Platform-specific compile flags in setup.py?

[Alex Martelli]

Nikita the Spider <NikitaTheSpider at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi all,
> I'm a newbie when it comes to distributing C-based Python modules. I'm
> just now sharing my first with the rest of the world (it's actually V.
> Marangozov's shared memory module for IPC) and I've learned that the 
> module needs a different set of compile flags for Linux than for my Mac.
> My question is this: is there a convention or standard that says where
> platform-specific compile flags should reside? I could put them in 
> setup.py,

If you need, specifically, *compile-flags*, then setup.py is a good
place for them (also linker-flags &c).


> OTOH I know that within the .C file I can add something like 
> this:
> #ifdef __FreeBSD__
> #include <machine/param.h>  /* for system definition of PAGE_SIZE */
> #endif

This is NOT a "compile-flag" -- it's a reasonable C technique, though.


> That works, but for maximum Python programmer-friendliness I should 
> perhaps put the complexity in setup.py rather than in a .C file.
> 
> Opinions appreciated.

My opinion: flags in setup.py, conditional includes (&c) in the .c or .h
file[s].

If you can do something either way: if you know platform X will ALWAYS
want that something, "hard-code" it in the .c or .h; if you want to make
it easier to change for Python programmers, then put it in the setup.py.


Alex