[Python-Dev] imputil and modulefinder replacements (original) (raw)

Michael McLay mclay@nist.gov
Fri, 5 Oct 2001 13:28:06 -0400

On Friday 05 October 2001 12:19 pm, Greg Ward wrote:

On 05 October 2001, M.-A. Lemburg said:

The only import hook I'm familiar with is Quixote, where we have defined a Python dialect called PTL (Python Template Language, used to embed HTML [or other text] in Python). Install Quixote's import hook, and you can import .ptl files just like .py files. It's very handy. Out of curiosity, does anyone know of any other import hooks like this out there -- ie. import something that is not strictly Python.

The dpython interpreter I wrote this summer would tokenize .dp files that were in the Python path. If the alternative suffix was detected the Python interpreter would use the dpython tokenizer. The dpython tokenizer would generate decimal numbers instead of binary numbers as the default for float and int literals. I didn't use the import hooks. I built the .dp file recognition into the interpreter at the point where it evaluates the suffix of the file name and compairs it to the filedesc struct.

When I discussed the implementation of dpython at the ZPUG meeting I joked about extending the concept to add bytecode generators for JavaScript and Visual Basic modules. The work required to add JavaScript would probably be reasonable. It might help get Python used anywhere JavaScript is used.

There has also been some interest at NIST and NASA in building modules to parse meta languages such as XML Schema, KIF, and Express and directly generate Python bytecodes.