[Python-Dev] pre-PEP: The Safe Buffer Interface

[Scott Gilbert]

--- Neil Hodgson <nhodgson@bigpond.net.au> wrote:
> Thomas Heller:
> 
> > In plain text:
> > Provide a method which returns a 'view' into your object's
> > buffer after locking the object. The view holds a reference
> > to object, the objects is unlocked and decref'd when the
> > view is destroyed.
> 
>    Yes, this handles the situation. However I see some problems here:
> 1 Explicit resource release, such as closing files, is easier to
> understand and debug than implicit ref-count exhaustion.
>

So add an explicit release() method to your object.  Just because it
supports the "Fixed Buffer API" doesn't mean you can't add other methods to
it.

>
> 2 On platforms such as .NET and the JVM, the view object will live for an
> indeterminate time, prohibiting resizes until the VM decides to garbage
> collect. While the JVM can not return pointers, and so may seem to not be
> a candidate for this interface, it can return array references.
>

This is solved with the explicit release() method above.  Just like files
solve this problem with an explicit close() method.

>
> 3 More complex implementation requiring a secondary view object.
>

It's also a more complex problem that you're trying to solve.  Putting the
complexity on the common, simple, cases may not be appropriate when the
complex cases are few and far between.


Cheers,
    -Scott






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