-
Notifications
You must be signed in to change notification settings - Fork 27
Commit
This commit does not belong to any branch on this repository, and may belong to a fork outside of the repository.
Updated Shiboken documentation with advice about duck punching and vi…
…rtual methods. Reviewed by Luciano Wolf <luciano.wolf@openbossa.org> Reviewed by Renato Araújo <renato.filho@openbossa.org>
- Loading branch information
Showing
3 changed files
with
74 additions
and
0 deletions.
There are no files selected for viewing
This file contains bidirectional Unicode text that may be interpreted or compiled differently than what appears below. To review, open the file in an editor that reveals hidden Unicode characters.
Learn more about bidirectional Unicode characters
This file contains bidirectional Unicode text that may be interpreted or compiled differently than what appears below. To review, open the file in an editor that reveals hidden Unicode characters.
Learn more about bidirectional Unicode characters
Original file line number | Diff line number | Diff line change |
---|---|---|
|
@@ -10,3 +10,4 @@ Table of contents | |
codeinjectionsemantics.rst | ||
sequenceprotocol.rst | ||
ownership.rst | ||
wordsofadvice.rst |
This file contains bidirectional Unicode text that may be interpreted or compiled differently than what appears below. To review, open the file in an editor that reveals hidden Unicode characters.
Learn more about bidirectional Unicode characters
Original file line number | Diff line number | Diff line change |
---|---|---|
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@ | ||
.. _words-of-advice: | ||
|
||
*************** | ||
Words of Advice | ||
*************** | ||
|
||
When writing or using Python bindings there is some things you must keep in mind. | ||
|
||
|
||
.. _duck-punching-and-virtual-methods: | ||
|
||
Duck punching and virtual methods | ||
================================= | ||
|
||
The combination of duck punching, the practice of altering class characteristics | ||
of already instantiated objects, and virtual methods of wrapped C++ classes, can | ||
be tricky. That was an optimistic statement. | ||
|
||
Let's see duck punching in action for educational purposes. | ||
|
||
.. code-block:: python | ||
import types | ||
import Binding | ||
obj = Binding.CppClass() | ||
# CppClass has a virtual method called 'virtualMethod', | ||
# but we don't like it anymore. | ||
def myVirtualMethod(self_obj, arg): | ||
pass | ||
obj.virtualMethod = types.MethodType(myVirtualMethod, obj, Binding.CppClass) | ||
If some C++ code happens to call `CppClass::virtualMethod(...)` on the C++ object | ||
held by "obj" Python object, the new duck punched "virtualMethod" method will be | ||
properly called. That happens because the underlying C++ object is in fact an instance | ||
of a generated C++ class that inherits from `CppClass`, let's call it `CppClassWrapper`, | ||
responsible for receiving the C++ virtual method calls and finding out the proper Python | ||
override to which handle such a call. | ||
|
||
Now that you know this, consider the case when C++ has a factory method that gives you | ||
new C++ objects originated somewhere in C++-land, in opposition to the ones generated in | ||
Python-land by the usage of class constructors, like in the example above. | ||
|
||
Brief interruption to show what I was saying: | ||
|
||
.. code-block:: python | ||
import types | ||
import Binding | ||
obj = Binding.createCppClass() | ||
def myVirtualMethod(self_obj, arg): | ||
pass | ||
# Punching a dead duck... | ||
obj.virtualMethod = types.MethodType(myVirtualMethod, obj, Binding.CppClass) | ||
The `Binding.createCppClass()` factory method is just an example, C++ created objects | ||
can pop out for a number of other reasons. Objects created this way have a Python wrapper | ||
holding them as usual, but the object held is not a `CppClassWrapper`, but a regular | ||
`CppClass`. All virtual method calls originated in C++ will stay in C++ and never reach | ||
a Python virtual method overridden via duck punching. | ||
|
||
Although duck punching is an interesting Python feature, it don't mix well with wrapped | ||
C++ virtual methods, specially when you can't tell the origin of every single wrapped | ||
C++ object. In summary: don't do it! | ||
|