improved phrasing, markup and example
[python.git] / Misc / pymemcompat.h
blob2757e3acddfb4037252df50233792a11eb93a378
1 /* The idea of this file is that you bundle it with your extension,
2 #include it, program to Python 2.3's memory API and have your
3 extension build with any version of Python from 1.5.2 through to
4 2.3 (and hopefully beyond). */
6 #ifndef Py_PYMEMCOMPAT_H
7 #define Py_PYMEMCOMPAT_H
9 #include "Python.h"
11 /* There are three "families" of memory API: the "raw memory", "object
12 memory" and "object" families. (This is ignoring the matter of the
13 cycle collector, about which more is said below).
15 Raw Memory:
17 PyMem_Malloc, PyMem_Realloc, PyMem_Free
19 Object Memory:
21 PyObject_Malloc, PyObject_Realloc, PyObject_Free
23 Object:
25 PyObject_New, PyObject_NewVar, PyObject_Del
27 The raw memory and object memory allocators both mimic the
28 malloc/realloc/free interface from ANSI C, but the object memory
29 allocator can (and, since 2.3, does by default) use a different
30 allocation strategy biased towards lots of "small" allocations.
32 The object family is used for allocating Python objects, and the
33 initializers take care of some basic initialization (setting the
34 refcount to 1 and filling out the ob_type field) as well as having
35 a somewhat different interface.
37 Do not mix the families! E.g. do not allocate memory with
38 PyMem_Malloc and free it with PyObject_Free. You may get away with
39 it quite a lot of the time, but there *are* scenarios where this
40 will break. You Have Been Warned.
42 Also, in many versions of Python there are an insane amount of
43 memory interfaces to choose from. Use the ones described above. */
45 #if PY_VERSION_HEX < 0x01060000
46 /* raw memory interface already present */
48 /* there is no object memory interface in 1.5.2 */
49 #define PyObject_Malloc PyMem_Malloc
50 #define PyObject_Realloc PyMem_Realloc
51 #define PyObject_Free PyMem_Free
53 /* the object interface is there, but the names have changed */
54 #define PyObject_New PyObject_NEW
55 #define PyObject_NewVar PyObject_NEW_VAR
56 #define PyObject_Del PyMem_Free
57 #endif
59 /* If your object is a container you probably want to support the
60 cycle collector, which was new in Python 2.0.
62 Unfortunately, the interface to the collector that was present in
63 Python 2.0 and 2.1 proved to be tricky to use, and so changed in
64 2.2 -- in a way that can't easily be papered over with macros.
66 This file contains macros that let you program to the 2.2 GC API.
67 Your module will compile against any Python since version 1.5.2,
68 but the type will only participate in the GC in versions 2.2 and
69 up. Some work is still necessary on your part to only fill out the
70 tp_traverse and tp_clear fields when they exist and set tp_flags
71 appropriately.
73 It is possible to support both the 2.0 and 2.2 GC APIs, but it's
74 not pretty and this comment block is too narrow to contain a
75 desciption of what's required... */
77 #if PY_VERSION_HEX < 0x020200B1
78 #define PyObject_GC_New PyObject_New
79 #define PyObject_GC_NewVar PyObject_NewVar
80 #define PyObject_GC_Del PyObject_Del
81 #define PyObject_GC_Track(op)
82 #define PyObject_GC_UnTrack(op)
83 #endif
85 #endif /* !Py_PYMEMCOMPAT_H */