The ctypes package
==================

Overview
--------

    ``ctypes`` is an advanced ffi (Foreign Function Interface) package
    for Python_ 2.3 and higher.  In Python_ 2.5 it is already
    included.

    ctypes allows to call functions exposed from dlls/shared libraries
    and has extensive facilities to create, access and manipulate
    simple and complicated C data types in Python - in other words:
    wrap libraries in pure Python. It is even possible to implement C
    callback functions in pure Python.

    ctypes works on Windows, Windows CE, Mac OS X, Linux, Solaris,
    FreeBSD, OpenBSD. It may also run on other systems, provided that
    libffi supports this platform.

.. _Python: http://www.python.org/

Documentation
-------------

    Documentation is available in several formats.

    - The tutorial_ and the reference_ as one single HTML page each.

    - Single HTML pages from the official `Python 2.5 documentation`_.

.. _tutorial: ./tutorial.html
.. _reference: ./reference.html

.. _`Python 2.5 documentation`: http://docs.python.org/dev/lib/module-ctypes.html

Related projects
----------------

    A codegenerator_ which will parse C header files and generate
    ctypes compatible Python code.  There is currently no official
    release for the code generator, but you can get it from the
    `codegenerator SVN repository`_.

    A pure Python COM package named comtypes_, especially useful for
    calling and implementing custom COM interfaces without the need to
    write C/C++ code.

.. _`codegenerator SVN repository`: http://svn.python.org/projects/ctypes/trunk/codegen/
.. _comtypes: http://cheeseshop.python.org/pypi/comtypes
.. _codegenerator: http://starship.python.net/crew/theller/ctypes/old/codegen.html

Downloads
---------

    Recent releases can be downloaded in the `sourceforge files
    section`_.  The current version is 1.0.0.

    ``ctypes`` is licensed under the `MIT License`_.

.. _`sourceforge files section`: http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=71702
.. _`MIT License`: http://svn.python.org/view/*checkout*/ctypes/trunk/ctypes/LICENSE.txt