Python that runs C++

Date: 2016-08-05

Here is how to use C++ from Python 2.7

This repository builds a shared object file using cmake. This shared object file maps and binds C++ methods, objects and classes with boost python so they can be used in python after importing the file with import libpyapi_wrapper_ext

I plan to use this repository for integrating a new third-party API that is distributed only in C++.

GitHub Repository: https://github.com/jay-johnson/python-that-runs-c-plus-plus

How to run C++ methods from Python

Here is the python demo code:

#!/usr/bin/python

# Import the PyAPI Wrapper shared object file (extension)
import libpyapi_wrapper_ext

# Pass python variables through the method
some_test_int = 7
some_test_str = "This is how to setup Python to call a C++ API"

# call C++ Wrapper demo method
print "----------------------------"
print "Running C++ demo method from Python"
print libpyapi_wrapper_ext.demo_print_method(some_test_int, some_test_str)

print "Trying C++ Class from Python"
api_key     = "ASDFASDFASDF"
api_skey    = "APISECRET"
wrapper     = libpyapi_wrapper_ext.PyAPIWrapper("demoapi", api_key, api_skey)

str_value   = "Passing a string into C++"
print wrapper.perform_api_action(str_value)

How it Works

1. Import the C++ shared object file

   import libpyapi_wrapper_ext
   

2. Call the demo_print_method

   print libpyapi_wrapper_ext.demo_print_method(some_test_int, some_test_str)
   

   Under the hood, this code calls a C++ method src/lib_pyapi_wrapper_ext.cpp#L24 that is bound by the line:

   def("demo_print_method", demo_print_method);
   

   Which runs the C++ method below from src/lib_pyapi_wrapper_ext.cpp#L13

   std::string demo_print_method(int test_int, std::string test_string)
   {
       std::stringstream ss;
       ss << " - Testing Conversion Integer(" << test_int << ") String(" << test_string.c_str() << ")" << std::endl;
       return ss.str();
   }
   

3. Create a Python-C++ API Object

   This creates a python wrapper object for demoing how to use a C++ API from python. The sample PyAPIWrapper class is defined in the headers/pyapi_wrapper.h

   api_key     = "ASDFASDFASDF"
   api_skey    = "APISECRET"
   wrapper     = libpyapi_wrapper_ext.PyAPIWrapper("demoapi", api_key, api_skey)
   

4. Once the wrapper object is instantiated in python, it can invoke methods exposed by the shared object library file src/lib_pyapi_wrapper_ext.cpp#L25. Here is the code for exposing one of the PyAPIWrapper member methods:

   .def("perform_api_action", &PyAPIWrapper::perform_api_action)
   

   This code binds the PyAPIWrapper::perform_api_action method from the cpp implementation file src/pyapi_wrapper.cpp#L14

Build Steps

1. Build the C++ wrapper using CMake

   $ cmake .
   -- The C compiler identification is GNU 5.1.1
   -- The CXX compiler identification is GNU 5.1.1
   -- Check for working C compiler: /usr/lib64/ccache/cc
   -- Check for working C compiler: /usr/lib64/ccache/cc -- works
   -- Detecting C compiler ABI info
   -- Detecting C compiler ABI info - done
   -- Detecting C compile features
   -- Detecting C compile features - done
   -- Check for working CXX compiler: /usr/lib64/ccache/c++
   -- Check for working CXX compiler: /usr/lib64/ccache/c++ -- works
   -- Detecting CXX compiler ABI info
   -- Detecting CXX compiler ABI info - done
   -- Detecting CXX compile features
   -- Detecting CXX compile features - done
   -- Boost version: 1.57.0
   -- Found the following Boost libraries:
   --   filesystem
   --   system
   --   date_time
   --   python
   ---- Boost Include:  /usr/include
   ---- Boost Libs:     /usr/lib64/libboost_filesystem.so/usr/lib64/libboost_system.so/usr/lib64/libboost_date_time.so/usr/lib64/libboost_python.so
   -- Found PythonLibs: /usr/lib64/libpython2.7.so (found version "2.7.10")
   ---- Python Include: /usr/include/python2.7
   ---- Python Libs:    /usr/lib64/libpython2.7.so
   -- Found PythonLibs: python2.7 (found version "2.7.10")
   -- Boost version: 1.57.0
   -- Boost version: 1.57.0
   -- Found the following Boost libraries:
   --   python
   -- Configuring done
   -- Generating done
   -- Build files have been written to: <path>
   

2. Make it

   $ make -j4
   Scanning dependencies of target pyapi_wrapper_ext
   [ 33%] Building CXX object CMakeFiles/pyapi_wrapper_ext.dir/src/pyapi_wrapper.cpp.o
   [ 66%] Building CXX object CMakeFiles/pyapi_wrapper_ext.dir/src/lib_pyapi_wrapper_ext.cpp.o
   [100%] Linking CXX shared module libpyapi_wrapper_ext.so
   [100%] Built target pyapi_wrapper_ext
   $
   

3. Run the demo

   $ ./run_api_demo.py
   ----------------------------
   Running C++ method from Python
    - Testing Conversion Integer(7) String(This is how to setup Python to call a C++ API)
   
   Trying C++ Class from Python
   PyAPI(demoapi) running PerformAction with String(Passing a string into C++)
   
   $
   

Adding Custom Code

1. Add your own cpp files to the source list found in the CMakeLists.txt

2. Run cmake .

3. Run make

License

MIT

Thanks for reading!

Until next time,

Jay

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