Re: [boost] revised Boost.Python inplace operators patch

From: Scott Snyder (snyder_at_[hidden])
Date: 2001-12-16 22:30:06

>This is fantastic! I'm applying your patch. Did you consider extending the
>automatic wrapping feature to support your inplace operators? It seems like
>an obvious step.

Not really; since for my present application, i'm generating the wrapper
code automatically, the automatic operator wrapping doesn't really make
things any easier for me. 

>I am currently re-constructing Boost.Python. I am working with a new system
>for doing translation between C++ and Python data types; one which will
>reduce the size of compiled modules and enable cross-module inheritance. I
>thought I was going to be able to migrate in small steps, but it looks like
>that would be really difficult. My plan as of now is to work with
>Python2.2b2 sources, which will allow me to throw away most of the existing
>code for implementing extension classes. I am telling you this in case you
>want to adjust what you're working on, since some part of the code will
>undoubtedly go away or change. If you would like to be part of this
>development effort, I would be more than happy to deal you in.

Ok, thanks for letting me know.
In the environment i'm in, moving to python 2.2 at this point would be
pretty painful, at least if i want other people to be able to use my stuff.
So i'd be inclined to stay with the present version, unless it's apparent
that the new way of doing things would substantially simplify what
i'm trying to do.

Maybe i should sketch a little of what i'm trying to do.
For analyzing physics data, we've been using a software package called `root',
which is a large C++ class library, tied together with a C++ interpreter.
Now, C++ is far from my first choice for an interactive scripting language,
and further, the C++ interpreter used is very quirky and buggy.
So i would like to be able to use this code using python a scripting
language instead of C++.

We also have lots of locally-written code, most of which has not been
interfaced to Root, which would be useful to use.
This is what i've been concentrating on first.
Since i already have tools to parse C++ headers and provide class member
information, i've been hoping to decrease the total amount of effort
by putting together a tool that can, in most cases, automatically write
the boost wrappers based on the header declarations.

For the other goal of being able to call root from python, the root
classes are already wrapped by the C++ interpreter used, and all the
information about members, etc. is available at runtime.  Thus, i want
to be able to build the classes dynamically, rather than at compile time,
as the present boost.python does. 

sss