This file describes some special Python build types enabled via compile-time preprocessor directives. IMPORTANT: if you want to build a debug-enabled Python, it is recommended that you use ``./configure --with-pydebug``, rather than the options listed here. However, if you wish to define some of these options individually, it is best to define them in the EXTRA_CFLAGS make variable; ``make EXTRA_CFLAGS="-DPy_REF_DEBUG"``. Py_REF_DEBUG ------------ Turn on aggregate reference counting. This arranges that extern _Py_RefTotal hold a count of all references, the sum of ob_refcnt across all objects. Passing ``-X showrefcount`` on the command line causes the interactive interpreter to print the reference count total as well the number of memory blocks allocated after each statement: >>> 23 23 [8288 refs, 14332 blocks] >>> Note that if this count increases when you're not storing away new objects, there's probably a leak. Remember, though, that in interactive mode the special name "_" holds a reference to the last result displayed! Py_REF_DEBUG also checks after every decref to verify that the refcount hasn't gone negative, and causes an immediate fatal error if it has. Py_DEBUG implies Py_REF_DEBUG. Special gimmicks: sys.gettotalrefcount() Return current total of all refcounts. Py_TRACE_REFS ------------- Build option: ``./configure --with-trace-refs``. Turn on heavy reference debugging. This is major surgery. Every PyObject grows two more pointers, to maintain a doubly-linked list of all live heap-allocated objects. Most built-in type objects are not in this list, as they're statically allocated. Note that because the fundamental PyObject layout changes, Python modules compiled with Py_TRACE_REFS are incompatible with modules compiled without it. Special gimmicks: sys.getobjects(max[, type]) Return list of the (no more than) max most-recently allocated objects, most recently allocated first in the list, least-recently allocated last in the list. max=0 means no limit on list length. If an optional type object is passed, the list is also restricted to objects of that type. The return list itself, and some temp objects created just to call sys.getobjects(), are excluded from the return list. Note that the list returned is just another object, though, so may appear in the return list the next time you call getobjects(); note that every object in the list is kept alive too, simply by virtue of being in the list. envvar PYTHONDUMPREFS If this envvar exists, Py_FinalizeEx() arranges to print a list of all still-live heap objects. This is printed twice, in different formats, before and after Py_FinalizeEx has cleaned up everything it can clean up. The first output block produces the repr() of each object so is more informative; however, a lot of stuff destined to die is still alive then. The second output block is much harder to work with (repr() can't be invoked anymore -- the interpreter has been torn down too far), but doesn't list any objects that will die. The tool script combinerefs.py can be run over this to combine the info from both output blocks. The second output block, and combinerefs.py, were new in Python 2.3b1. Py_DEBUG -------- This is what is generally meant by "a debug build" of Python. Py_DEBUG implies LLTRACE and Py_REF_DEBUG. In addition, C assert()s are enabled (via the C way: by not defining NDEBUG), and some routines do additional sanity checks inside "#ifdef Py_DEBUG" blocks. LLTRACE ------- Compile in support for Low Level TRACE-ing of the main interpreter loop. When this preprocessor symbol is defined, before PyEval_EvalFrame executes a frame's code it checks the frame's global namespace for a variable "__lltrace__". If such a variable is found, mounds of information about what the interpreter is doing are sprayed to stdout, such as every opcode and opcode argument and values pushed onto and popped off the value stack. Not useful very often, but very useful when needed. Py_DEBUG implies LLTRACE.