ext_test
=========

This package is my learing experiment with C-bindings in Python.

It contains a native C-library `cmath', that consists of a couple of simple
functions:

- fib   # Calculate a given number from the fibonacci sequence (recursively)
- sum   # Sum all natural numbers lower than a given threshold (by looping
          through the numbers, and adding them up).
- hyp   # Calculate the hypotenuse using the pythagoras theorem.
- sin   # Calculate an approximation of the sine of an angle (in degrees).

The package contains four python modules that all implement these functions:

- refmath   # A pure-python port of `cmath' (for comparison).
- pymath    # Native implementation that wraps `cmath'.
- ctmath    # CTypes wrapper for `cmath'.
- cffimath  # CFFI wrapper for `cmath'.


Use/install
============

To use this module, simply run `setup.py install'. This will compile and link
all the implementations in the package, and install it in the local environment.

Alternately, use `setup.py build_ext --inplace' to build and place the shared
libraries in the source tree. This is also done if you run the unit tests (by
running `setup.py test')


Requirements
-------------

- gcc, compiler toolchain.
- python-devel, python headers to compile `pymath'.
- cffi, python FFI module used in `cffimath'.


Files
======

- cmath.*       # The actual C implementations of the functions
- Makefile      # Makefile to compile `cmath' as a shared object library
- pymath.*      # CPython-wrappers and native CPython interface
- ctmath.py     # Ctypes wrapper for the shared object library
- cffimath.py   # CFFI wrapper for the shared object library
- refmath.py    # Pure-python implementations of the functions
- setup.py      # Distutils script to compile and install the module as a native
                # CPython extension.
- runtests.py   # Run tests. Standalone script generated by py.test.