1. Extending Python with C or C++
It is quite easy to add new built-in modules to Python, if you know how to program in C. Such extension modules can do two things that can't be done directly in Python: they can implement new built-in object types, and they can call C library functions and system calls.
To support extensions, the Python API (Application Programmers
Interface) defines a set of functions, macros and variables that
provide access to most aspects of the Python run-time system. The
Python API is incorporated in a C source file by including the header
"Python.h".
The compilation of an extension module depends on its intended use as well as on your system setup; details are given in later chapters.
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Extending and Embedding the Python Interpreter |  |
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Release 2.4, documentation updated on 29 November 2004.