :command:`build_ext` command   |                           |
+   |                        | as source for a Python         |                           |
+   |                        | extension.                     |                           |
+   +------------------------+--------------------------------+---------------------------+
+   | *include_dirs*         | list of directories to search  | string                    |
+   |                        | for C/C++ header files (in     |                           |
+   |                        | Unix form for portability)     |                           |
+   +------------------------+--------------------------------+---------------------------+
+   | *define_macros*        | list of macros to define; each | (string, string) tuple or |
+   |                        | macro is defined using a       | (name, ``None``)          |
+   |                        | 2-tuple ``(name, value)``,     |                           |
+   |                        | where *value* is               |                           |
+   |                        | either the string to define it |                           |
+   |                        | to or ``None`` to define it    |                           |
+   |                        | without a particular value     |                           |
+   |                        | (equivalent of ``#define FOO`` |                           |
+   |                        | in source or :option:`-DFOO`   |                           |
+   |                        | on Unix C compiler command     |                           |
+   |                        | line)                          |                           |
+   +------------------------+--------------------------------+---------------------------+
+   | *undef_macros*         | list of macros to undefine     | string                    |
+   |                        | explicitly                     |                           |
+   +------------------------+--------------------------------+---------------------------+
+   | *library_dirs*         | list of directories to search  | string                    |
+   |                        | for C/C++ libraries at link    |                           |
+   |                        | time                           |                           |
+   +------------------------+--------------------------------+---------------------------+
+   | *libraries*            | list of library names (not     | string                    |
+   |                        | filenames or paths) to link    |                           |
+   |                        | against                        |                           |
+   +------------------------+--------------------------------+---------------------------+
+   | *runtime_library_dirs* | list of directories to search  | string                    |
+   |                        | for C/C++ libraries at run     |                           |
+   |                        | time (for shared extensions,   |                           |
+   |                        | this is when the extension is  |                           |
+   |                        | loaded)                        |                           |
+   +------------------------+--------------------------------+---------------------------+
+   | *extra_objects*        | list of extra files to link    | string                    |
+   |                        | with (e.g. object files not    |                           |
+   |                        | implied by 'sources', static   |                           |
+   |                        | library that must be           |                           |
+   |                        | explicitly specified, binary   |                           |
+   |                        | resource files, etc.)          |                           |
+   +------------------------+--------------------------------+---------------------------+
+   | *extra_compile_args*   | any extra platform- and        | string                    |
+   |                        | compiler-specific information  |                           |
+   |                        | to use when compiling the      |                           |
+   |                        | source files in 'sources'. For |                           |
+   |                        | platforms and compilers where  |                           |
+   |                        | a command line makes sense,    |                           |
+   |                        | this is typically a list of    |                           |
+   |                        | command-line arguments, but    |                           |
+   |                        | for other platforms it could   |                           |
+   |                        | be anything.                   |                           |
+   +------------------------+--------------------------------+---------------------------+
+   | *extra_link_args*      | any extra platform- and        | string                    |
+   |                        | compiler-specific information  |                           |
+   |                        | to use when linking object     |                           |
+   |                        | files together to create the   |                           |
+   |                        | extension (or to create a new  |                           |
+   |                        | static Python interpreter).    |                           |
+   |                        | Similar interpretation as for  |                           |
+   |                        | 'extra_compile_args'.          |                           |
+   +------------------------+--------------------------------+---------------------------+
+   | *export_symbols*       | list of symbols to be exported | string                    |
+   |                        | from a shared extension. Not   |                           |
+   |                        | used on all platforms, and not |                           |
+   |                        | generally necessary for Python |                           |
+   |                        | extensions, which typically    |                           |
+   |                        | export exactly one symbol:     |                           |
+   |                        | ``init`` + extension_name.     |                           |
+   +------------------------+--------------------------------+---------------------------+
+   | *depends*              | list of files that the         | string                    |
+   |                        | extension depends on           |                           |
+   +------------------------+--------------------------------+---------------------------+
+   | *language*             | extension language (i.e.       | string                    |
+   |                        | ``'c'``, ``'c++'``,            |                           |
+   |                        | ``'objc'``). Will be detected  |                           |
+   |                        | from the source extensions if  |                           |
+   |                        | not provided.                  |                           |
+   +------------------------+--------------------------------+---------------------------+