Embedding Python in Another Application¶
The previous chapters discussed how to extend Python, that is, how to extend the functionality of Python by attaching a library of C functions to it. It is also possible to do it the other way around: enrich your C/C++ application by embedding Python in it. Embedding provides your application with the ability to implement some of the functionality of your application in Python rather than C or C++. This can be used for many purposes; one example would be to allow users to tailor the application to their needs by writing some scripts in Python. You can also use it yourself if some of the functionality can be written in Python more easily.
Embedding Python is similar to extending it, but not quite. The difference is that when you extend Python, the main program of the application is still the Python interpreter, while if you embed Python, the main program may have nothing to do with Python — instead, some parts of the application occasionally call the Python interpreter to run some Python code.
So if you are embedding Python, you are providing your own main program. One of
the things this main program has to do is initialize the Python interpreter. At
the very least, you have to call the function Py_Initialize(). There are
optional calls to pass command line arguments to Python. Then later you can
call the interpreter from any part of the application.
There are several different ways to call the interpreter: you can pass a string
containing Python statements to PyRun_SimpleString(), or you can pass a
stdio file pointer and a file name (for identification in error messages only)
to PyRun_SimpleFile(). You can also call the lower-level operations
described in the previous chapters to construct and use Python objects.
See also
- Python/C API reference manual
The details of Python’s C interface are given in this manual. A great deal of necessary information can be found here.
Very High Level Embedding¶
The simplest form of embedding Python is the use of the very high level interface. This interface is intended to execute a Python script without needing to interact with the application directly. This can for example be used to perform some operation on a file.
#define PY_SSIZE_T_CLEAN
#include <Python.h>
int
main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
PyStatus status;
PyConfig config;
PyConfig_InitPythonConfig(&config);
/* optional but recommended */
status = PyConfig_SetBytesString(&config, &config.program_name, argv[0]);
if (PyStatus_Exception(status)) {
goto exception;
}
status = Py_InitializeFromConfig(&config);
if (PyStatus_Exception(status)) {
goto exception;
}
PyConfig_Clear(&config);
PyRun_SimpleString("from time import time,ctime\n"
"print('Today is', ctime(time()))\n");
if (Py_FinalizeEx() < 0) {
exit(120);
}
return 0;
exception:
PyConfig_Clear(&config);
Py_ExitStatusException(status);
}
Note
#define PY_SSIZE_T_CLEAN was used to indicate that Py_ssize_t should be
used in some APIs instead of int.
It is not necessary since Python 3.13, but we keep it here for backward compatibility.
See Strings and buffers for a description of this macro.
Setting PyConfig.program_name should be called before
Py_InitializeFromConfig() to inform the interpreter about paths to Python run-time
libraries. Next, the Python interpreter is initialized with
Py_Initialize(), followed by the execution of a hard-coded Python script
that prints the date and time. Afterwards, the Py_FinalizeEx() call shuts
the interpreter down, followed by the end of the program. In a real program,
you may want to get the Python script from another source, perhaps a text-editor
routine, a file, or a database. Getting the Python code from a file can better
be done by using the PyRun_SimpleFile() function, which saves you the
trouble of allocating memory space and loading the file contents.
Beyond Very High Level Embedding: An overview¶
The high level interface gives you the ability to execute arbitrary pieces of Python code from your application, but exchanging data values is quite cumbersome to say the least. If you want that, you should use lower level calls. At the cost of having to write more C code, you can achieve almost anything.
It should be noted that extending Python and embedding Python is quite the same activity, despite the different intent. Most topics discussed in the previous chapters are still valid. To show this, consider what the extension code from Python to C really does:
Convert data values from Python to C,
Perform a function call to a C routine using the converted values, and
Convert the data values from the call from C to Python.
When embedding Python, the interface code does:
Convert data values from C to Python,
Perform a function call to a Python interface routine using the converted values, and
Convert the data values from the call from Python to C.
As you can see, the data conversion steps are simply swapped to accommodate the different direction of the cross-language transfer. The only difference is the routine that you call between both data conversions. When extending, you call a C routine, when embedding, you call a Python routine.
This chapter will not discuss how to convert data from Python to C and vice versa. Also, proper use of references and dealing with errors is assumed to be understood. Since these aspects do not differ from extending the interpreter, you can refer to earlier chapters for the required information.
Pure Embedding¶
The first program aims to execute a function in a Python script. Like in the section about the very high level interface, the Python interpreter does not directly interact with the application (but that will change in the next section).
The code to run a function defined in a Python script is:
#define PY_SSIZE_T_CLEAN
#include <Python.h>
int
main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
PyObject *pName, *pModule, *pFunc;
PyObject *pArgs, *pValue;
int i;
if (argc < 3) {
fprintf(stderr,"Usage: call pythonfile funcname [args]\n");
return 1;
}
Py_Initialize();
pName = PyUnicode_DecodeFSDefault(argv[1]);
/* Error checking of pName left out */
pModule = PyImport_Import(pName);
Py_DECREF(pName);
if (pModule != NULL) {
pFunc = PyObject_GetAttrString(pModule, argv[2]);
/* pFunc is a new reference */
if (pFunc && PyCallable_Check(pFunc)) {
pArgs = PyTuple_New(argc - 3);
for (i = 0; i < argc - 3; ++i) {
pValue = PyLong_FromLong(atoi(argv[i + 3]));
if (!pValue) {
Py_DECREF(pArgs);
Py_DECREF(pModule);
fprintf(stderr, "Cannot convert argument\n");
return 1;
}
/* pValue reference stolen here: */
PyTuple_SetItem(pArgs, i, pValue);
}
pValue = PyObject_CallObject(pFunc, pArgs);
Py_DECREF(pArgs);
if (pValue != NULL) {
printf("Result of call: %ld\n", PyLong_AsLong(pValue));
Py_DECREF(pValue);
}
else {
Py_DECREF(pFunc);
Py_DECREF(pModule);
PyErr_Print();
fprintf(stderr,"Call failed\n");
return 1;
}
}
else {
if (PyErr_Occurred())
PyErr_Print();
fprintf(stderr, "Cannot find function \"%s\"\n", argv[2]);
}
Py_XDECREF(pFunc);
Py_DECREF(pModule);
}
else {
PyErr_Print();
fprintf(stderr, "Failed to load \"%s\"\n", argv[1]);
return 1;
}
if (Py_FinalizeEx() < 0) {
return 120;
}
return 0;
}
This code loads a Python script using argv[1], and calls the function named
in argv[2]. Its integer arguments are the other values of the argv
array. If you compile and link this program (let’s call
the finished executable call), and use it to execute a Python
script, such as:
def multiply(a,b):
print("Will compute", a, "times", b)
c = 0
for i in range(