Notes on PyEval_EvalCodeEx

Recently, I tried to figure out what is the actual result of PyEval_EvalCodeEx call from the Python C API. The documentation is less than sparse. Obviously, the function returns result of expression evaluation. The result is returned as pointer to PyObject, but the type has a bit opaque nature, so means nothing without querying and inspecting underlying data.

Luckily, I have received a couple of answers on the Python mailing list as well as from ACCU folks . Here is very quick summary of the PyEval_EvalCodeEx function:

• first and foremost, know C as well as Python
• it evaluates an expression, any valid Python expression
• it wraps the builtin eval()
• its return value is exactly the same as the return value of an equivalent call to the eval()
• if the PyObject *co argument was compiled with start argument Py_eval_input denoting a single expression, the function returns value produced as the result of the expression
• if Py_file_input or Py_single_input compilation mode was used, then the result of will be Py_None
• it returns PyObject*, so - as Russel Winder suggested - Do type analysis regarding the object being pointed at you have to do it the hard way! PyObject_IsInstance, or if you are eeling really hard :-) PyObject_Type. There is also PyPobject_TypeCheck.

I can’t do it now, but I’m going to check if all those statements are correct.