[Python-Dev] Threading and callbacks - missing documentation (original) (raw)

Jack Jansen Jack.Jansen@oratrix.com
Thu, 11 Apr 2002 23:14:54 +0200

Folks, unless I'm looking in completely the wrong place (I looked in "extending and Embedding" and in "Python/C API") there is absolutely no information in the docs on the interaction between callbacks and the GIL. There is preciously little information on callbacks and threading, and it isn't very helpful at that (i.e. there doesn't seem to be a recipy on how to obtain the GIL in a callback routine that is about to call Python code, or how to test whether the current thread holds the GIL already).

As I'm currently very interested in this for two separate reasons (one work-related, and another one is that I want to make the Mac toolbox modules release the GIL when appropriate) I could write something up, but only if (a) it isn't documented somewhere already and (b) someone can tell me how it actually works:-).