CODEWITHSUNDEEP
python-3.xdllctypes
Trekkie
Trekkie

Reputation: 994

How to programmatically wrap a C++ dll with Python

I know how to use ctypes to call a function from a C++ .dll in Python by creating a "wrapper" function that casts the Python input types to C. I think of this as essentially recreating the function signatures in Python, where the function body contains the type cast to C and a corresponding .dll function call.

I currently have a set of C++ .dll files. Each library contains many functions, some of which are overloaded. I am tasked with writing a Python interface for each of these .dll files. My current way forward is to "use the hammer I have" and go through each function, lovingly crafting a corresponding Python wrapper for each... this will involve my looking at the API documentation for each of the functions within the .dlls and coding them up one by one. My instinct tells me, though, that there may be a much more efficient way to go about this.

My question is: Is there a programmatic way of interfacing with a Windows C++ .dll that does not require crafting corresponding wrappers for each of the functions? Thanks.

Upvotes: 2

Views: 1446

Answers (1)

physmom
physmom

Reputation: 120

I would recommend using Cython to do your wrapping. Cython allows you to use C/C++ code directly with very little changes (in addition to some boilerplate). For wrapping large libraries, it's often straightforward to get something up and running very quickly with minimal extra wrapping work (such as in Ctypes). It's also been my experience that Cython scales better... although it takes more front end work to stand Cython up rather than Ctypes, it is in my opinion more maintainable and lends itself well to the programmatic generation of wrapping code to which you allude.

Upvotes: 2

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