Python: Essential Reference, Third Edition

dl

The dl module provides access to the dynamic loader on UNIX platforms. There is rarely any need to use this module directly. However, the contents of this module may be of some use for programmers who work with C/C++ extensions to Python.

open(name [, mode])

Opens a shared object file, name, and returns a handle object. mode is the bitwise OR of flags that control how symbols are solved in the loaded library. Here are the common flag values:

Flag Value	Description
RTLD_GLOBAL	External symbols in the loaded library added to the global namespace and used to resolve symbols in subsequently loaded libraries.
RTLD_LAZY	Use late-binding of symbols.
RTLD_LOCAL	Symbols in the loaded library are private.
RTLD_NODELETE	Do not remove the library from memory after ...