mirror of
https://github.com/google/flatbuffers.git
synced 2026-06-03 12:21:23 +00:00
Port FlatBuffers to Python.
Implement code generation and self-contained runtime library for Python.
The test suite verifies:
- Correctness of generated Python code by comparing output to that of
the other language ports.
- The exact bytes in the Builder buffer during many scenarios.
- Vtable deduplication correctness.
- Edge cases for table construction, via a fuzzer derived from the Go
implementation.
- All code is simultaneously valid in Python 2.6, 2.7, and 3.4.
The test suite includes benchmarks for:
- Building 'gold' data.
- Parsing 'gold' data.
- Deduplicating vtables.
All tests pass on this author's system for the following Python
implementations:
- CPython 2.6.7
- CPython 2.7.8
- CPython 3.4.2
- PyPy 2.5.0 (CPython 2.7.8 compatible)
This commit is contained in:
115
docs/source/PythonUsage.md
Executable file
115
docs/source/PythonUsage.md
Executable file
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
|
||||
# Use in Python
|
||||
|
||||
There's experimental support for reading FlatBuffers in Python. Generate
|
||||
code for Python with the `-p` option to `flatc`.
|
||||
|
||||
See `py_test.py` for an example. You import the generated code, read a
|
||||
FlatBuffer binary file into a `bytearray`, which you pass to the
|
||||
`GetRootAsMonster` function:
|
||||
|
||||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{.py}
|
||||
import MyGame.Example as example
|
||||
import flatbuffers
|
||||
|
||||
buf = open('monster.dat', 'rb').read()
|
||||
buf = bytearray(buf)
|
||||
monster = example.GetRootAsMonster(buf, 0)
|
||||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
||||
|
||||
Now you can access values like this:
|
||||
|
||||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{.py}
|
||||
hp = monster.Hp()
|
||||
pos = monster.Pos()
|
||||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
||||
|
||||
To access vectors you pass an extra index to the
|
||||
vector field accessor. Then a second method with the same name suffixed
|
||||
by `Length` let's you know the number of elements you can access:
|
||||
|
||||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{.py}
|
||||
for i in xrange(monster.InventoryLength()):
|
||||
monster.Inventory(i) # do something here
|
||||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
||||
|
||||
You can also construct these buffers in Python using the functions found
|
||||
in the generated code, and the FlatBufferBuilder class:
|
||||
|
||||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{.py}
|
||||
builder = flatbuffers.NewBuilder(0)
|
||||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
||||
|
||||
Create strings:
|
||||
|
||||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{.py}
|
||||
s = builder.CreateString("MyMonster")
|
||||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
||||
|
||||
Create a table with a struct contained therein:
|
||||
|
||||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{.py}
|
||||
example.MonsterStart(builder)
|
||||
example.MonsterAddPos(builder, example.CreateVec3(builder, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 3.0, 4, 5, 6))
|
||||
example.MonsterAddHp(builder, 80)
|
||||
example.MonsterAddName(builder, str)
|
||||
example.MonsterAddInventory(builder, inv)
|
||||
example.MonsterAddTest_Type(builder, 1)
|
||||
example.MonsterAddTest(builder, mon2)
|
||||
example.MonsterAddTest4(builder, test4s)
|
||||
mon = example.MonsterEnd(builder)
|
||||
|
||||
final_flatbuffer = bulder.Output()
|
||||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
||||
|
||||
Unlike C++, Python does not support table creation functions like 'createMonster()'.
|
||||
This is to create the buffer without
|
||||
using temporary object allocation (since the `Vec3` is an inline component of
|
||||
`Monster`, it has to be created right where it is added, whereas the name and
|
||||
the inventory are not inline, and **must** be created outside of the table
|
||||
creation sequence).
|
||||
Structs do have convenient methods that allow you to construct them in one call.
|
||||
These also have arguments for nested structs, e.g. if a struct has a field `a`
|
||||
and a nested struct field `b` (which has fields `c` and `d`), then the arguments
|
||||
will be `a`, `c` and `d`.
|
||||
|
||||
Vectors also use this start/end pattern to allow vectors of both scalar types
|
||||
and structs:
|
||||
|
||||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{.py}
|
||||
example.MonsterStartInventoryVector(builder, 5)
|
||||
i = 4
|
||||
while i >= 0:
|
||||
builder.PrependByte(byte(i))
|
||||
i -= 1
|
||||
|
||||
inv = builder.EndVector(5)
|
||||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
||||
|
||||
The generated method 'StartInventoryVector' is provided as a convenience
|
||||
function which calls 'StartVector' with the correct element size of the vector
|
||||
type which in this case is 'ubyte' or 1 byte per vector element.
|
||||
You pass the number of elements you want to write.
|
||||
You write the elements backwards since the buffer
|
||||
is being constructed back to front. Use the correct `Prepend` call for the type,
|
||||
or `PrependUOffsetT` for offsets. You then pass `inv` to the corresponding
|
||||
`Add` call when you construct the table containing it afterwards.
|
||||
|
||||
There are `Prepend` functions for all the scalar types. You use
|
||||
`PrependUOffset` for any previously constructed objects (such as other tables,
|
||||
strings, vectors). For structs, you use the appropriate `create` function
|
||||
in-line, as shown above in the `Monster` example.
|
||||
|
||||
Once you're done constructing a buffer, you call `Finish` with the root object
|
||||
offset (`mon` in the example above). Your data now resides in Builder.Bytes.
|
||||
Important to note is that the real data starts at the index indicated by Head(),
|
||||
for Offset() bytes (this is because the buffer is constructed backwards).
|
||||
If you wanted to read the buffer right after creating it (using
|
||||
`GetRootAsMonster` above), the second argument, instead of `0` would thus
|
||||
also be `Head()`.
|
||||
|
||||
## Text Parsing
|
||||
|
||||
There currently is no support for parsing text (Schema's and JSON) directly
|
||||
from Python, though you could use the C++ parser through SWIG or ctypes. Please
|
||||
see the C++ documentation for more on text parsing.
|
||||
|
||||
Reference in New Issue
Block a user