Extension manual: Windows DLL/C++ info needs review

[freddrake]

BPO	225003
Nosy	@loewis, @freddrake, @aleaxit

^{Note: these values reflect the state of the issue at the time it was migrated and might not reflect the current state.}

Show more details

GitHub fields: ```python assignee = 'https://github.com/freddrake' closed_at = created_at = labels = ['docs'] title = 'Extension manual: Windows DLL/C++ info needs review' updated_at = user = 'https://github.com/freddrake' ``` bugs.python.org fields: ```python activity = actor = 'fdrake' assignee = 'fdrake' closed = True closed_date = None closer = None components = ['Documentation'] creation = creator = 'fdrake' dependencies = [] files = [] hgrepos = [] issue_num = 225003 keywords = [] message_count = 9.0 messages = ['2609', '2610', '2611', '2612', '2613', '2614', '2615', '2616', '2617'] nosy_count = 4.0 nosy_names = ['loewis', 'jhylton', 'fdrake', 'aleax'] pr_nums = [] priority = 'low' resolution = 'fixed' stage = None status = 'closed' superseder = None type = None url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue225003' versions = [] ```

[freddrake]

The section on building extensions on Windows needs to be updated. A single section, shared for Unix & Windows, needs to point out the distutils approach and point to the appropriate manual.

Information about linking, DLLs/shared libraries, and use of C++ needs to be reviewed and updated.

[aleaxit]

Logged In: YES user_id=60314

Yes, I fully agree -- the information in the manual at http://python.sourceforge.net/devel-docs/ext/win- cookbook.html is positively wrong, and one of the major causes of help requests in my experience -- people look for inexistent http://starship.python.net/crew/da/compile/, download the sources to get a pyconfig.h they don't need and look for a PC\pyconfig.h that doesn't exist, and get tied into knots writing a Setup file. Seems a very serious situation to me.

While we wait to do it 'just right', couldn't at least the present erroneous text be replaced with some temporary pointer e.g. to some of the various posts on the subject (cfr http://groups.google.com/groups? as_q=setup.py&as_uauthors=alex%20martelli for many examples, or my apparently popular recipe at http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Cookbook/Python/Recipe/6650 9, or...?) -- I'll be happy to write/rewrite this stuff with whatever mods you require, Fred, except that I can't seem to use the 'official' way to write Python docs (LaTex etc etc -- I thought a Linux box would make it easy but i'm still having problems setting it up, sigh).

Let me know if I can be of help in any way, but I think that, particularly now with the nice new material in chapter 2, it's a positive ill to leave chapter 4 as it is now...:-(

[freddrake]

Logged In: YES user_id=3066

This is closely related to SF bug bpo-221671. Bumping the priority to match.

I'll plan to get this done for 2.2rc1; Alex, I'll expect you to review the updated material once the release candidate is out so I can get your comments before the final release. ;-)

[freddrake]

Logged In: YES user_id=3066

The instructions for building extensions on Windows have been completely replaced in Doc/ext/windows.tex revision 1.3. The DLL discussion and C++ usage documentation still needs to be reviewed, but the known-broken docs have been corrected.

Lowering the priority of the remaining aspects of this report, and changing the summary line.

[aleaxit]

Logged In: YES user_id=60314

I have reviewed Doc/ext/windows.tex, rev=1.3. Every issue I had noticed seems fixed very well. The only remaining problem I can see are many mentions of python15.lib at the end of the documents; these should presumably be changed to python22.lib (a mention of version dependency of these numbers would probably be a good idea).

Great job!

[03bde425-37ce-4291-88bd-d6cecc46a30e]

Logged In: YES user_id=31392

Fred, It sounds like this task is done or almost done. Can we close the bug report?

[61337411-43fc-4a9c-b8d5-4060aede66d0]

Logged In: YES user_id=21627

Information on building with distutils has been added in a separate section now.

[61337411-43fc-4a9c-b8d5-4060aede66d0]

Logged In: YES user_id=21627

Information on building with distutils has been added in a separate section now.

[freddrake]

Logged In: YES user_id=3066

Abstracted the version numbers in file names in Doc/ext/windows.tex revisions 1.6 and 1.3.6.2.