
API Reference
*************


``distutils.core`` --- Core Distutils functionality
===================================================

The ``distutils.core`` module is the only module that needs to be
installed to use the Distutils. It provides the ``setup()`` (which is
called from the setup script). Indirectly provides the
``distutils.dist.Distribution`` and ``distutils.cmd.Command`` class.

distutils.core.setup(arguments)

   The basic do-everything function that does most everything you
   could ever ask for from a Distutils method. See XXXXX

   The setup function takes a large number of arguments. These are
   laid out in the following table.

   +----------------------+----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
   | argument name        | value                            | type                                                          |
   +======================+==================================+===============================================================+
   | *name*               | The name of the package          | a string                                                      |
   +----------------------+----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
   | *version*            | The version number of the        | See ``distutils.version``                                     |
   |                      | package                          |                                                               |
   +----------------------+----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
   | *description*        | A single line describing the     | a string                                                      |
   |                      | package                          |                                                               |
   +----------------------+----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
   | *long_description*   | Longer description of the        | a string                                                      |
   |                      | package                          |                                                               |
   +----------------------+----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
   | *author*             | The name of the package author   | a string                                                      |
   +----------------------+----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
   | *author_email*       | The email address of the package | a string                                                      |
   |                      | author                           |                                                               |
   +----------------------+----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
   | *maintainer*         | The name of the current          | a string                                                      |
   |                      | maintainer, if different from    |                                                               |
   |                      | the author                       |                                                               |
   +----------------------+----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
   | *maintainer_email*   | The email address of the current |                                                               |
   |                      | maintainer, if different from    |                                                               |
   |                      | the author                       |                                                               |
   +----------------------+----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
   | *url*                | A URL for the package (homepage) | a URL                                                         |
   +----------------------+----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
   | *download_url*       | A URL to download the package    | a URL                                                         |
   +----------------------+----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
   | *packages*           | A list of Python packages that   | a list of strings                                             |
   |                      | distutils will manipulate        |                                                               |
   +----------------------+----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
   | *py_modules*         | A list of Python modules that    | a list of strings                                             |
   |                      | distutils will manipulate        |                                                               |
   +----------------------+----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
   | *scripts*            | A list of standalone script      | a list of strings                                             |
   |                      | files to be built and installed  |                                                               |
   +----------------------+----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
   | *ext_modules*        | A list of Python extensions to   | A list of  instances of ``distutils.core.Extension``          |
   |                      | be built                         |                                                               |
   +----------------------+----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
   | *classifiers*        | A list of categories for the     | The list of available categorizations is at                   |
   |                      | package                          | http://pypi.python.org/pypi?:action=list_classifiers.         |
   +----------------------+----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
   | *distclass*          | the ``Distribution`` class to    | A subclass of ``distutils.core.Distribution``                 |
   |                      | use                              |                                                               |
   +----------------------+----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
   | *script_name*        | The name of the setup.py script  | a string                                                      |
   |                      | - defaults to ``sys.argv[0]``    |                                                               |
   +----------------------+----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
   | *script_args*        | Arguments to supply to the setup | a list of strings                                             |
   |                      | script                           |                                                               |
   +----------------------+----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
   | *options*            | default options for the setup    | a string                                                      |
   |                      | script                           |                                                               |
   +----------------------+----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
   | *license*            | The license for the package      | a string                                                      |
   +----------------------+----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
   | *keywords*           | Descriptive meta-data, see **PEP |                                                               |
   |                      | 314**                            |                                                               |
   +----------------------+----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
   | *platforms*          |                                  |                                                               |
   +----------------------+----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
   | *cmdclass*           | A mapping of command names to    | a dictionary                                                  |
   |                      | ``Command`` subclasses           |                                                               |
   +----------------------+----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
   | *data_files*         | A list of data files to install  | a list                                                        |
   +----------------------+----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
   | *package_dir*        | A mapping of package to          | a dictionary                                                  |
   |                      | directory names                  |                                                               |
   +----------------------+----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+

distutils.core.run_setup(script_name[, script_args=None, stop_after='run'])

   Run a setup script in a somewhat controlled environment, and return
   the ``distutils.dist.Distribution`` instance that drives things.
   This is useful if you need to find out the distribution meta-data
   (passed as keyword args from *script* to ``setup()``), or  the
   contents of the config files or command-line.

   *script_name* is a file that will be read and run with ``exec()``.
   ``sys.argv[0]`` will be replaced with *script* for the duration of
   the call.  *script_args* is a list of strings; if supplied,
   ``sys.argv[1:]`` will be replaced by *script_args* for the duration
   of the call.

   *stop_after* tells ``setup()`` when to stop processing; possible
   values:

   +-----------------+-----------------------------------------------+
   | value           | description                                   |
   +=================+===============================================+
   | *init*          | Stop after the ``Distribution`` instance has  |
   |                 | been created  and populated with the keyword  |
   |                 | arguments to ``setup()``                      |
   +-----------------+-----------------------------------------------+
   | *config*        | Stop after config files have been parsed (and |
   |                 | their data stored in the ``Distribution``     |
   |                 | instance)                                     |
   +-----------------+-----------------------------------------------+
   | *commandline*   | Stop after the command-line (``sys.argv[1:]`` |
   |                 | or  *script_args*) have been parsed (and the  |
   |                 | data stored in the ``Distribution``           |
   |                 | instance.)                                    |
   +-----------------+-----------------------------------------------+
   | *run*           | Stop after all commands have been run (the    |
   |                 | same as  if ``setup()`` had been called in    |
   |                 | the usual way). This is the default value.    |
   +-----------------+-----------------------------------------------+

In addition, the ``distutils.core`` module exposed a number of
classes that live elsewhere.

* ``Extension`` from ``distutils.extension``

* ``Command`` from ``distutils.cmd``

* ``Distribution`` from ``distutils.dist``

A short description of each of these follows, but see the relevant
module for the full reference.

class class distutils.core.Extension

   The Extension class describes a single C or C++extension module in
   a setup script. It accepts the following keyword arguments in its
   constructor

   +--------------------------+----------------------------------+-----------------------------+
   | argument name            | value                            | type                        |
   +==========================+==================================+=============================+
   | *name*                   | the full name of the extension,  | string                      |
   |                          | including any packages --- ie.   |                             |
   |                          | *not* a filename or pathname,    |                             |
   |                          | but Python dotted name           |                             |
   +--------------------------+----------------------------------+-----------------------------+
   | *sources*                | list of source filenames,        | string                      |
   |                          | relative to the distribution     |                             |
   |                          | root (where the setup script     |                             |
   |                          | lives), in Unix form (slash-     |                             |
   |                          | separated) for portability.      |                             |
   |                          | Source files may be C, C++, SWIG |                             |
   |                          | (.i), platform- specific         |                             |
   |                          | resource files, or whatever else |                             |
   |                          | is recognized by the             |                             |
   |                          | **build_ext** command as source  |                             |
   |                          | for a Python extension.          |                             |
   +--------------------------+----------------------------------+-----------------------------+
   | *include_dirs*           | list of directories to search    | string                      |
   |                          | for C/C++ header files (in Unix  |                             |
   |                          | form for portability)            |                             |
   +--------------------------+----------------------------------+-----------------------------+
   | *define_macros*          | list of macros to define; each   | (string, string) tuple or   |
   |                          | macro is defined using a 2-tuple | (name, ``None``)            |
   |                          | ``(name, value)``, where *value* |                             |
   |                          | is either the string to define   |                             |
   |                          | it to or ``None`` to define it   |                             |
   |                          | without a particular value       |                             |
   |                          | (equivalent of ``#define FOO``   |                             |
   |                          | in source or *-DFOO* on Unix C   |                             |
   |                          | compiler command line)           |                             |
   +--------------------------+----------------------------------+-----------------------------+
   | *undef_macros*           | list of macros to undefine       | string                      |
   |                          | explicitly                       |                             |
   +--------------------------+----------------------------------+-----------------------------+
   | *library_dirs*           | list of directories to search    | string                      |
   |                          | for C/C++ libraries at link time |                             |
   +--------------------------+----------------------------------+-----------------------------+
   | *libraries*              | list of library names (not       | string                      |
   |                          | filenames or paths) to link      |                             |
   |                          | against                          |                             |
   +--------------------------+----------------------------------+-----------------------------+
   | *runtime_library_dirs*   | list of directories to search    | string                      |
   |                          | for C/C++ libraries at run time  |                             |
   |                          | (for shared extensions, this is  |                             |
   |                          | when the extension is loaded)    |                             |
   +--------------------------+----------------------------------+-----------------------------+
   | *extra_objects*          | list of extra files to link with | string                      |
   |                          | (eg. object files not implied by |                             |
   |                          | 'sources', static library that   |                             |
   |                          | must be explicitly specified,    |                             |
   |                          | binary resource files, etc.)     |                             |
   +--------------------------+----------------------------------+-----------------------------+
   | *extra_compile_args*     | any extra platform- and          | string                      |
   |                          | compiler-specific information to |                             |
   |                          | use when compiling the source    |                             |
   |                          | files in 'sources'. For          |                             |
   |                          | platforms and compilers where a  |                             |
   |                          | command line makes sense, this   |                             |
   |                          | is typically a list of command-  |                             |
   |                          | line arguments, but for other    |                             |
   |                          | platforms it could be anything.  |                             |
   +--------------------------+----------------------------------+-----------------------------+
   | *extra_link_args*        | any extra platform- and          | string                      |
   |                          | compiler-specific information to |                             |
   |                          | use when linking object files    |                             |
   |                          | together to create the extension |                             |
   |                          | (or to create a new static       |                             |
   |                          | Python interpreter). Similar     |                             |
   |                          | interpretation as for            |                             |
   |                          | 'extra_compile_args'.            |                             |
   +--------------------------+----------------------------------+-----------------------------+
   | *export_symbols*         | list of symbols to be exported   | string                      |
   |                          | from a shared extension. Not     |                             |
   |                          | used on all platforms, and not   |                             |
   |                          | generally necessary for Python   |                             |
   |                          | extensions, which typically      |                             |
   |                          | export exactly one symbol:       |                             |
   |                          | ``init`` + extension_name.       |                             |
   +--------------------------+----------------------------------+-----------------------------+
   | *depends*                | list of files that the extension | string                      |
   |                          | depends on                       |                             |
   +--------------------------+----------------------------------+-----------------------------+
   | *language*               | extension language (i.e.         | string                      |
   |                          | ``'c'``, ``'c++'``, ``'objc'``). |                             |
   |                          | Will be detected from the source |                             |
   |                          | extensions if not provided.      |                             |
   +--------------------------+----------------------------------+-----------------------------+

class class distutils.core.Distribution

   A ``Distribution`` describes how to build, install and package up a
   Python software package.

   See the ``setup()`` function for a list of keyword arguments
   accepted  by the Distribution constructor. ``setup()`` creates a
   Distribution instance.

class class distutils.core.Command

   A ``Command`` class (or rather, an instance of one of its
   subclasses) implement a single distutils command.


``distutils.ccompiler`` --- CCompiler base class
================================================

This module provides the abstract base class for the ``CCompiler``
classes.  A ``CCompiler`` instance can be used for all the compile
and link steps needed to build a single project. Methods are provided
to  set options for the compiler --- macro definitions, include
directories,  link path, libraries and the like.

This module provides the following functions.

distutils.ccompiler.gen_lib_options(compiler, library_dirs, runtime_library_dirs, libraries)

   Generate linker options for searching library directories and
   linking with specific libraries.  *libraries* and *library_dirs*
   are, respectively, lists of library names (not filenames!) and
   search directories.  Returns a list of command-line options
   suitable for use with some compiler (depending on the two format
   strings passed in).

distutils.ccompiler.gen_preprocess_options(macros, include_dirs)

   Generate C pre-processor options (*-D*, *-U*, *-I*) as used by at
   least two types of compilers: the typical Unix compiler and Visual
   C++. *macros* is the usual thing, a list of 1- or 2-tuples, where
   ``(name,)`` means undefine (*-U*) macro *name*, and ``(name,
   value)`` means define (*-D*) macro *name* to *value*.
   *include_dirs* is just a list of directory names to be added to the
   header file search path (*-I*). Returns a list of command-line
   options suitable for either Unix compilers or Visual C++.

distutils.ccompiler.get_default_compiler(osname, platform)

   Determine the default compiler to use for the given platform.

   *osname* should be one of the standard Python OS names (i.e. the
   ones returned by ``os.name``) and *platform* the common value
   returned by ``sys.platform`` for the platform in question.

   The default values are ``os.name`` and ``sys.platform`` in case the
   parameters are not given.

distutils.ccompiler.new_compiler(plat=None, compiler=None, verbose=0, dry_run=0, force=0)

   Factory function to generate an instance of some CCompiler subclass
   for the supplied platform/compiler combination. *plat* defaults to
   ``os.name`` (eg. ``'posix'``, ``'nt'``), and *compiler*  defaults
   to the default compiler for that platform. Currently only
   ``'posix'`` and ``'nt'`` are supported, and the default compilers
   are "traditional Unix interface" (``UnixCCompiler`` class) and
   Visual C++ (``MSVCCompiler`` class).  Note that it's perfectly
   possible to ask for a Unix compiler object under Windows, and a
   Microsoft compiler object under Unix---if you supply a value for
   *compiler*, *plat* is ignored.

distutils.ccompiler.show_compilers()

   Print list of available compilers (used by the *--help-compiler*
   options to **build**, **build_ext**, **build_clib**).

class class distutils.ccompiler.CCompiler([verbose=0, dry_run=0, force=0])

   The abstract base class ``CCompiler`` defines the interface that
   must be implemented by real compiler classes.  The class also has
   some utility methods used by several compiler classes.

   The basic idea behind a compiler abstraction class is that each
   instance can be used for all the compile/link steps in building a
   single project.  Thus, attributes common to all of those compile
   and link steps --- include directories, macros to define, libraries
   to link against, etc. --- are attributes of the compiler instance.
   To allow for variability in how individual files are treated, most
   of those attributes may be varied on a per-compilation or per-link
   basis.

   The constructor for each subclass creates an instance of the
   Compiler object. Flags are *verbose* (show verbose output),
   *dry_run* (don't actually execute the steps) and *force* (rebuild
   everything, regardless of dependencies). All of these flags default
   to ``0`` (off). Note that you probably don't want to instantiate
   ``CCompiler`` or one of its subclasses directly - use the
   ``distutils.CCompiler.new_compiler()`` factory function instead.

   The following methods allow you to manually alter compiler options
   for  the instance of the Compiler class.

   add_include_dir(dir)

      Add *dir* to the list of directories that will be searched for
      header files. The compiler is instructed to search directories
      in the order in which they are supplied by successive calls to
      ``add_include_dir()``.

   set_include_dirs(dirs)

      Set the list of directories that will be searched to *dirs* (a
      list of strings). Overrides any preceding calls to
      ``add_include_dir()``; subsequent calls to ``add_include_dir()``
      add to the list passed to ``set_include_dirs()``. This does not
      affect any list of standard include directories that the
      compiler may search by default.

   add_library(libname)

      Add *libname* to the list of libraries that will be included in
      all links driven by this compiler object.  Note that *libname*
      should *not* be the name of a file containing a library, but the
      name of the library itself: the actual filename will be inferred
      by the linker, the compiler, or the compiler class (depending on
      the platform).

      The linker will be instructed to link against libraries in the
      order they were supplied to ``add_library()`` and/or
      ``set_libraries()``.  It is perfectly valid to duplicate library
      names; the linker will be instructed to link against libraries
      as many times as they are mentioned.

   set_libraries(libnames)

      Set the list of libraries to be included in all links driven by
      this compiler object to *libnames* (a list of strings).  This
      does not affect any standard system libraries that the linker
      may include by default.

   add_library_dir(dir)

      Add *dir* to the list of directories that will be searched for
      libraries specified to ``add_library()`` and
      ``set_libraries()``.  The linker will be instructed to search
      for libraries in the order they are supplied to
      ``add_library_dir()`` and/or ``set_library_dirs()``.

   set_library_dirs(dirs)

      Set the list of library search directories to *dirs* (a list of
      strings).  This does not affect any standard library search path
      that the linker may search by default.

   add_runtime_library_dir(dir)

      Add *dir* to the list of directories that will be searched for
      shared libraries at runtime.

   set_runtime_library_dirs(dirs)

      Set the list of directories to search for shared libraries at
      runtime to *dirs* (a list of strings).  This does not affect any
      standard search path that the runtime linker may search by
      default.

   define_macro(name[, value=None])

      Define a preprocessor macro for all compilations driven by this
      compiler object. The optional parameter *value* should be a
      string; if it is not supplied, then the macro will be defined
      without an explicit value and the exact outcome depends on the
      compiler used (XXX true? does ANSI say anything about this?)

   undefine_macro(name)

      Undefine a preprocessor macro for all compilations driven by
      this compiler object.  If the same macro is defined by
      ``define_macro()`` and undefined by ``undefine_macro()`` the
      last call takes precedence (including multiple redefinitions or
      undefinitions).  If the macro is redefined/undefined on a per-
      compilation basis (ie. in the call to ``compile()``), then that
      takes precedence.

   add_link_object(object)

      Add *object* to the list of object files (or analogues, such as
      explicitly named library files or the output of "resource
      compilers") to be included in every link driven by this compiler
      object.

   set_link_objects(objects)

      Set the list of object files (or analogues) to be included in
      every link to *objects*.  This does not affect any standard
      object files that the linker may include by default (such as
      system libraries).

   The following methods implement methods for autodetection of
   compiler  options, providing some functionality similar to GNU
   **autoconf**.

   detect_language(sources)

      Detect the language of a given file, or list of files. Uses the
      instance attributes ``language_map`` (a dictionary), and
      ``language_order`` (a list) to do the job.

   find_library_file(dirs, lib[, debug=0])

      Search the specified list of directories for a static or shared
      library file *lib* and return the full path to that file.  If
      *debug* is true, look for a debugging version (if that makes
      sense on the current platform).  Return ``None`` if *lib* wasn't
      found in any of the specified directories.

   has_function(funcname[, includes=None, include_dirs=None, libraries=None, library_dirs=None])

      Return a boolean indicating whether *funcname* is supported on
      the current platform.  The optional arguments can be used to
      augment the compilation environment by providing additional
      include files and paths and libraries and paths.

   library_dir_option(dir)

      Return the compiler option to add *dir* to the list of
      directories searched for libraries.

   library_option(lib)

      Return the compiler option to add *dir* to the list of libraries
      linked into the shared library or executable.

   runtime_library_dir_option(dir)

      Return the compiler option to add *dir* to the list of
      directories searched for runtime libraries.

   set_executables(**args)

      Define the executables (and options for them) that will be run
      to perform the various stages of compilation.  The exact set of
      executables that may be specified here depends on the compiler
      class (via the 'executables' class attribute), but most will
      have:

      +----------------+--------------------------------------------+
      | attribute      | description                                |
      +================+============================================+
      | *compiler*     | the C/C++ compiler                         |
      +----------------+--------------------------------------------+
      | *linker_so*    | linker used to create shared objects and   |
      |                | libraries                                  |
      +----------------+--------------------------------------------+
      | *linker_exe*   | linker used to create binary executables   |
      +----------------+--------------------------------------------+
      | *archiver*     | static library creator                     |
      +----------------+--------------------------------------------+

      On platforms with a command-line (Unix, DOS/Windows), each of
      these is a string that will be split into executable name and
      (optional) list of arguments. (Splitting the string is done
      similarly to how Unix shells operate: words are delimited by
      spaces, but quotes and backslashes can override this.  See
      ``distutils.util.split_quoted()``.)

   The following methods invoke stages in the build process.

   compile(sources[, output_dir=None, macros=None, include_dirs=None, debug=0, extra_preargs=None, extra_postargs=None, depends=None])

      Compile one or more source files. Generates object files (e.g.
      transforms a ``.c`` file to a ``.o`` file.)

      *sources* must be a list of filenames, most likely C/C++ files,
      but in reality anything that can be handled by a particular
      compiler and compiler class (eg. ``MSVCCompiler`` can handle
      resource files in *sources*).  Return a list of object
      filenames, one per source filename in *sources*.  Depending on
      the implementation, not all source files will necessarily be
      compiled, but all corresponding object filenames will be
      returned.

      If *output_dir* is given, object files will be put under it,
      while retaining their original path component.  That is,
      ``foo/bar.c`` normally compiles to ``foo/bar.o`` (for a Unix
      implementation); if *output_dir* is *build*, then it would
      compile to ``build/foo/bar.o``.

      *macros*, if given, must be a list of macro definitions.  A
      macro definition is either a ``(name, value)`` 2-tuple or a
      ``(name,)`` 1-tuple. The former defines a macro; if the value is
      ``None``, the macro is defined without an explicit value.  The
      1-tuple case undefines a macro.  Later
      definitions/redefinitions/undefinitions take precedence.

      *include_dirs*, if given, must be a list of strings, the
      directories to add to the default include file search path for
      this compilation only.

      *debug* is a boolean; if true, the compiler will be instructed
      to output debug symbols in (or alongside) the object file(s).

      *extra_preargs* and *extra_postargs* are implementation-
      dependent. On platforms that have the notion of a command-line
      (e.g. Unix, DOS/Windows), they are most likely lists of strings:
      extra command-line arguments to prepend/append to the compiler
      command line.  On other platforms, consult the implementation
      class documentation.  In any event, they are intended as an
      escape hatch for those occasions when the abstract compiler
      framework doesn't cut the mustard.

      *depends*, if given, is a list of filenames that all targets
      depend on.  If a source file is older than any file in depends,
      then the source file will be recompiled.  This supports
      dependency tracking, but only at a coarse granularity.

      Raises ``CompileError`` on failure.

   create_static_lib(objects, output_libname[, output_dir=None, debug=0, target_lang=None])

      Link a bunch of stuff together to create a static library file.
      The "bunch of stuff" consists of the list of object files
      supplied as *objects*, the extra object files supplied to
      ``add_link_object()`` and/or ``set_link_objects()``, the
      libraries supplied to ``add_library()`` and/or
      ``set_libraries()``, and the libraries supplied as *libraries*
      (if any).

      *output_libname* should be a library name, not a filename; the
      filename will be inferred from the library name.  *output_dir*
      is the directory where the library file will be put. XXX
      defaults to what?

      *debug* is a boolean; if true, debugging information will be
      included in the library (note that on most platforms, it is the
      compile step where this matters: the *debug* flag is included
      here just for consistency).

      *target_lang* is the target language for which the given objects
      are being compiled. This allows specific linkage time treatment
      of certain languages.

      Raises ``LibError`` on failure.

   link(target_desc, objects, output_filename[, output_dir=None, libraries=None, library_dirs=None, runtime_library_dirs=None, export_symbols=None, debug=0, extra_preargs=None, extra_postargs=None, build_temp=None, target_lang=None])

      Link a bunch of stuff together to create an executable or shared
      library file.

      The "bunch of stuff" consists of the list of object files
      supplied as *objects*. *output_filename* should be a filename.
      If *output_dir* is supplied, *output_filename* is relative to it
      (i.e. *output_filename* can provide directory components if
      needed).

      *libraries* is a list of libraries to link against.  These are
      library names, not filenames, since they're translated into
      filenames in a platform-specific way (eg. *foo* becomes
      ``libfoo.a`` on Unix and ``foo.lib`` on DOS/Windows).  However,
      they can include a directory component, which means the linker
      will look in that specific directory rather than searching all
      the normal locations.

      *library_dirs*, if supplied, should be a list of directories to
      search for libraries that were specified as bare library names
      (ie. no directory component).  These are on top of the system
      default and those supplied to ``add_library_dir()`` and/or
      ``set_library_dirs()``.  *runtime_library_dirs* is a list of
      directories that will be embedded into the shared library and
      used to search for other shared libraries that *it* depends on
      at run-time.  (This may only be relevant on Unix.)

      *export_symbols* is a list of symbols that the shared library
      will export. (This appears to be relevant only on Windows.)

      *debug* is as for ``compile()`` and ``create_static_lib()``,
      with the slight distinction that it actually matters on most
      platforms (as opposed to ``create_static_lib()``, which includes
      a *debug* flag mostly for form's sake).

      *extra_preargs* and *extra_postargs* are as for ``compile()``
      (except of course that they supply command-line arguments for
      the particular linker being used).

      *target_lang* is the target language for which the given objects
      are being compiled. This allows specific linkage time treatment
      of certain languages.

      Raises ``LinkError`` on failure.

   link_executable(objects, output_progname[, output_dir=None, libraries=None, library_dirs=None, runtime_library_dirs=None, debug=0, extra_preargs=None, extra_postargs=None, target_lang=None])

      Link an executable.  *output_progname* is the name of the file
      executable, while *objects* are a list of object filenames to
      link in. Other arguments  are as for the ``link()`` method.

   link_shared_lib(objects, output_libname[, output_dir=None, libraries=None, library_dirs=None, runtime_library_dirs=None, export_symbols=None, debug=0, extra_preargs=None, extra_postargs=None, build_temp=None, target_lang=None])

      Link a shared library. *output_libname* is the name of the
      output  library, while *objects* is a list of object filenames
      to link in.  Other arguments are as for the ``link()`` method.

   link_shared_object(objects, output_filename[, output_dir=None, libraries=None, library_dirs=None, runtime_library_dirs=None, export_symbols=None, debug=0, extra_preargs=None, extra_postargs=None, build_temp=None, target_lang=None])

      Link a shared object. *output_filename* is the name of the
      shared object that will be created, while *objects* is a list of
      object filenames  to link in. Other arguments are as for the
      ``link()`` method.

   preprocess(source[, output_file=None, macros=None, include_dirs=None, extra_preargs=None, extra_postargs=None])

      Preprocess a single C/C++ source file, named in *source*. Output
      will be written to file named *output_file*, or *stdout* if
      *output_file* not supplied. *macros* is a list of macro
      definitions as for ``compile()``, which will augment the macros
      set with ``define_macro()`` and ``undefine_macro()``.
      *include_dirs* is a list of directory names that will be added
      to the  default list, in the same way as ``add_include_dir()``.

      Raises ``PreprocessError`` on failure.

   The following utility methods are defined by the ``CCompiler``
   class, for use by the various concrete subclasses.

   executable_filename(basename[, strip_dir=0, output_dir=''])

      Returns the filename of the executable for the given *basename*.
      Typically for non-Windows platforms this is the same as the
      basename,  while Windows will get a ``.exe`` added.

   library_filename(libname[, lib_type='static', strip_dir=0, output_dir=''])

      Returns the filename for the given library name on the current
      platform. On Unix a library with *lib_type* of ``'static'`` will
      typically  be of the form ``liblibname.a``, while a *lib_type*
      of ``'dynamic'``  will be of the form ``liblibname.so``.

   object_filenames(source_filenames[, strip_dir=0, output_dir=''])

      Returns the name of the object files for the given source files.
      *source_filenames* should be a list of filenames.

   shared_object_filename(basename[, strip_dir=0, output_dir=''])

      Returns the name of a shared object file for the given file name
      *basename*.

   execute(func, args[, msg=None, level=1])

      Invokes ``distutils.util.execute()`` This method invokes a
      Python function *func* with the given arguments *args*, after
      logging and taking into account the *dry_run* flag. XXX see
      also.

   spawn(cmd)

      Invokes ``distutils.util.spawn()``. This invokes an external
      process to run the given command. XXX see also.

   mkpath(name[, mode=511])

      Invokes ``distutils.dir_util.mkpath()``. This creates a
      directory  and any missing ancestor directories. XXX see also.

   move_file(src, dst)

      Invokes ``distutils.file_util.move_file()``. Renames *src* to
      *dst*.  XXX see also.

   announce(msg[, level=1])

      Write a message using ``distutils.log.debug()``. XXX see also.

   warn(msg)

      Write a warning message *msg* to standard error.

   debug_print(msg)

      If the *debug* flag is set on this ``CCompiler`` instance, print
      *msg* to standard output, otherwise do nothing.


``distutils.unixccompiler`` --- Unix C Compiler
===============================================

This module provides the ``UnixCCompiler`` class, a subclass of
``CCompiler`` that handles the typical Unix-style command-line  C
compiler:

* macros defined with *-Dname[=value]*

* macros undefined with *-Uname*

* include search directories specified with *-Idir*

* libraries specified with *-llib*

* library search directories specified with *-Ldir*

* compile handled by **cc** (or similar) executable with *-c* option:
  compiles ``.c`` to ``.o``

* link static library handled by **ar** command (possibly with
  **ranlib**)

* link shared library handled by **cc** *-shared*


``distutils.msvccompiler`` --- Microsoft Compiler
=================================================

This module provides ``MSVCCompiler``, an implementation of the
abstract ``CCompiler`` class for Microsoft Visual Studio. Typically,
extension modules need to be compiled with the same compiler that was
used to compile Python. For Python 2.3 and earlier, the compiler was
Visual Studio 6. For Python 2.4 and 2.5, the compiler is Visual Studio
.NET 2003. The AMD64 and Itanium binaries are created using the
Platform SDK.

``MSVCCompiler`` will normally choose the right compiler, linker etc.
on its own. To override this choice, the environment variables
*DISTUTILS_USE_SDK* and *MSSdk* must be both set. *MSSdk* indicates
that the current environment has been setup by the SDK's
``SetEnv.Cmd`` script, or that the environment variables had been
registered when the SDK was installed; *DISTUTILS_USE_SDK* indicates
that the distutils user has made an explicit choice to override the
compiler selection by ``MSVCCompiler``.


``distutils.bcppcompiler`` --- Borland Compiler
===============================================

This module provides ``BorlandCCompiler``, an subclass of the abstract
``CCompiler`` class for the Borland C++ compiler.


``distutils.cygwincompiler`` --- Cygwin Compiler
================================================

This module provides the ``CygwinCCompiler`` class, a subclass of
``UnixCCompiler`` that handles the Cygwin port of the GNU C compiler
to Windows.  It also contains the Mingw32CCompiler class which handles
the mingw32 port of GCC (same as cygwin in no-cygwin mode).


``distutils.emxccompiler`` --- OS/2 EMX Compiler
================================================

This module provides the EMXCCompiler class, a subclass of
``UnixCCompiler`` that handles the EMX port of the GNU C compiler to
OS/2.


``distutils.archive_util`` ---  Archiving utilities
===================================================

This module provides a few functions for creating archive files, such
as tarballs or zipfiles.

distutils.archive_util.make_archive(base_name, format[, root_dir=None, base_dir=None, verbose=0, dry_run=0])

   Create an archive file (eg. ``zip`` or ``tar``).  *base_name*  is
   the name of the file to create, minus any format-specific
   extension;  *format* is the archive format: one of ``zip``,
   ``tar``,  ``ztar``, or ``gztar``. *root_dir* is a directory that
   will be the root directory of the archive; ie. we typically
   ``chdir`` into *root_dir* before  creating the archive.  *base_dir*
   is the directory where we start  archiving from; ie. *base_dir*
   will be the common prefix of all files and directories in the
   archive.  *root_dir* and *base_dir* both default to the current
   directory.  Returns the name of the archive file.

distutils.archive_util.make_tarball(base_name, base_dir[, compress='gzip', verbose=0, dry_run=0])

   'Create an (optional compressed) archive as a tar file from all
   files in and under *base_dir*. *compress* must be ``'gzip'`` (the
   default),  ``'compress'``, ``'bzip2'``, or ``None``.  Both **tar**
   and the compression utility named by *compress* must be on the
   default program search path, so this is probably Unix-specific.
   The  output tar file will be named ``base_dir.tar``, possibly plus
   the appropriate compression extension (``.gz``, ``.bz2`` or
   ``.Z``).  Return the output filename.

distutils.archive_util.make_zipfile(base_name, base_dir[, verbose=0, dry_run=0])

   Create a zip file from all files in and under *base_dir*.  The
   output zip file will be named *base_dir* + ``.zip``.  Uses either
   the  ``zipfile`` Python module (if available) or the InfoZIP
   ``zip``  utility (if installed and found on the default search
   path).  If neither  tool is available, raises
   ``DistutilsExecError``.   Returns the name of the output zip file.


``distutils.dep_util`` --- Dependency checking
==============================================

This module provides functions for performing simple, timestamp-based
dependency of files and groups of files; also, functions based
entirely  on such timestamp dependency analysis.

distutils.dep_util.newer(source, target)

   Return true if *source* exists and is more recently modified than
   *target*, or if *source* exists and *target* doesn't. Return false
   if both exist and *target* is the same age or newer  than *source*.
   Raise ``DistutilsFileError`` if *source* does not exist.

distutils.dep_util.newer_pairwise(sources, targets)

   Walk two filename lists in parallel, testing if each source is
   newer than its corresponding target.  Return a pair of lists
   (*sources*, *targets*) where source is newer than target, according
   to the semantics of ``newer()``

distutils.dep_util.newer_group(sources, target[, missing='error'])

   Return true if *target* is out-of-date with respect to any file
   listed in *sources*  In other words, if *target* exists and is
   newer than every file in *sources*, return false; otherwise return
   true. *missing* controls what we do when a source file is missing;
   the default (``'error'``) is to blow up with an ``OSError`` from
   inside ``os.stat()``; if it is ``'ignore'``, we silently drop any
   missing source files; if it is ``'newer'``, any missing source
   files make us assume that *target* is out-of-date (this is handy in
   "dry-run" mode: it'll make you pretend to carry out commands that
   wouldn't work because inputs are missing, but that doesn't matter
   because you're not actually going to run the commands).


``distutils.dir_util`` --- Directory tree operations
====================================================

This module provides functions for operating on directories and trees
of directories.

distutils.dir_util.mkpath(name[, mode=0o777, verbose=0, dry_run=0])

   Create a directory and any missing ancestor directories.  If the
   directory already exists (or if *name* is the empty string, which
   means the current directory, which of course exists), then do
   nothing.  Raise ``DistutilsFileError`` if unable to create some
   directory along the way (eg. some sub-path exists, but is a file
   rather than a directory).  If *verbose* is true, print a one-line
   summary of each mkdir to stdout.  Return the list of directories
   actually created.

distutils.dir_util.create_tree(base_dir, files[, mode=0o777, verbose=0, dry_run=0])

   Create all the empty directories under *base_dir* needed to put
   *files* there. *base_dir* is just the a name of a directory which
   doesn't necessarily exist yet; *files* is a list of filenames to be
   interpreted relative to *base_dir*. *base_dir* + the directory
   portion of every file in *files* will be created if it doesn't
   already exist.  *mode*, *verbose* and *dry_run* flags  are as for
   ``mkpath()``.

distutils.dir_util.copy_tree(src, dst[, preserve_mode=1, preserve_times=1, preserve_symlinks=0, update=0, verbose=0, dry_run=0])

   Copy an entire directory tree *src* to a new location *dst*.  Both
   *src* and *dst* must be directory names.  If *src* is not a
   directory, raise ``DistutilsFileError``.  If *dst* does  not exist,
   it is created with ``mkpath()``.  The end result of the  copy is
   that every file in *src* is copied to *dst*, and  directories under
   *src* are recursively copied to *dst*. Return the list of files
   that were copied or might have been copied, using their output
   name. The return value is unaffected by *update* or *dry_run*: it
   is simply the list of all files under *src*, with the names changed
   to be under *dst*.

   *preserve_mode* and *preserve_times* are the same as for
   ``copy_file()`` in ``distutils.file_util``; note that they only
   apply to regular files, not to directories.  If *preserve_symlinks*
   is true, symlinks will be copied as symlinks (on platforms that
   support them!); otherwise (the default), the destination of the
   symlink will be copied.  *update* and *verbose* are the same as for
   ``copy_file()``.

distutils.dir_util.remove_tree(directory[, verbose=0, dry_run=0])

   Recursively remove *directory* and all files and directories
   underneath it. Any errors are ignored (apart from being reported to
   ``sys.stdout`` if *verbose* is true).

****** Some of this could be replaced with the shutil module? ******


``distutils.file_util`` --- Single file operations
==================================================

This module contains some utility functions for operating on
individual files.

distutils.file_util.copy_file(src, dst[, preserve_mode=1, preserve_times=1, update=0, link=None, verbose=0, dry_run=0])

   Copy file *src* to *dst*. If *dst* is a directory, then *src* is
   copied there with the same name; otherwise, it must be a filename.
   (If the file exists, it will be ruthlessly clobbered.) If
   *preserve_mode* is true (the default), the file's mode (type and
   permission bits, or whatever is analogous on the current platform)
   is copied. If *preserve_times* is true (the default), the last-
   modified and last-access times are copied as well. If *update* is
   true, *src* will only be copied if *dst* does not exist, or if
   *dst* does exist but is older than *src*.

   *link* allows you to make hard links (using ``os.link()``) or
   symbolic links (using ``os.symlink()``) instead of copying: set it
   to ``'hard'`` or ``'sym'``; if it is ``None`` (the default), files
   are copied. Don't set *link* on systems that don't support it:
   ``copy_file()`` doesn't check if hard or symbolic linking is
   available.  It uses ``_copy_file_contents()`` to copy file
   contents.

   Return a tuple ``(dest_name, copied)``: *dest_name* is the actual
   name of the output file, and *copied* is true if the file was
   copied  (or would have been copied, if *dry_run* true).

distutils.file_util.move_file(src, dst[, verbose, dry_run])

   Move file *src* to *dst*. If *dst* is a directory, the file will be
   moved into it with the same name; otherwise, *src* is just renamed
   to *dst*.  Returns the new full name of the file.

   Warning: Handles cross-device moves on Unix using ``copy_file()``.  What
     about other systems?

distutils.file_util.write_file(filename, contents)

   Create a file called *filename* and write *contents* (a sequence of
   strings without line terminators) to it.


``distutils.util`` --- Miscellaneous other utility functions
============================================================

This module contains other assorted bits and pieces that don't fit
into  any other utility module.

distutils.util.get_platform()

   Return a string that identifies the current platform.  This is used
   mainly to distinguish platform-specific build directories and
   platform-specific built distributions.  Typically includes the OS
   name and version and the architecture (as supplied by
   'os.uname()'), although the exact information included depends on
   the OS; eg. for IRIX the architecture isn't particularly important
   (IRIX only runs on SGI hardware), but for Linux the kernel version
   isn't particularly important.

   Examples of returned values:

   * ``linux-i586``

   * ``linux-alpha``

   * ``solaris-2.6-sun4u``

   * ``irix-5.3``

   * ``irix64-6.2``

   For non-POSIX platforms, currently just returns ``sys.platform``.

   For Mac OS X systems the OS version reflects the minimal version on
   which binaries will run (that is, the value of
   ``MACOSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET`` during the build of Python), not the
   OS version of the current system.

   For universal binary builds on Mac OS X the architecture value
   reflects the univeral binary status instead of the architecture of
   the current processor. For 32-bit universal binaries the
   architecture is ``fat``, for 64-bit universal binaries the
   architecture is ``fat64``, and for 4-way universal binaries the
   architecture is ``universal``.

   Examples of returned values on Mac OS X:

   * ``macosx-10.3-ppc``

   * ``macosx-10.3-fat``

   * ``macosx-10.5-universal``

distutils.util.convert_path(pathname)

   Return 'pathname' as a name that will work on the native
   filesystem, i.e. split it on '/' and put it back together again
   using the current directory separator. Needed because filenames in
   the setup script are always supplied in Unix style, and have to be
   converted to the local convention before we can actually use them
   in the filesystem.  Raises ``ValueError`` on non-Unix-ish systems
   if *pathname* either  starts or ends with a slash.

distutils.util.change_root(new_root, pathname)

   Return *pathname* with *new_root* prepended.  If *pathname* is
   relative, this is equivalent to ``os.path.join(new_root,pathname)``
   Otherwise, it requires making *pathname* relative and then joining
   the two, which is tricky on DOS/Windows.

distutils.util.check_environ()

   Ensure that 'os.environ' has all the environment variables we
   guarantee that users can use in config files, command-line options,
   etc.  Currently this includes:

   * **HOME** - user's home directory (Unix only)

   * **PLAT** - description of the current platform, including
     hardware and OS (see ``get_platform()``)

distutils.util.subst_vars(s, local_vars)

   Perform shell/Perl-style variable substitution on *s*.  Every
   occurrence of ``$`` followed by a name is considered a variable,
   and variable is substituted by the value found in the *local_vars*
   dictionary, or in ``os.environ`` if it's not in *local_vars*.
   *os.environ* is first checked/augmented to guarantee that it
   contains certain values: see ``check_environ()``.  Raise
   ``ValueError`` for any variables not found in either *local_vars*
   or ``os.environ``.

   Note that this is not a fully-fledged string interpolation
   function. A valid ``$variable`` can consist only of upper and lower
   case letters, numbers and an underscore. No { } or ( ) style
   quoting is available.

distutils.util.grok_environment_error(exc[, prefix='error: '])

   Generate a useful error message from an ``EnvironmentError``
   (``IOError`` or ``OSError``) exception object.   Handles Python
   1.5.1 and later styles, and does what it can to deal with
   exception objects that don't have a filename (which happens when
   the error  is due to a two-file operation, such as ``rename()`` or
   ``link()``).  Returns the error message as a string prefixed  with
   *prefix*.

distutils.util.split_quoted(s)

   Split a string up according to Unix shell-like rules for quotes and
   backslashes. In short: words are delimited by spaces, as long as
   those spaces are not escaped by a backslash, or inside a quoted
   string. Single and double quotes are equivalent, and the quote
   characters can be backslash-escaped.  The backslash is stripped
   from any two-character escape sequence, leaving only the escaped
   character.  The quote characters are stripped from any quoted
   string.  Returns a list of words.

distutils.util.execute(func, args[, msg=None, verbose=0, dry_run=0])

   Perform some action that affects the outside world (for instance,
   writing to the filesystem).  Such actions are special because they
   are disabled by the *dry_run* flag.  This method takes  care of all
   that bureaucracy for you; all you have to do is supply the function
   to call and an argument tuple for it (to embody the "external
   action" being performed), and an optional message to print.

distutils.util.strtobool(val)

   Convert a string representation of truth to true (1) or false (0).

   True values are ``y``, ``yes``, ``t``, ``true``, ``on``  and ``1``;
   false values are ``n``, ``no``, ``f``, ``false``,  ``off`` and
   ``0``.  Raises ``ValueError`` if *val*  is anything else.

distutils.util.byte_compile(py_files[, optimize=0, force=0, prefix=None, base_dir=None, verbose=1, dry_run=0, direct=None])

   Byte-compile a collection of Python source files to either ``.pyc``
   or ``.pyo`` files in the same directory.  *py_files* is a list of
   files to compile; any files that don't end in ``.py`` are silently
   skipped. *optimize* must be one of the following:

   * ``0`` - don't optimize (generate ``.pyc``)

   * ``1`` - normal optimization (like ``python -O``)

   * ``2`` - extra optimization (like ``python -OO``)

   If *force* is true, all files are recompiled regardless of
   timestamps.

   The source filename encoded in each *bytecode* file defaults to the
   filenames listed in *py_files*; you can modify these with *prefix*
   and *basedir*. *prefix* is a string that will be stripped off of
   each source filename, and *base_dir* is a directory name that will
   be prepended (after *prefix* is stripped).  You can supply either
   or both (or neither) of *prefix* and *base_dir*, as you wish.

   If *dry_run* is true, doesn't actually do anything that would
   affect the filesystem.

   Byte-compilation is either done directly in this interpreter
   process with the standard ``py_compile`` module, or indirectly by
   writing a temporary script and executing it.  Normally, you should
   let ``byte_compile()`` figure out to use direct compilation or not
   (see the source for details).  The *direct* flag is used by the
   script generated in indirect mode; unless you know what you're
   doing, leave it set to ``None``.

distutils.util.rfc822_escape(header)

   Return a version of *header* escaped for inclusion in an **RFC
   822** header, by ensuring there are 8 spaces space after each
   newline. Note that it does no other modification of the string.


``distutils.dist`` --- The Distribution class
=============================================

This module provides the ``Distribution`` class, which represents the
module distribution being built/installed/distributed.


``distutils.extension`` --- The Extension class
===============================================

This module provides the ``Extension`` class, used to describe C/C++
extension modules in setup scripts.


``distutils.debug`` --- Distutils debug mode
============================================

This module provides the DEBUG flag.


``distutils.errors`` --- Distutils exceptions
=============================================

Provides exceptions used by the Distutils modules.  Note that
Distutils modules may raise standard exceptions; in particular,
SystemExit is usually raised for errors that are obviously the end-
user's fault (eg. bad command-line arguments).

This module is safe to use in ``from ... import *`` mode; it only
exports symbols whose names start with ``Distutils`` and end with
``Error``.


``distutils.fancy_getopt`` --- Wrapper around the standard getopt module
========================================================================

This module provides a wrapper around the standard ``getopt``  module
that provides the following additional features:

* short and long options are tied together

* options have help strings, so ``fancy_getopt()`` could potentially
  create a complete usage summary

* options set attributes of a passed-in object

* boolean options can have "negative aliases" --- eg. if *--quiet* is
  the "negative alias" of *--verbose*, then *--quiet* on the command
  line sets *verbose* to false.

****** Should be replaced with ``optik`` (which is also now known as
``optparse`` in Python 2.3 and later). ******

distutils.fancy_getopt.fancy_getopt(options, negative_opt, object, args)

   Wrapper function. *options* is a list of ``(long_option,
   short_option, help_string)`` 3-tuples as described in the
   constructor for ``FancyGetopt``. *negative_opt* should be a
   dictionary mapping option names to option names, both the key and
   value should be in the *options* list. *object* is an object which
   will be used to store values (see the ``getopt()`` method of the
   ``FancyGetopt`` class). *args* is the argument list. Will use
   ``sys.argv[1:]`` if you  pass ``None`` as *args*.

distutils.fancy_getopt.wrap_text(text, width)

   Wraps *text* to less than *width* wide.

class class distutils.fancy_getopt.FancyGetopt([option_table=None])

   The option_table is a list of 3-tuples: ``(long_option,
   short_option, help_string)``

   If an option takes an argument, its *long_option* should have
   ``'='`` appended; *short_option* should just be a single character,
   no ``':'`` in any case. *short_option* should be ``None`` if a
   *long_option*  doesn't have a corresponding *short_option*. All
   option tuples must have long options.

The ``FancyGetopt`` class provides the following methods:

FancyGetopt.getopt([args=None, object=None])

   Parse command-line options in args. Store as attributes on
   *object*.

   If *args* is ``None`` or not supplied, uses ``sys.argv[1:]``.  If
   *object* is ``None`` or not supplied, creates a new ``OptionDummy``
   instance, stores option values there, and returns a tuple ``(args,
   object)``.  If *object* is supplied, it is modified in place and
   ``getopt()`` just returns *args*; in both cases, the returned
   *args* is a modified copy of the passed-in *args* list, which is
   left untouched.

FancyGetopt.get_option_order()

   Returns the list of ``(option, value)`` tuples processed by the
   previous run of ``getopt()``  Raises ``RuntimeError`` if
   ``getopt()`` hasn't been called yet.

FancyGetopt.generate_help([header=None])

   Generate help text (a list of strings, one per suggested line of
   output) from the option table for this ``FancyGetopt`` object.

   If supplied, prints the supplied *header* at the top of the help.


``distutils.filelist`` --- The FileList class
=============================================

This module provides the ``FileList`` class, used for poking about the
filesystem and building lists of files.


``distutils.log`` --- Simple PEP 282-style logging
==================================================


``distutils.spawn`` --- Spawn a sub-process
===========================================

This module provides the ``spawn()`` function, a front-end to  various
platform-specific functions for launching another program in a  sub-
process. Also provides ``find_executable()`` to search the path for a
given executable name.


``distutils.sysconfig`` --- System configuration information
============================================================

The ``distutils.sysconfig`` module provides access to Python's low-
level configuration information.  The specific configuration variables
available depend heavily on the platform and configuration. The
specific variables depend on the build process for the specific
version of Python being run; the variables are those found in the
``Makefile`` and configuration header that are installed with Python
on Unix systems.  The configuration header is called ``pyconfig.h``
for Python versions starting with 2.2, and ``config.h`` for earlier
versions of Python.

Some additional functions are provided which perform some useful
manipulations for other parts of the ``distutils`` package.

distutils.sysconfig.PREFIX

   The result of ``os.path.normpath(sys.prefix)``.

distutils.sysconfig.EXEC_PREFIX

   The result of ``os.path.normpath(sys.exec_prefix)``.

distutils.sysconfig.get_config_var(name)

   Return the value of a single variable.  This is equivalent to
   ``get_config_vars().get(name)``.

distutils.sysconfig.get_config_vars(...)

   Return a set of variable definitions.  If there are no arguments,
   this returns a dictionary mapping names of configuration variables
   to values.  If arguments are provided, they should be strings, and
   the return value will be a sequence giving the associated values.
   If a given name does not have a corresponding value, ``None`` will
   be included for that variable.

distutils.sysconfig.get_config_h_filename()

   Return the full path name of the configuration header.  For Unix,
   this will be the header generated by the **configure** script; for
   other platforms the header will have been supplied directly by the
   Python source distribution.  The file is a platform-specific text
   file.

distutils.sysconfig.get_makefile_filename()

   Return the full path name of the ``Makefile`` used to build Python.
   For Unix, this will be a file generated by the **configure**
   script; the meaning for other platforms will vary.  The file is a
   platform-specific text file, if it exists. This function is only
   useful on POSIX platforms.

distutils.sysconfig.get_python_inc([plat_specific[, prefix]])

   Return the directory for either the general or platform-dependent C
   include files.  If *plat_specific* is true, the platform-dependent
   include directory is returned; if false or omitted, the platform-
   independent directory is returned. If *prefix* is given, it is used
   as either the prefix instead of ``PREFIX``, or as the exec-prefix
   instead of ``EXEC_PREFIX`` if *plat_specific* is true.

distutils.sysconfig.get_python_lib([plat_specific[, standard_lib[, prefix]]])

   Return the directory for either the general or platform-dependent
   library installation.  If *plat_specific* is true, the platform-
   dependent include directory is returned; if false or omitted, the
   platform-independent directory is returned.  If *prefix* is given,
   it is used as either the prefix instead of ``PREFIX``, or as the
   exec-prefix instead of ``EXEC_PREFIX`` if *plat_specific* is true.
   If *standard_lib* is true, the directory for the standard library
   is returned rather than the directory for the installation of
   third-party extensions.

The following function is only intended for use within the
``distutils`` package.

distutils.sysconfig.customize_compiler(compiler)

   Do any platform-specific customization of a
   ``distutils.ccompiler.CCompiler`` instance.

   This function is only needed on Unix at this time, but should be
   called consistently to support forward-compatibility.  It inserts
   the information that varies across Unix flavors and is stored in
   Python's ``Makefile``.  This information includes the selected
   compiler, compiler and linker options, and the extension used by
   the linker for shared objects.

This function is even more special-purpose, and should only be used
from Python's own build procedures.

distutils.sysconfig.set_python_build()

   Inform the ``distutils.sysconfig`` module that it is being used as
   part of the build process for Python.  This changes a lot of
   relative locations for files, allowing them to be located in the
   build area rather than in an installed Python.


``distutils.text_file`` --- The TextFile class
==============================================

This module provides the ``TextFile`` class, which gives an interface
to text files that (optionally) takes care of stripping comments,
ignoring  blank lines, and joining lines with backslashes.

class class distutils.text_file.TextFile([filename=None, file=None, **options])

   This class provides a file-like object that takes care of all  the
   things you commonly want to do when processing a text file  that
   has some line-by-line syntax: strip comments (as long as ``#``  is
   your comment character), skip blank lines, join adjacent lines by
   escaping the newline (ie. backslash at end of line), strip leading
   and/or trailing whitespace.  All of these are optional and
   independently controllable.

   The class provides a ``warn()`` method so you can generate  warning
   messages that report physical line number, even if the  logical
   line in question spans multiple physical lines.  Also  provides
   ``unreadline()`` for implementing line-at-a-time lookahead.

   ``TextFile`` instances are create with either *filename*, *file*,
   or both. ``RuntimeError`` is raised if both are ``None``.
   *filename* should be a string, and *file* a file object (or
   something that provides ``readline()`` and ``close()``  methods).
   It is recommended that you supply at least *filename*,  so that
   ``TextFile`` can include it in warning messages.  If *file* is not
   supplied, ``TextFile`` creates its own using the ``open()`` built-
   in function.

   The options are all boolean, and affect the values returned by
   ``readline()``

   +--------------------+----------------------------------+-----------+
   | option name        | description                      | default   |
   +====================+==================================+===========+
   | *strip_comments*   | strip from ``'#'`` to end-of-    | true      |
   |                    | line, as well as any whitespace  |           |
   |                    | leading up to the                |           |
   |                    | ``'#'``---unless it is escaped   |           |
   |                    | by a backslash                   |           |
   +--------------------+----------------------------------+-----------+
   | *lstrip_ws*        | strip leading whitespace from    | false     |
   |                    | each line before returning it    |           |
   +--------------------+----------------------------------+-----------+
   | *rstrip_ws*        | strip trailing whitespace        | true      |
   |                    | (including line terminator!)     |           |
   |                    | from each line before returning  |           |
   |                    | it.                              |           |
   +--------------------+----------------------------------+-----------+
   | *skip_blanks*      | skip lines that are empty        | true      |
   |                    | *after* stripping comments and   |           |
   |                    | whitespace.  (If both lstrip_ws  |           |
   |                    | and rstrip_ws are false, then    |           |
   |                    | some lines may consist of solely |           |
   |                    | whitespace: these will *not* be  |           |
   |                    | skipped, even if *skip_blanks*   |           |
   |                    | is true.)                        |           |
   +--------------------+----------------------------------+-----------+
   | *join_lines*       | if a backslash is the last non-  | false     |
   |                    | newline character on a line      |           |
   |                    | after stripping comments and     |           |
   |                    | whitespace, join the following   |           |
   |                    | line to it to form one logical   |           |
   |                    | line; if N consecutive lines end |           |
   |                    | with a backslash, then N+1       |           |
   |                    | physical lines will be joined to |           |
   |                    | form one logical line.           |           |
   +--------------------+----------------------------------+-----------+
   | *collapse_join*    | strip leading whitespace from    | false     |
   |                    | lines that are joined to their   |           |
   |                    | predecessor; only matters if     |           |
   |                    | ``(join_lines and not            |           |
   |                    | lstrip_ws)``                     |           |
   +--------------------+----------------------------------+-----------+

   Note that since *rstrip_ws* can strip the trailing newline, the
   semantics of ``readline()`` must differ from those of the builtin
   file object's ``readline()`` method!  In particular, ``readline()``
   returns ``None`` for end-of-file: an empty string might just be a
   blank line (or an all-whitespace line), if *rstrip_ws* is true  but
   *skip_blanks* is not.

   open(filename)

      Open a new file *filename*. This overrides any *file* or
      *filename* constructor arguments.

   close()

      Close the current file and forget everything we know about it
      (including the filename and the current line number).

   warn(msg[, line=None])

      Print (to stderr) a warning message tied to the current logical
      line in the current file.  If the current logical line in the
      file spans multiple physical lines, the warning refers to the
      whole range, such as ``"lines 3-5"``.  If *line* is supplied,
      it overrides the current line number; it may be a list or tuple
      to indicate a range of physical lines, or an integer for a
      single physical line.

   readline()

      Read and return a single logical line from the current file (or
      from an internal buffer if lines have previously been "unread"
      with ``unreadline()``).  If the *join_lines* option  is true,
      this may involve reading multiple physical lines concatenated
      into a single string.  Updates the current line number,  so
      calling ``warn()`` after ``readline()`` emits a warning  about
      the physical line(s) just read.  Returns ``None`` on end-of-
      file,  since the empty string can occur if *rstrip_ws* is true
      but  *strip_blanks* is not.

   readlines()

      Read and return the list of all logical lines remaining in the
      current file. This updates the current line number to the last
      line of the file.

   unreadline(line)

      Push *line* (a string) onto an internal buffer that will be
      checked by future ``readline()`` calls.  Handy for implementing
      a parser with line-at-a-time lookahead. Note that lines that are
      "unread" with ``unreadline()`` are not subsequently re-cleansed
      (whitespace  stripped, or whatever) when read with
      ``readline()``. If multiple calls are made to ``unreadline()``
      before a call to ``readline()``, the lines will be returned most
      in most recent first order.


``distutils.version`` --- Version number classes
================================================


``distutils.cmd`` --- Abstract base class for Distutils commands
================================================================

This module supplies the abstract base class ``Command``.

class class distutils.cmd.Command(dist)

   Abstract base class for defining command classes, the "worker bees"
   of the Distutils.  A useful analogy for command classes is to think
   of them as subroutines with local variables called *options*.  The
   options are declared in ``initialize_options()`` and defined (given
   their final values) in ``finalize_options()``, both of which must
   be defined by every command class. The distinction between the two
   is necessary because option values might come from the outside
   world (command line, config file, ...), and any options dependent
   on other options must be computed after these outside influences
   have been processed --- hence ``finalize_options()``.  The body of
   the subroutine, where it does all its work based on the values of
   its options, is the ``run()`` method, which must also be
   implemented by every command class.

   The class constructor takes a single argument *dist*, a
   ``Distribution`` instance.


``distutils.command`` --- Individual Distutils commands
=======================================================


``distutils.command.bdist`` --- Build a binary installer
========================================================


``distutils.command.bdist_packager`` --- Abstract base class for packagers
==========================================================================


``distutils.command.bdist_dumb`` --- Build a "dumb" installer
=============================================================


``distutils.command.bdist_msi`` --- Build a Microsoft Installer binary package
==============================================================================

class class distutils.command.bdist_msi.bdist_msi(Command)

   Builds a Windows Installer (.msi) binary package.

   In most cases, the ``bdist_msi`` installer is a better choice than
   the ``bdist_wininst`` installer, because it provides better support
   for Win64 platforms, allows administrators to perform non-
   interactive installations, and allows installation through group
   policies.


``distutils.command.bdist_rpm`` --- Build a binary distribution as a Redhat RPM and SRPM
========================================================================================


``distutils.command.bdist_wininst`` --- Build a Windows installer
=================================================================


``distutils.command.sdist`` --- Build a source distribution
===========================================================


``distutils.command.build`` --- Build all files of a package
============================================================


``distutils.command.build_clib`` --- Build any C libraries in a package
=======================================================================


``distutils.command.build_ext`` --- Build any extensions in a package
=====================================================================


``distutils.command.build_py`` --- Build the .py/.pyc files of a package
========================================================================

class class distutils.command.build_py.build_py(Command)

class class distutils.command.build_py.build_py_2to3(build_py)

   Alternative implementation of build_py which also runs the 2to3
   conversion library on each .py file that is going to be installed.
   To use this in a setup.py file for a distribution that is designed
   to run with both Python 2.x and 3.x, add:

      try:
         from distutils.command.build_py import build_py_2to3 as build_py
      except ImportError:
         from distutils.command.build_py import build_py

   to your setup.py, and later:

      cmdclass = {'build_py':build_py}

   to the invocation of setup().


``distutils.command.build_scripts`` --- Build the scripts of a package
======================================================================


``distutils.command.clean`` --- Clean a package build area
==========================================================


``distutils.command.config`` --- Perform package configuration
==============================================================


``distutils.command.install`` --- Install a package
===================================================


``distutils.command.install_data`` --- Install data files from a package
========================================================================


``distutils.command.install_headers`` --- Install C/C++ header files from a package
===================================================================================


``distutils.command.install_lib`` --- Install library files from a package
==========================================================================


``distutils.command.install_scripts`` --- Install script files from a package
=============================================================================


``distutils.command.register`` --- Register a module with the Python Package Index
==================================================================================

The ``register`` command registers the package with the Python Package
Index. This is described in more detail in **PEP 301**.


``distutils.command.check`` --- Check the meta-data of a package
================================================================

The ``check`` command performs some tests on the meta-data of a
package. It makes sure for example that all required meta-data are
provided through the arguments passed to the ``setup()`` function.


Creating a new Distutils command
================================

This section outlines the steps to create a new Distutils command.

A new command lives in a module in the ``distutils.command`` package.
There is a sample template in that directory called
``command_template``. Copy this file to a new module with the same
name as the new command you're implementing. This module should
implement a class with the same name as the module (and the command).
So, for instance, to create the command ``peel_banana`` (so that users
can run ``setup.py peel_banana``), you'd copy ``command_template``  to
``distutils/command/peel_banana.py``, then edit it so that it's
implementing the class ``peel_banana``, a subclass of
``distutils.cmd.Command``.

Subclasses of ``Command`` must define the following methods.

Command.initialize_options()(S)

   et default values for all the options that this command supports.
   Note that these defaults may be overridden by other commands, by
   the setup script, by config files, or by the command-line.  Thus,
   this is not the place to code dependencies between options;
   generally, ``initialize_options()`` implementations are just a
   bunch of ``self.foo = None`` assignments.

Command.finalize_options()

   Set final values for all the options that this command supports.
   This is always called as late as possible, ie.  after any option
   assignments from the command-line or from other commands have been
   done.  Thus, this is the place to to code option dependencies: if
   *foo* depends on *bar*, then it is safe to set *foo* from *bar* as
   long as *foo* still has the same value it was assigned in
   ``initialize_options()``.

Command.run()

   A command's raison d'etre: carry out the action it exists to
   perform, controlled by the options initialized in
   ``initialize_options()``, customized by other commands, the setup
   script, the command-line, and config files, and finalized in
   ``finalize_options()``.  All terminal output and filesystem
   interaction should be done by ``run()``.

*sub_commands* formalizes the notion of a "family" of commands, eg.
``install`` as the parent with sub-commands ``install_lib``,
``install_headers``, etc.  The parent of a family of commands defines
*sub_commands* as a class attribute; it's a list of 2-tuples
``(command_name, predicate)``, with *command_name* a string and
*predicate* a function, a string or None. *predicate* is a method of
the parent command that determines whether the corresponding command
is applicable in the current situation.  (Eg. we ``install_headers``
is only applicable if we have any C header files to install.)  If
*predicate* is None, that command is always applicable.

*sub_commands* is usually defined at the *end* of a class, because
predicates can be methods of the class, so they must already have been
defined.  The canonical example is the **install** command.
