This is something that ought to be simple, but going through the
documentation hasn't come up with the answer. Hopefully someone can
answer it faster than I can figure it out from the documentation.
I am using Python 2.6 for a project. I do not have a choice in the
matter, so telling me to use Python 3.1 is not helpful. [I already wasted
a while learning that Python 2.x and Python 3.x are very different, and
documentation for the one is lies for the other........]
I know relatively little about Python, but am experienced in other OO
languages. The OO jargon I'll use in this question is as is used in
SmallTalk or perhaps Objective-C (just in case Python uses other jargon).
I have a Python module written in C that interfaces with an external C
library. Basically, the project is to make it possible to use that
library from Python scripts. If you know who I am, you can guess which
library. :)
I have gotten as far as writing the module, and I can call methods in the
module that call the library and do the intended thing. So far, so good.
However, I now need to write a method that creates what the library calls
a "stream", and I need method calls to work on that stream.
The obvious way to do this in any other OO language is to have an object
that holds the stream from the library in an instance variable (which
actually will be constant for that object instance), and has various
object methods for operating on that stream.
I assume that the object methods are defined by a PyMethodDef table, just
as they are for the module. But how do I:
[1] define the object
[2] create an instance of the object with the stream and methods
[3] hook the object's destruction to a library stream-close function
Python does NOT need to look at the stream in any way. Ideally, the
object is just a blob that only has method calls.
This ought to be simple, and not even require me to know much Python since
basically the task is just this module and a few very basic Python scripts
to use it. Other people will be writing the real scripts.
Of course, I could just have the open method return the stream pointer as
a big int, and have module methods that take the stream pointer as their
first argument, just as in C code. If I did that, the project would have
been done by now. But the result wouldn't be very OO or Pythonish; and
more to the point other people will have to use it. I hate when people
inflict quick, dirty, stupid, ugly, lazy programmer abominations on me;
and so I feel obligated to do it right rather than inflict an abomination
on others... :)
Thanks in advance for any pointers and/or help.
-- Mark --
http://panda.com/mrc
Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what to eat for lunch.
Liberty is a well-armed sheep contesting the vote.
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