Programming Python, 4th Edition

Chapter 20. Python/C Integration

“I Am Lost at C”

Throughout this book, our programs have all been written in Python code. We have used interfaces to services outside Python, and we’ve coded reusable tools in the Python language, but all our work has been done in Python itself. Despite our programs’ scale and utility, they’ve been Python through and through.

For many programmers and scripters, this mode makes perfect sense. In fact, such standalone programming is one of the main ways people apply Python. As we’ve seen, Python comes with batteries included—interfaces to system tools, Internet protocols, GUIs, data storage, and much more is already available. Moreover, most custom tasks we’re likely to encounter have prebuilt solutions in the open source world; the PIL system, for example, allows us to process images in tkinter GUIs by simply running a self-installer.

But for some systems, Python’s ability to integrate with components written in (or compatible with) the C programming language is a crucial feature. In fact, Python’s role as an extension and interface language in larger systems is one of the reasons for its popularity and why it is often called a “scripting” language in the first place. Its design supports hybrid systems that mix components written in a variety of programming languages. Because different languages have different strengths, being able to pick and choose on a component-by-component basis is a powerful concept. You can add Python to the mix anywhere you need ...