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-rw-r--r-- | Misc/SpecialBuilds.txt | 76 |
1 files changed, 76 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Misc/SpecialBuilds.txt b/Misc/SpecialBuilds.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..456c462 --- /dev/null +++ b/Misc/SpecialBuilds.txt @@ -0,0 +1,76 @@ +This file describes some special Python build types enabled via +compile-time preprocessor defines. + +--------------------------------------------------------------------------- +Py_REF_DEBUG + +Turn on aggregate reference counting. This arranges that extern +_Py_RefTotal hold a count of all references, the sum of ob_refcnt across +all objects. In a debug-mode build, this is where the "8288" comes from +in + + >>> 23 + 23 + [8288 refs] + >>> + +Note that if this count increases when you're not storing away new objects, +there's probably a leak. Remember, though, that in interactive mode the +special name "_" holds a reference to the last result displayed! + +Py_REF_DEBUG also checks after every decref to verify that the refcount +hasn't gone negative, and causes an immediate fatal error if it has. + +Special gimmicks: + +sys.gettotalrefcount() + Return current total of all refcounts. + Available under Py_REF_DEBUG in Python 2.3. + Before 2.3, Py_TRACE_REFS was required to enable this function. +--------------------------------------------------------------------------- +Py_TRACE_REFS + +Turn on heavy reference debugging. This is major surgery. Every PyObject +grows two more pointers, to maintain a doubly-linked list of all live +heap-allocated objects (note that, e.g., most builtin type objects are not +in this list, as they're statically allocated). Note that because the +fundamental PyObject layout changes, Python modules compiled with +Py_TRACE_REFS are incompatible with modules compiled without it. + +Py_TRACE_REFS implies Py_REF_DEBUG. + +Special gimmicks: + +sys.getobjects(max[, type]) + Return list of the most-recently allocated max objects, most recently + allocated first in the list, least-recently allocated last in the + list. max=0 means no limit on list length. If an optional type + object is passed, the list is also restricted to objects of that + type. + +envar PYTHONDUMPREFS + If this envar exists, Py_Finalize() arranges to print a list of + all still-live heap objects. +--------------------------------------------------------------------------- +COUNT_ALLOCS + +Special gimmicks: + +sys.getcounts() +--------------------------------------------------------------------------- +PYMALLOC_DEBUG + +Special gimmicks: + +envar PYTHONMALLOCSTATS + If this envar exists, a report of pymalloc summary statistics is + printed to stderr whenever a new arena is allocated, and also + by Py_Finalize(). +--------------------------------------------------------------------------- +Py_DEBUG + +This is what is generally meant by "a debug build" of Python. + +Py_DEBUG implies Py_REF_DEBUG, Py_TRACE_REFS, and PYMALLOC_DEBUG (if +WITH_PYMALLOC is enabled). +--------------------------------------------------------------------------- |