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 in 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.

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

.. _Python: http://www.python.org/
.. _`MIT License`: http://svn.python.org/view/*checkout*/ctypes/trunk/ctypes/LICENSE.txt

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`_.

    The ctypes-users `mailing-list`_ is the place to ask questions
    about ``ctypes`` and related packages; to reduce spam it is now
    required to be subscribed before posting.  This mailing list is
    also available on `gmane`_ in several ways.

    The `ctypes-wiki`_ will hopefully soon contain additional
    documentation, code snippets, answers to FAQs and more.

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

.. _`mailing-list`: https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/ctypes-users
.. _gmane: http://gmane.org/info.php?group=gmane.comp.python.ctypes

.. _`Python 2.5 documentation`: http://docs.python.org/dev/lib/module-ctypes.html
.. _`ctypes-wiki`: http://starship.python.net/crew/theller/wiki

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

    A codegenerator (`old documentation`_, out of date but you may get
    the idea) 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 `ctypeslib 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.  The `comtypes SVN repository`_ contains a much
    improved version, I will release this asap.

.. _`ctypeslib SVN repository`: http://svn.python.org/projects/ctypes/trunk/ctypeslib/

.. _`comtypes SVN repository`: http://svn.python.org/projects/ctypes/trunk/comtypes/
.. _comtypes: http://cheeseshop.python.org/pypi/comtypes

.. _`old documentation`: 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 1.0.1.

    ``ctypes`` is registered in the `Python package index`_, so you
    can also install it with easy_install.


.. _`Python package index`: http://www.python.org/pypi/ctypes
.. _`sourceforge files section`: http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=71702