Re: Python interface available outside Gnumeric Python console?

["" <nick savs net>]

Johann Rohwer wrote:
> Is the Python interface to Gnumeric workbooks (as accessed by "import Gnumeric") available as a stand alone 
> or do I have to access it through the Gnumeric Python console? 

I've had a quick email exchange with Jody and am going to start some work hopefully leading to a Python API 
for the complete Gnumeric object model. My rough idea of a plan goes something like:

- Look at other language bindings, in particular JavaGnome and PyGTK,and existing Gnumeric/python code for 
guidance and gotchas
- Manual proof of concept bindings to enough of the API to make a window pop up and maybe do one or two 
things in the application. I hope this will expose any really tricky issues I hadn't foreseen.
- Code generated Python bindings for all datatypes and functions. A very big item. Will probably involve 
tracing header and data type dependencies manually or otherwise. Will probably involve refactoring of code 
not suited to library usage or h2def.
- Wrapper of python bindings exposing a Pythonic object API for users.

The design of the end-user python API and any changes to Gnumeric obviously will require discussion with the 
whole team, but I think that initially I can dig into the details of generating code for 1-to-1 C-to-Python 
bindings independently. I'm hoping it will help reduce the work in keeping a Python API up to date with 
Gnumeric code changes.

I have a background in python and low level C on Windows and GNU/Linux as well as Excel/VBA automation. 
However I can't work on this more than part time, so I hope to spew forth notes on what I'm doing so that 
other people can keep going with this if I drop the ball.

Nick