unloading extension library

[Bill Pursell]

I've got a simple extension module that contains two functions:
void hi(void) __attribute__((constructor));
void hi(void) { printf("Hi!\n");}
void bye(void) __attribute__((destructor));
void bye(void) { printf("Bye!\n");}
When I run in the interpreter:

>>import spam

Hi!

>>del spam

Notice that the destructor isn't called. How can I force python
to dlclose() the library and ensure that my destructors get called?
--
Bill Pursell

[Bill Pursell]

Bill Pursell wrote:

I've got a simple extension module that contains two functions:
void hi(void) __attribute__((constructor));
void hi(void) { printf("Hi!\n");}
void bye(void) __attribute__((destructor));
void bye(void) { printf("Bye!\n");}
When I run in the interpreter:

>import spam

Hi!

>del spam

Notice that the destructor isn't called. How can I force python
to dlclose() the library and ensure that my destructors get called?

There is something about my google-fu that only allows me to
find things 25 seconds after I post....

>>del sys.modules["spam"]
del spam

Should remove all the references, but I still don't want to wait for
garbage collection. I need to be sure that the dlclose() happens
and the destructors are called. Can I do that? (without relying
on ctypes, preferrably.)

--
Bill Pursell

[Fredrik Lundh]

Bill Pursell wrote:

>>>del sys.modules["spam"]
del spam

Should remove all the references, but I still don't want to wait for
garbage collection. I need to be sure that the dlclose() happens
and the destructors are called. Can I do that? (without relying
on ctypes, preferrably.)

in general, no. Python's not C++; you cannot rely on the garbage
collector to release resources at a given time (or to release them at
all, for that matter).

if you want to tear down an object or a module in a reliable fashion,
you need to provide an API for that purpose.

</F>