19. Python compiler package

The Python compiler package is a tool for analyzing Python source code and generating Python bytecode. The compiler contains libraries to generate an abstract syntax tree from Python source code and to generate Python bytecode from the tree.

The compiler package is a Python source to bytecode translator written in Python. It uses the built-in parser and standard parser module to generated a concrete syntax tree. This tree is used to generate an abstract syntax tree (AST) and then Python bytecode.

The full functionality of the package duplicates the builtin compiler provided with the Python interpreter. It is intended to match its behavior almost exactly. Why implement another compiler that does the same thing? The package is useful for a variety of purposes. It can be modified more easily than the builtin compiler. The AST it generates is useful for analyzing Python source code.

This chapter explains how the various components of the compiler package work. It blends reference material with a tutorial.

The following modules are part of the compiler package:

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Python Library Reference

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Release 2.4.4c1, documentation updated on 11 October 2006.