Using External Libraries with python?

[Ognjen Bezanov]

Hello,

I have some external C libraries I would like to use with python.

I have been searching on the internet and found many such
modules/bindings for libraries (e.g. Py-Lame) but have not yet
come across any information of how to actually go about creating such
bindings, so I was wondering if anybody here could point me in the right
direction?

Thank you!

[=?ISO-8859-1?Q?=22Martin_v=2E_L=F6wis=22?=]

Ognjen Bezanov schrieb:

I have some external C libraries I would like to use with python.

I have been searching on the internet and found many such
modules/bindings for libraries (e.g. Py-Lame) but have not yet
come across any information of how to actually go about creating such
bindings, so I was wondering if anybody here could point me in the right
direction?

There are several methods. One is to write a Python C module by hand,
using the Python C API:

http://docs.python.org/ext/ext.html
http://docs.python.org/api/api.html

Essentially, all you need is a DLL/shared-object with an init
function.

Other solutions include tools that generate extension modules
automatically (such as SWIG or Pyrex), or using libraries on
top of the C API (such as Boost.Python).

I personally always use the C API directly.

Regards,
Martin

[Chris Mellon]

On 1/4/07, "Martin v. Löwis" <ma****@v.loewi s.dewrote:

Ognjen Bezanov schrieb:

I have some external C libraries I would like to use with python.

I have been searching on the internet and found many such
modules/bindings for libraries (e.g. Py-Lame) but have not yet
come across any information of how to actually go about creating such
bindings, so I was wondering if anybody here could point me in the right
direction?

There are several methods. One is to write a Python C module by hand,
using the Python C API:

http://docs.python.org/ext/ext.html
http://docs.python.org/api/api.html

Essentially, all you need is a DLL/shared-object with an init
function.

Other solutions include tools that generate extension modules
automatically (such as SWIG or Pyrex), or using libraries on
top of the C API (such as Boost.Python).

I personally always use the C API directly.

Regards,
Martin

Don't forget calling the using the external library directly from
Python by using ctypes.