Return float problem.

[John Machin]

YunBin Lee wrote:
> Hi, all.
> I have a problem of float return error in python c binding module.
> Below is my c sources, compile commands and result of program.

There seems to be a missing file: example.h. If that hint isn't
sufficient, please continue reading.

>
> ========== wrap.c =========
> #include <Python.h>
>
> PyObject *wrap_fact(PyObject *self, PyObject *args)
> {
> double n=0.0,result=0.0;
>     if (!PyArg_ParseTuple (args,"d:fact",&n))
>         return NULL;
>     result = fact(n);
>     result = fact(result);
>     return Py_BuildValue("d",result);
> }
>
> PyObject *wrap_test(PyObject *self, PyObject *args)
> {
> double value = 0.124;
>     return Py_BuildValue ("d", value);
> }
>
> static PyMethodDef exampleMethods[] =
> {
>     {"fact", wrap_fact, METH_VARARGS, "Simple return a float"},
>     {"test", wrap_test, METH_VARARGS, "Test"},
>     {NULL,NULL}
> };
>
> void initexample()
> {
>     PyObject *m;
>     m = Py_InitModule ("example", exampleMethods);
> }
> ========== end wrap.c =========
>
> ========== example.c =========
> #include <stdio.h>
>
> double fact(double n)
> {
>     printf ("n=%f\n",n);
>     return n;
> }
>
> int main(int argc,char *argv[])
> {
>     printf ("%f\n",fact(0.1234));
> }
> ========== end example.c =========
>
> complied with commands:
> lyb at ubuntu:~$ gcc -fpic -c -I. -I.. -I/usr/include/python2.4/ example.c
> wrap.c

Didn't this produce any warning messages, like:

wrap.c:8: warning: implicit declaration of function `fact'

?

> lyb at ubuntu:~$ gcc -shared -o example.so example.o wrap.o
>
> then i used the example.so with command:
> lyb at ubuntu:~$ python -c "import example; print example.fact(0.444)"
> n=0.444000
> n=-103079215.000000 <-- Why not is 0.444?
> -1140850688.0 <--- Why not is 0.444?

Did you notice that the garbage is a whole number? Why? Because you
have been (more or less) plucking ints out of some arbitrary place on
the stack, floating them, and printing them.

HTH,
John