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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/strict.dtd">
<title>
The Boost Python Library (Boost.Python)
</title>
<h1>
<img src="../../../c++boost.gif" alt="c++boost.gif (8819 bytes)" width="277"
align="center" height="86"><br>The Boost Python Library (Boost.Python)
</h1>
<h2>Synopsis</h2>
<p>
Use the Boost Python Library to quickly and easily export a C++ library to <a
href="http://www.python.org">Python</a> such that the Python interface is
very similar to the C++ interface. It is designed to be minimally
intrusive on your C++ design. In most cases, you should not have to alter
your C++ classes in any way in order to use them with Boost.Python. The system
<em>should</em> simply ``reflect'' your C++ classes and functions into
Python.
<h2>Supported Platforms</h2>
<p>Boost.Python is known to have been tested
against <a href="http://www.python/org/2.2.1">Python 2.2.1</a> using
the following compilers:
<ul>
<li><a
href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/downloads/updates/sp/vs6/sp5/default.asp">MSVC++6sp5</a>.
All tests pass.
<li><a
href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/downloads/updates/sp/vs6/sp5/default.asp">MSVC++6sp5</a>
with <a href="http://www.stlport.org">STLPort</a>-4.5.3. A compiler bug interferes with
<a
href="../example/simple_vector.cpp">libs/python/example/simple_vector.cpp</a>. All
other tests pass.
<p>
<li><a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/visualc/">MSVC++7 (Visual
Studio .NET)</a>. All tests pass.
<p>
<li><a href="http://www.metrowerks.com/products/windows/">Metrowerks
CodeWarrior Pro7.2 and Pro7.0 for Windows</a>. All tests pass.
<p>
<li><a href="http://gcc.gnu.org">GCC 3.0.4</a> under <a
href="www.cygwin.com">Cygwin</a> and
<a href="http://www.redhat.com/">RedHat Linux 7.1</a>.
All tests pass.
<p>
<li>Compaq C++ V6.2-024 for Digital UNIX (an <a
href="http://www.edg.com/">EDG</a>-based compiler).
All tests pass.<br>
Note that the Boost.Compatibility
library must be included (see e.g. tru64_cxx.mak in the build
directory).
<p>
<li>Silicon Graphics MIPSpro Version 7.3.1.2m (an <a
href="http://www.edg.com/">EDG</a>-based compiler).
All tests pass.<br>
Note that the Boost.Compatibility
library must be included (see e.g. irix_CC.mak in the build
directory).
<p>
<li><a href="http://gcc.gnu.org">GCC 2.95.2</a> under <a
href="www.mingw.org">MinGW</a> and <a
href="http://www.redhat.com/">RedHat Linux 7.1</a>.
Compilation succeeds, but some tests fail at runtime due to
exception handling bugs. It is therefore highly recommended
to use GCC 3.0.4 instead.
<p>
<li><a
href="http://developer.intel.com/software/products/compilers/c50/">Intel
C++ 6.0</a> beta: Comprehensive test fails to link due to a
linker bug. Other tests seem to work.
<p>
<li><a
href="http://developer.intel.com/software/products/compilers/c50/">Intel
C++ 5.0</a> Comprehensive test fails at runtime due to an
exception-handling bug. Other tests seem to work.
</ul>
<p>
Note that pickling doesn't work with Python 2.2
due to a core language bug. This is fixed in
<a href="http://www.python/org/2.2.1">2.2.1</a>.
<p>
Boost.Python has also been used with other versions of Python back to
Python 1.5.2. It is expected that the older Python releases still work,
but we are not regularly testing for backward compatibility.
<h2>Credits</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="../../../people/dave_abrahams.htm">David Abrahams</a> originated
and wrote most of the library, and continues to coordinate development.
<li><a href="mailto:koethe@informatik.uni-hamburg.de">Ullrich Koethe</a>
had independently developed a similar system. When he discovered Boost.Python,
he generously contributed countless hours of coding and much insight into
improving it. He is responsible for an early version of the support for <a
href="overloading.html">function overloading</a> and wrote the support for
<a href="inheritance.html#implicit_conversion">reflecting C++ inheritance
relationships</a>. He has helped to improve error-reporting from both
Python and C++, and has designed an extremely easy-to-use way of
exposing <a href="special.html#numeric">numeric operators</a>, including
a way to avoid explicit coercion by means of overloading.
<li><a href="http://cci.lbl.gov/staff/ralf_grosse-kunstleve.html">Ralf W.
Grosse-Kunstleve</a> contributed <a href="pickle.html">pickle support</a>
and numerous other small improvements. He's working on a way to allow
types exported by multiple modules to interact.
<li>The members of the boost mailing list and the Python community
supplied invaluable early feedback. In particular, Ron Clarke, Mark Evans,
Anton Gluck, Chuck Ingold, Prabhu Ramachandran, and Barry Scott took the
brave step of trying to use Boost.Python while it was still in early
stages of development.
<li>The development of Boost.Python wouldn't have been possible without
the generous support of <a href="http://www.dragonsys.com/">Dragon
Systems/Lernout and Hauspie, Inc</a> who supported its development as an
open-source project.
</ul>
<h2>Table of Contents</h2>
<ol>
<li><a href="extending.html">A Brief Introduction to writing Python
extension modules</a>
<li><a href="comparisons.html">Comparisons between Boost.Python and other
systems for extending Python</a>
<li><a href="example1.html">A Simple Example</a>
<li><a href="exporting_classes.html">Exporting Classes</a>
<li><a href="overriding.html">Overridable Virtual Functions</a>
<li><a href="overloading.html">Function Overloading</a>
<li><a href="inheritance.html">Inheritance</a>
<li><a href="special.html">Special Method and Operator Support</a>
<li><a href="under-the-hood.html">A Peek Under the Hood</a>
<li><a href="building.html">Building an Extension Module</a>
<li><a href="pickle.html">Pickle Support</a>
<li><a href="cross_module.html">Cross-Extension-Module Dependencies</a>
<li><a href="enums.html">Wrapping Enums</a>
<li><a href="pointers.html">Pointers and Smart Pointers</a>
<li><a href="data_structures.txt">Internal Data Structures</a>
</ol>
<p>
Documentation is a major ongoing project; assistance is greatly
appreciated! In the meantime, useful examples of every Boost.Python feature should
be evident in the regression test files <code>test/comprehensive.[<a
href="../test/comprehensive.py">py</a>/<a
href="../test/comprehensive.hpp">hpp</a>/<a
href="../test/comprehensive.cpp">cpp</a>]</code>
<p>
Questions should be directed to the <a href=
"http://www.python.org/sigs/c++-sig/">Python C++ SIG</a>.
<p>
&copy; Copyright David Abrahams 2001. Permission to copy, use, modify,
sell and distribute this document is granted provided this copyright
notice appears in all copies. This document is provided ``as is'' without
express or implied warranty, and with no claim as to its suitability for
any purpose.
<p>
Updated: Apr 2002