1:mod:`sys` --- System-specific parameters and functions 2======================================================= 3 4.. module:: sys 5 :synopsis: Access system-specific parameters and functions. 6 7-------------- 8 9This module provides access to some variables used or maintained by the 10interpreter and to functions that interact strongly with the interpreter. It is 11always available. 12 13 14.. data:: abiflags 15 16 On POSIX systems where Python was built with the standard ``configure`` 17 script, this contains the ABI flags as specified by :pep:`3149`. 18 19 .. versionchanged:: 3.8 20 Default flags became an empty string (``m`` flag for pymalloc has been 21 removed). 22 23 .. versionadded:: 3.2 24 25 26.. function:: addaudithook(hook) 27 28 Append the callable *hook* to the list of active auditing hooks for the 29 current interpreter. 30 31 When an auditing event is raised through the :func:`sys.audit` function, each 32 hook will be called in the order it was added with the event name and the 33 tuple of arguments. Native hooks added by :c:func:`PySys_AddAuditHook` are 34 called first, followed by hooks added in the current interpreter. 35 36 .. audit-event:: sys.addaudithook "" sys.addaudithook 37 38 Raise an auditing event ``sys.addaudithook`` with no arguments. If any 39 existing hooks raise an exception derived from :class:`RuntimeError`, the 40 new hook will not be added and the exception suppressed. As a result, 41 callers cannot assume that their hook has been added unless they control 42 all existing hooks. 43 44 .. versionadded:: 3.8 45 46 .. versionchanged:: 3.8.1 47 48 Exceptions derived from :class:`Exception` but not :class:`RuntimeError` 49 are no longer suppressed. 50 51 .. impl-detail:: 52 53 When tracing is enabled (see :func:`settrace`), Python hooks are only 54 traced if the callable has a ``__cantrace__`` member that is set to a 55 true value. Otherwise, trace functions will skip the hook. 56 57 58.. data:: argv 59 60 The list of command line arguments passed to a Python script. ``argv[0]`` is the 61 script name (it is operating system dependent whether this is a full pathname or 62 not). If the command was executed using the :option:`-c` command line option to 63 the interpreter, ``argv[0]`` is set to the string ``'-c'``. If no script name 64 was passed to the Python interpreter, ``argv[0]`` is the empty string. 65 66 To loop over the standard input, or the list of files given on the 67 command line, see the :mod:`fileinput` module. 68 69 .. note:: 70 On Unix, command line arguments are passed by bytes from OS. Python decodes 71 them with filesystem encoding and "surrogateescape" error handler. 72 When you need original bytes, you can get it by 73 ``[os.fsencode(arg) for arg in sys.argv]``. 74 75 76.. _auditing: 77 78.. function:: audit(event, *args) 79 80 .. index:: single: auditing 81 82 Raise an auditing event with any active hooks. The event name is a string 83 identifying the event and its associated schema, which is the number and 84 types of arguments. The schema for a given event is considered public and 85 stable API and should not be modified between releases. 86 87 This function will raise the first exception raised by any hook. In general, 88 these errors should not be handled and should terminate the process as 89 quickly as possible. 90 91 Hooks are added using the :func:`sys.addaudithook` or 92 :c:func:`PySys_AddAuditHook` functions. 93 94 The native equivalent of this function is :c:func:`PySys_Audit`. Using the 95 native function is preferred when possible. 96 97 See the :ref:`audit events table <audit-events>` for all events raised by 98 CPython. 99 100 .. versionadded:: 3.8 101 102 103.. data:: base_exec_prefix 104 105 Set during Python startup, before ``site.py`` is run, to the same value as 106 :data:`exec_prefix`. If not running in a 107 :ref:`virtual environment <venv-def>`, the values will stay the same; if 108 ``site.py`` finds that a virtual environment is in use, the values of 109 :data:`prefix` and :data:`exec_prefix` will be changed to point to the 110 virtual environment, whereas :data:`base_prefix` and 111 :data:`base_exec_prefix` will remain pointing to the base Python 112 installation (the one which the virtual environment was created from). 113 114 .. versionadded:: 3.3 115 116 117.. data:: base_prefix 118 119 Set during Python startup, before ``site.py`` is run, to the same value as 120 :data:`prefix`. If not running in a :ref:`virtual environment <venv-def>`, the values 121 will stay the same; if ``site.py`` finds that a virtual environment is in 122 use, the values of :data:`prefix` and :data:`exec_prefix` will be changed to 123 point to the virtual environment, whereas :data:`base_prefix` and 124 :data:`base_exec_prefix` will remain pointing to the base Python 125 installation (the one which the virtual environment was created from). 126 127 .. versionadded:: 3.3 128 129 130.. data:: byteorder 131 132 An indicator of the native byte order. This will have the value ``'big'`` on 133 big-endian (most-significant byte first) platforms, and ``'little'`` on 134 little-endian (least-significant byte first) platforms. 135 136 137.. data:: builtin_module_names 138 139 A tuple of strings giving the names of all modules that are compiled into this 140 Python interpreter. (This information is not available in any other way --- 141 ``modules.keys()`` only lists the imported modules.) 142 143 144.. function:: call_tracing(func, args) 145 146 Call ``func(*args)``, while tracing is enabled. The tracing state is saved, 147 and restored afterwards. This is intended to be called from a debugger from 148 a checkpoint, to recursively debug some other code. 149 150 151.. data:: copyright 152 153 A string containing the copyright pertaining to the Python interpreter. 154 155 156.. function:: _clear_type_cache() 157 158 Clear the internal type cache. The type cache is used to speed up attribute 159 and method lookups. Use the function *only* to drop unnecessary references 160 during reference leak debugging. 161 162 This function should be used for internal and specialized purposes only. 163 164 165.. function:: _current_frames() 166 167 Return a dictionary mapping each thread's identifier to the topmost stack frame 168 currently active in that thread at the time the function is called. Note that 169 functions in the :mod:`traceback` module can build the call stack given such a 170 frame. 171 172 This is most useful for debugging deadlock: this function does not require the 173 deadlocked threads' cooperation, and such threads' call stacks are frozen for as 174 long as they remain deadlocked. The frame returned for a non-deadlocked thread 175 may bear no relationship to that thread's current activity by the time calling 176 code examines the frame. 177 178 This function should be used for internal and specialized purposes only. 179 180 .. audit-event:: sys._current_frames "" sys._current_frames 181 182 183.. function:: breakpointhook() 184 185 This hook function is called by built-in :func:`breakpoint`. By default, 186 it drops you into the :mod:`pdb` debugger, but it can be set to any other 187 function so that you can choose which debugger gets used. 188 189 The signature of this function is dependent on what it calls. For example, 190 the default binding (e.g. ``pdb.set_trace()``) expects no arguments, but 191 you might bind it to a function that expects additional arguments 192 (positional and/or keyword). The built-in ``breakpoint()`` function passes 193 its ``*args`` and ``**kws`` straight through. Whatever 194 ``breakpointhooks()`` returns is returned from ``breakpoint()``. 195 196 The default implementation first consults the environment variable 197 :envvar:`PYTHONBREAKPOINT`. If that is set to ``"0"`` then this function 198 returns immediately; i.e. it is a no-op. If the environment variable is 199 not set, or is set to the empty string, ``pdb.set_trace()`` is called. 200 Otherwise this variable should name a function to run, using Python's 201 dotted-import nomenclature, e.g. ``package.subpackage.module.function``. 202 In this case, ``package.subpackage.module`` would be imported and the 203 resulting module must have a callable named ``function()``. This is run, 204 passing in ``*args`` and ``**kws``, and whatever ``function()`` returns, 205 ``sys.breakpointhook()`` returns to the built-in :func:`breakpoint` 206 function. 207 208 Note that if anything goes wrong while importing the callable named by 209 :envvar:`PYTHONBREAKPOINT`, a :exc:`RuntimeWarning` is reported and the 210 breakpoint is ignored. 211 212 Also note that if ``sys.breakpointhook()`` is overridden programmatically, 213 :envvar:`PYTHONBREAKPOINT` is *not* consulted. 214 215 .. versionadded:: 3.7 216 217.. function:: _debugmallocstats() 218 219 Print low-level information to stderr about the state of CPython's memory 220 allocator. 221 222 If Python is configured --with-pydebug, it also performs some expensive 223 internal consistency checks. 224 225 .. versionadded:: 3.3 226 227 .. impl-detail:: 228 229 This function is specific to CPython. The exact output format is not 230 defined here, and may change. 231 232 233.. data:: dllhandle 234 235 Integer specifying the handle of the Python DLL. 236 237 .. availability:: Windows. 238 239 240.. function:: displayhook(value) 241 242 If *value* is not ``None``, this function prints ``repr(value)`` to 243 ``sys.stdout``, and saves *value* in ``builtins._``. If ``repr(value)`` is 244 not encodable to ``sys.stdout.encoding`` with ``sys.stdout.errors`` error 245 handler (which is probably ``'strict'``), encode it to 246 ``sys.stdout.encoding`` with ``'backslashreplace'`` error handler. 247 248 ``sys.displayhook`` is called on the result of evaluating an :term:`expression` 249 entered in an interactive Python session. The display of these values can be 250 customized by assigning another one-argument function to ``sys.displayhook``. 251 252 Pseudo-code:: 253 254 def displayhook(value): 255 if value is None: 256 return 257 # Set '_' to None to avoid recursion 258 builtins._ = None 259 text = repr(value) 260 try: 261 sys.stdout.write(text) 262 except UnicodeEncodeError: 263 bytes = text.encode(sys.stdout.encoding, 'backslashreplace') 264 if hasattr(sys.stdout, 'buffer'): 265 sys.stdout.buffer.write(bytes) 266 else: 267 text = bytes.decode(sys.stdout.encoding, 'strict') 268 sys.stdout.write(text) 269 sys.stdout.write("\n") 270 builtins._ = value 271 272 .. versionchanged:: 3.2 273 Use ``'backslashreplace'`` error handler on :exc:`UnicodeEncodeError`. 274 275 276.. data:: dont_write_bytecode 277 278 If this is true, Python won't try to write ``.pyc`` files on the 279 import of source modules. This value is initially set to ``True`` or 280 ``False`` depending on the :option:`-B` command line option and the 281 :envvar:`PYTHONDONTWRITEBYTECODE` environment variable, but you can set it 282 yourself to control bytecode file generation. 283 284 285.. data:: pycache_prefix 286 287 If this is set (not ``None``), Python will write bytecode-cache ``.pyc`` 288 files to (and read them from) a parallel directory tree rooted at this 289 directory, rather than from ``__pycache__`` directories in the source code 290 tree. Any ``__pycache__`` directories in the source code tree will be ignored 291 and new `.pyc` files written within the pycache prefix. Thus if you use 292 :mod:`compileall` as a pre-build step, you must ensure you run it with the 293 same pycache prefix (if any) that you will use at runtime. 294 295 A relative path is interpreted relative to the current working directory. 296 297 This value is initially set based on the value of the :option:`-X` 298 ``pycache_prefix=PATH`` command-line option or the 299 :envvar:`PYTHONPYCACHEPREFIX` environment variable (command-line takes 300 precedence). If neither are set, it is ``None``. 301 302 .. versionadded:: 3.8 303 304 305.. function:: excepthook(type, value, traceback) 306 307 This function prints out a given traceback and exception to ``sys.stderr``. 308 309 When an exception is raised and uncaught, the interpreter calls 310 ``sys.excepthook`` with three arguments, the exception class, exception 311 instance, and a traceback object. In an interactive session this happens just 312 before control is returned to the prompt; in a Python program this happens just 313 before the program exits. The handling of such top-level exceptions can be 314 customized by assigning another three-argument function to ``sys.excepthook``. 315 316 .. audit-event:: sys.excepthook hook,type,value,traceback sys.excepthook 317 318 Raise an auditing event ``sys.excepthook`` with arguments ``hook``, 319 ``type``, ``value``, ``traceback`` when an uncaught exception occurs. 320 If no hook has been set, ``hook`` may be ``None``. If any hook raises 321 an exception derived from :class:`RuntimeError` the call to the hook will 322 be suppressed. Otherwise, the audit hook exception will be reported as 323 unraisable and ``sys.excepthook`` will be called. 324 325 .. seealso:: 326 327 The :func:`sys.unraisablehook` function handles unraisable exceptions 328 and the :func:`threading.excepthook` function handles exception raised 329 by :func:`threading.Thread.run`. 330 331 332.. data:: __breakpointhook__ 333 __displayhook__ 334 __excepthook__ 335 __unraisablehook__ 336 337 These objects contain the original values of ``breakpointhook``, 338 ``displayhook``, ``excepthook``, and ``unraisablehook`` at the start of the 339 program. They are saved so that ``breakpointhook``, ``displayhook`` and 340 ``excepthook``, ``unraisablehook`` can be restored in case they happen to 341 get replaced with broken or alternative objects. 342 343 .. versionadded:: 3.7 344 __breakpointhook__ 345 346 .. versionadded:: 3.8 347 __unraisablehook__ 348 349.. function:: exc_info() 350 351 This function returns a tuple of three values that give information about the 352 exception that is currently being handled. The information returned is specific 353 both to the current thread and to the current stack frame. If the current stack 354 frame is not handling an exception, the information is taken from the calling 355 stack frame, or its caller, and so on until a stack frame is found that is 356 handling an exception. Here, "handling an exception" is defined as "executing 357 an except clause." For any stack frame, only information about the exception 358 being currently handled is accessible. 359 360 .. index:: object: traceback 361 362 If no exception is being handled anywhere on the stack, a tuple containing 363 three ``None`` values is returned. Otherwise, the values returned are 364 ``(type, value, traceback)``. Their meaning is: *type* gets the type of the 365 exception being handled (a subclass of :exc:`BaseException`); *value* gets 366 the exception instance (an instance of the exception type); *traceback* gets 367 a :ref:`traceback object <traceback-objects>` which encapsulates the call 368 stack at the point where the exception originally occurred. 369 370 371.. data:: exec_prefix 372 373 A string giving the site-specific directory prefix where the platform-dependent 374 Python files are installed; by default, this is also ``'/usr/local'``. This can 375 be set at build time with the ``--exec-prefix`` argument to the 376 :program:`configure` script. Specifically, all configuration files (e.g. the 377 :file:`pyconfig.h` header file) are installed in the directory 378 :file:`{exec_prefix}/lib/python{X.Y}/config`, and shared library modules are 379 installed in :file:`{exec_prefix}/lib/python{X.Y}/lib-dynload`, where *X.Y* 380 is the version number of Python, for example ``3.2``. 381 382 .. note:: 383 384 If a :ref:`virtual environment <venv-def>` is in effect, this 385 value will be changed in ``site.py`` to point to the virtual environment. 386 The value for the Python installation will still be available, via 387 :data:`base_exec_prefix`. 388 389 390.. data:: executable 391 392 A string giving the absolute path of the executable binary for the Python 393 interpreter, on systems where this makes sense. If Python is unable to retrieve 394 the real path to its executable, :data:`sys.executable` will be an empty string 395 or ``None``. 396 397 398.. function:: exit([arg]) 399 400 Exit from Python. This is implemented by raising the :exc:`SystemExit` 401 exception, so cleanup actions specified by finally clauses of :keyword:`try` 402 statements are honored, and it is possible to intercept the exit attempt at 403 an outer level. 404 405 The optional argument *arg* can be an integer giving the exit status 406 (defaulting to zero), or another type of object. If it is an integer, zero 407 is considered "successful termination" and any nonzero value is considered 408 "abnormal termination" by shells and the like. Most systems require it to be 409 in the range 0--127, and produce undefined results otherwise. Some systems 410 have a convention for assigning specific meanings to specific exit codes, but 411 these are generally underdeveloped; Unix programs generally use 2 for command 412 line syntax errors and 1 for all other kind of errors. If another type of 413 object is passed, ``None`` is equivalent to passing zero, and any other 414 object is printed to :data:`stderr` and results in an exit code of 1. In 415 particular, ``sys.exit("some error message")`` is a quick way to exit a 416 program when an error occurs. 417 418 Since :func:`exit` ultimately "only" raises an exception, it will only exit 419 the process when called from the main thread, and the exception is not 420 intercepted. 421 422 .. versionchanged:: 3.6 423 If an error occurs in the cleanup after the Python interpreter 424 has caught :exc:`SystemExit` (such as an error flushing buffered data 425 in the standard streams), the exit status is changed to 120. 426 427 428.. data:: flags 429 430 The :term:`named tuple` *flags* exposes the status of command line 431 flags. The attributes are read only. 432 433 ============================= ============================================================================================================== 434 attribute flag 435 ============================= ============================================================================================================== 436 :const:`debug` :option:`-d` 437 :const:`inspect` :option:`-i` 438 :const:`interactive` :option:`-i` 439 :const:`isolated` :option:`-I` 440 :const:`optimize` :option:`-O` or :option:`-OO` 441 :const:`dont_write_bytecode` :option:`-B` 442 :const:`no_user_site` :option:`-s` 443 :const:`no_site` :option:`-S` 444 :const:`ignore_environment` :option:`-E` 445 :const:`verbose` :option:`-v` 446 :const:`bytes_warning` :option:`-b` 447 :const:`quiet` :option:`-q` 448 :const:`hash_randomization` :option:`-R` 449 :const:`dev_mode` :option:`-X` ``dev`` 450 :const:`utf8_mode` :option:`-X` ``utf8`` 451 :const:`int_max_str_digits` :option:`-X int_max_str_digits <-X>` (:ref:`integer string conversion length limitation <int_max_str_digits>`) 452 ============================= ============================================================================================================== 453 454 .. versionchanged:: 3.2 455 Added ``quiet`` attribute for the new :option:`-q` flag. 456 457 .. versionadded:: 3.2.3 458 The ``hash_randomization`` attribute. 459 460 .. versionchanged:: 3.3 461 Removed obsolete ``division_warning`` attribute. 462 463 .. versionchanged:: 3.4 464 Added ``isolated`` attribute for :option:`-I` ``isolated`` flag. 465 466 .. versionchanged:: 3.7 467 Added ``dev_mode`` attribute for the new :option:`-X` ``dev`` flag 468 and ``utf8_mode`` attribute for the new :option:`-X` ``utf8`` flag. 469 470 .. versionchanged:: 3.8.2 471 Added the ``int_max_str_digits`` attribute. 472 473 474.. data:: float_info 475 476 A :term:`named tuple` holding information about the float type. It 477 contains low level information about the precision and internal 478 representation. The values correspond to the various floating-point 479 constants defined in the standard header file :file:`float.h` for the 'C' 480 programming language; see section 5.2.4.2.2 of the 1999 ISO/IEC C standard 481 [C99]_, 'Characteristics of floating types', for details. 482 483 .. tabularcolumns:: |l|l|L| 484 485 +---------------------+----------------+--------------------------------------------------+ 486 | attribute | float.h macro | explanation | 487 +=====================+================+==================================================+ 488 | :const:`epsilon` | DBL_EPSILON | difference between 1.0 and the least value | 489 | | | greater than 1.0 that is representable as a float| 490 +---------------------+----------------+--------------------------------------------------+ 491 | :const:`dig` | DBL_DIG | maximum number of decimal digits that can be | 492 | | | faithfully represented in a float; see below | 493 +---------------------+----------------+--------------------------------------------------+ 494 | :const:`mant_dig` | DBL_MANT_DIG | float precision: the number of base-``radix`` | 495 | | | digits in the significand of a float | 496 +---------------------+----------------+--------------------------------------------------+ 497 | :const:`max` | DBL_MAX | maximum representable positive finite float | 498 +---------------------+----------------+--------------------------------------------------+ 499 | :const:`max_exp` | DBL_MAX_EXP | maximum integer *e* such that ``radix**(e-1)`` is| 500 | | | a representable finite float | 501 +---------------------+----------------+--------------------------------------------------+ 502 | :const:`max_10_exp` | DBL_MAX_10_EXP | maximum integer *e* such that ``10**e`` is in the| 503 | | | range of representable finite floats | 504 +---------------------+----------------+--------------------------------------------------+ 505 | :const:`min` | DBL_MIN | minimum representable positive *normalized* float| 506 +---------------------+----------------+--------------------------------------------------+ 507 | :const:`min_exp` | DBL_MIN_EXP | minimum integer *e* such that ``radix**(e-1)`` is| 508 | | | a normalized float | 509 +---------------------+----------------+--------------------------------------------------+ 510 | :const:`min_10_exp` | DBL_MIN_10_EXP | minimum integer *e* such that ``10**e`` is a | 511 | | | normalized float | 512 +---------------------+----------------+--------------------------------------------------+ 513 | :const:`radix` | FLT_RADIX | radix of exponent representation | 514 +---------------------+----------------+--------------------------------------------------+ 515 | :const:`rounds` | FLT_ROUNDS | integer constant representing the rounding mode | 516 | | | used for arithmetic operations. This reflects | 517 | | | the value of the system FLT_ROUNDS macro at | 518 | | | interpreter startup time. See section 5.2.4.2.2 | 519 | | | of the C99 standard for an explanation of the | 520 | | | possible values and their meanings. | 521 +---------------------+----------------+--------------------------------------------------+ 522 523 The attribute :attr:`sys.float_info.dig` needs further explanation. If 524 ``s`` is any string representing a decimal number with at most 525 :attr:`sys.float_info.dig` significant digits, then converting ``s`` to a 526 float and back again will recover a string representing the same decimal 527 value:: 528 529 >>> import sys 530 >>> sys.float_info.dig 531 15 532 >>> s = '3.14159265358979' # decimal string with 15 significant digits 533 >>> format(float(s), '.15g') # convert to float and back -> same value 534 '3.14159265358979' 535 536 But for strings with more than :attr:`sys.float_info.dig` significant digits, 537 this isn't always true:: 538 539 >>> s = '9876543211234567' # 16 significant digits is too many! 540 >>> format(float(s), '.16g') # conversion changes value 541 '9876543211234568' 542 543.. data:: float_repr_style 544 545 A string indicating how the :func:`repr` function behaves for 546 floats. If the string has value ``'short'`` then for a finite 547 float ``x``, ``repr(x)`` aims to produce a short string with the 548 property that ``float(repr(x)) == x``. This is the usual behaviour 549 in Python 3.1 and later. Otherwise, ``float_repr_style`` has value 550 ``'legacy'`` and ``repr(x)`` behaves in the same way as it did in 551 versions of Python prior to 3.1. 552 553 .. versionadded:: 3.1 554 555 556.. function:: getallocatedblocks() 557 558 Return the number of memory blocks currently allocated by the interpreter, 559 regardless of their size. This function is mainly useful for tracking 560 and debugging memory leaks. Because of the interpreter's internal 561 caches, the result can vary from call to call; you may have to call 562 :func:`_clear_type_cache()` and :func:`gc.collect()` to get more 563 predictable results. 564 565 If a Python build or implementation cannot reasonably compute this 566 information, :func:`getallocatedblocks()` is allowed to return 0 instead. 567 568 .. versionadded:: 3.4 569 570 571.. function:: getandroidapilevel() 572 573 Return the build time API version of Android as an integer. 574 575 .. availability:: Android. 576 577 .. versionadded:: 3.7 578 579 580.. function:: getcheckinterval() 581 582 Return the interpreter's "check interval"; see :func:`setcheckinterval`. 583 584 .. deprecated:: 3.2 585 Use :func:`getswitchinterval` instead. 586 587 588.. function:: getdefaultencoding() 589 590 Return the name of the current default string encoding used by the Unicode 591 implementation. 592 593 594.. function:: getdlopenflags() 595 596 Return the current value of the flags that are used for 597 :c:func:`dlopen` calls. Symbolic names for the flag values can be 598 found in the :mod:`os` module (``RTLD_xxx`` constants, e.g. 599 :data:`os.RTLD_LAZY`). 600 601 .. availability:: Unix. 602 603 604.. function:: getfilesystemencoding() 605 606 Return the name of the encoding used to convert between Unicode 607 filenames and bytes filenames. For best compatibility, str should be 608 used for filenames in all cases, although representing filenames as bytes 609 is also supported. Functions accepting or returning filenames should support 610 either str or bytes and internally convert to the system's preferred 611 representation. 612 613 This encoding is always ASCII-compatible. 614 615 :func:`os.fsencode` and :func:`os.fsdecode` should be used to ensure that 616 the correct encoding and errors mode are used. 617 618 * In the UTF-8 mode, the encoding is ``utf-8`` on any platform. 619 620 * On macOS, the encoding is ``'utf-8'``. 621 622 * On Unix, the encoding is the locale encoding. 623 624 * On Windows, the encoding may be ``'utf-8'`` or ``'mbcs'``, depending 625 on user configuration. 626 627 * On Android, the encoding is ``'utf-8'``. 628 629 * On VxWorks, the encoding is ``'utf-8'``. 630 631 .. versionchanged:: 3.2 632 :func:`getfilesystemencoding` result cannot be ``None`` anymore. 633 634 .. versionchanged:: 3.6 635 Windows is no longer guaranteed to return ``'mbcs'``. See :pep:`529` 636 and :func:`_enablelegacywindowsfsencoding` for more information. 637 638 .. versionchanged:: 3.7 639 Return 'utf-8' in the UTF-8 mode. 640 641 642.. function:: getfilesystemencodeerrors() 643 644 Return the name of the error mode used to convert between Unicode filenames 645 and bytes filenames. The encoding name is returned from 646 :func:`getfilesystemencoding`. 647 648 :func:`os.fsencode` and :func:`os.fsdecode` should be used to ensure that 649 the correct encoding and errors mode are used. 650 651 .. versionadded:: 3.6 652 653 654.. function:: get_int_max_str_digits() 655 656 Returns the current value for the :ref:`integer string conversion length 657 limitation <int_max_str_digits>`. See also :func:`set_int_max_str_digits`. 658 659 .. versionadded:: 3.8.2 660 661 662.. function:: getrefcount(object) 663 664 Return the reference count of the *object*. The count returned is generally one 665 higher than you might expect, because it includes the (temporary) reference as 666 an argument to :func:`getrefcount`. 667 668 669.. function:: getrecursionlimit() 670 671 Return the current value of the recursion limit, the maximum depth of the Python 672 interpreter stack. This limit prevents infinite recursion from causing an 673 overflow of the C stack and crashing Python. It can be set by 674 :func:`setrecursionlimit`. 675 676 677.. function:: getsizeof(object[, default]) 678 679 Return the size of an object in bytes. The object can be any type of 680 object. All built-in objects will return correct results, but this 681 does not have to hold true for third-party extensions as it is implementation 682 specific. 683 684 Only the memory consumption directly attributed to the object is 685 accounted for, not the memory consumption of objects it refers to. 686 687 If given, *default* will be returned if the object does not provide means to 688 retrieve the size. Otherwise a :exc:`TypeError` will be raised. 689 690 :func:`getsizeof` calls the object's ``__sizeof__`` method and adds an 691 additional garbage collector overhead if the object is managed by the garbage 692 collector. 693 694 See `recursive sizeof recipe <https://code.activestate.com/recipes/577504>`_ 695 for an example of using :func:`getsizeof` recursively to find the size of 696 containers and all their contents. 697 698.. function:: getswitchinterval() 699 700 Return the interpreter's "thread switch interval"; see 701 :func:`setswitchinterval`. 702 703 .. versionadded:: 3.2 704 705 706.. function:: _getframe([depth]) 707 708 Return a frame object from the call stack. If optional integer *depth* is 709 given, return the frame object that many calls below the top of the stack. If 710 that is deeper than the call stack, :exc:`ValueError` is raised. The default 711 for *depth* is zero, returning the frame at the top of the call stack. 712 713 .. audit-event:: sys._getframe "" sys._getframe 714 715 .. impl-detail:: 716 717 This function should be used for internal and specialized purposes only. 718 It is not guaranteed to exist in all implementations of Python. 719 720 721.. function:: getprofile() 722 723 .. index:: 724 single: profile function 725 single: profiler 726 727 Get the profiler function as set by :func:`setprofile`. 728 729 730.. function:: gettrace() 731 732 .. index:: 733 single: trace function 734 single: debugger 735 736 Get the trace function as set by :func:`settrace`. 737 738 .. impl-detail:: 739 740 The :func:`gettrace` function is intended only for implementing debuggers, 741 profilers, coverage tools and the like. Its behavior is part of the 742 implementation platform, rather than part of the language definition, and 743 thus may not be available in all Python implementations. 744 745 746.. function:: getwindowsversion() 747 748 Return a named tuple describing the Windows version 749 currently running. The named elements are *major*, *minor*, 750 *build*, *platform*, *service_pack*, *service_pack_minor*, 751 *service_pack_major*, *suite_mask*, *product_type* and 752 *platform_version*. *service_pack* contains a string, 753 *platform_version* a 3-tuple and all other values are 754 integers. The components can also be accessed by name, so 755 ``sys.getwindowsversion()[0]`` is equivalent to 756 ``sys.getwindowsversion().major``. For compatibility with prior 757 versions, only the first 5 elements are retrievable by indexing. 758 759 *platform* will be :const:`2 (VER_PLATFORM_WIN32_NT)`. 760 761 *product_type* may be one of the following values: 762 763 +---------------------------------------+---------------------------------+ 764 | Constant | Meaning | 765 +=======================================+=================================+ 766 | :const:`1 (VER_NT_WORKSTATION)` | The system is a workstation. | 767 +---------------------------------------+---------------------------------+ 768 | :const:`2 (VER_NT_DOMAIN_CONTROLLER)` | The system is a domain | 769 | | controller. | 770 +---------------------------------------+---------------------------------+ 771 | :const:`3 (VER_NT_SERVER)` | The system is a server, but not | 772 | | a domain controller. | 773 +---------------------------------------+---------------------------------+ 774 775 This function wraps the Win32 :c:func:`GetVersionEx` function; see the 776 Microsoft documentation on :c:func:`OSVERSIONINFOEX` for more information 777 about these fields. 778 779 *platform_version* returns the accurate major version, minor version and 780 build number of the current operating system, rather than the version that 781 is being emulated for the process. It is intended for use in logging rather 782 than for feature detection. 783 784 .. availability:: Windows. 785 786 .. versionchanged:: 3.2 787 Changed to a named tuple and added *service_pack_minor*, 788 *service_pack_major*, *suite_mask*, and *product_type*. 789 790 .. versionchanged:: 3.6 791 Added *platform_version* 792 793 794.. function:: get_asyncgen_hooks() 795 796 Returns an *asyncgen_hooks* object, which is similar to a 797 :class:`~collections.namedtuple` of the form `(firstiter, finalizer)`, 798 where *firstiter* and *finalizer* are expected to be either ``None`` or 799 functions which take an :term:`asynchronous generator iterator` as an 800 argument, and are used to schedule finalization of an asynchronous 801 generator by an event loop. 802 803 .. versionadded:: 3.6 804 See :pep:`525` for more details. 805 806 .. note:: 807 This function has been added on a provisional basis (see :pep:`411` 808 for details.) 809 810 811.. function:: get_coroutine_origin_tracking_depth() 812 813 Get the current coroutine origin tracking depth, as set by 814 :func:`set_coroutine_origin_tracking_depth`. 815 816 .. versionadded:: 3.7 817 818 .. note:: 819 This function has been added on a provisional basis (see :pep:`411` 820 for details.) Use it only for debugging purposes. 821 822 823.. data:: hash_info 824 825 A :term:`named tuple` giving parameters of the numeric hash 826 implementation. For more details about hashing of numeric types, see 827 :ref:`numeric-hash`. 828 829 +---------------------+--------------------------------------------------+ 830 | attribute | explanation | 831 +=====================+==================================================+ 832 | :const:`width` | width in bits used for hash values | 833 +---------------------+--------------------------------------------------+ 834 | :const:`modulus` | prime modulus P used for numeric hash scheme | 835 +---------------------+--------------------------------------------------+ 836 | :const:`inf` | hash value returned for a positive infinity | 837 +---------------------+--------------------------------------------------+ 838 | :const:`nan` | hash value returned for a nan | 839 +---------------------+--------------------------------------------------+ 840 | :const:`imag` | multiplier used for the imaginary part of a | 841 | | complex number | 842 +---------------------+--------------------------------------------------+ 843 | :const:`algorithm` | name of the algorithm for hashing of str, bytes, | 844 | | and memoryview | 845 +---------------------+--------------------------------------------------+ 846 | :const:`hash_bits` | internal output size of the hash algorithm | 847 +---------------------+--------------------------------------------------+ 848 | :const:`seed_bits` | size of the seed key of the hash algorithm | 849 +---------------------+--------------------------------------------------+ 850 851 852 .. versionadded:: 3.2 853 854 .. versionchanged:: 3.4 855 Added *algorithm*, *hash_bits* and *seed_bits* 856 857 858.. data:: hexversion 859 860 The version number encoded as a single integer. This is guaranteed to increase 861 with each version, including proper support for non-production releases. For 862 example, to test that the Python interpreter is at least version 1.5.2, use:: 863 864 if sys.hexversion >= 0x010502F0: 865 # use some advanced feature 866 ... 867 else: 868 # use an alternative implementation or warn the user 869 ... 870 871 This is called ``hexversion`` since it only really looks meaningful when viewed 872 as the result of passing it to the built-in :func:`hex` function. The 873 :term:`named tuple` :data:`sys.version_info` may be used for a more 874 human-friendly encoding of the same information. 875 876 More details of ``hexversion`` can be found at :ref:`apiabiversion`. 877 878 879.. data:: implementation 880 881 An object containing information about the implementation of the 882 currently running Python interpreter. The following attributes are 883 required to exist in all Python implementations. 884 885 *name* is the implementation's identifier, e.g. ``'cpython'``. The actual 886 string is defined by the Python implementation, but it is guaranteed to be 887 lower case. 888 889 *version* is a named tuple, in the same format as 890 :data:`sys.version_info`. It represents the version of the Python 891 *implementation*. This has a distinct meaning from the specific 892 version of the Python *language* to which the currently running 893 interpreter conforms, which ``sys.version_info`` represents. For 894 example, for PyPy 1.8 ``sys.implementation.version`` might be 895 ``sys.version_info(1, 8, 0, 'final', 0)``, whereas ``sys.version_info`` 896 would be ``sys.version_info(2, 7, 2, 'final', 0)``. For CPython they 897 are the same value, since it is the reference implementation. 898 899 *hexversion* is the implementation version in hexadecimal format, like 900 :data:`sys.hexversion`. 901 902 *cache_tag* is the tag used by the import machinery in the filenames of 903 cached modules. By convention, it would be a composite of the 904 implementation's name and version, like ``'cpython-33'``. However, a 905 Python implementation may use some other value if appropriate. If 906 ``cache_tag`` is set to ``None``, it indicates that module caching should 907 be disabled. 908 909 :data:`sys.implementation` may contain additional attributes specific to 910 the Python implementation. These non-standard attributes must start with 911 an underscore, and are not described here. Regardless of its contents, 912 :data:`sys.implementation` will not change during a run of the interpreter, 913 nor between implementation versions. (It may change between Python 914 language versions, however.) See :pep:`421` for more information. 915 916 .. versionadded:: 3.3 917 918 .. note:: 919 920 The addition of new required attributes must go through the normal PEP 921 process. See :pep:`421` for more information. 922 923.. data:: int_info 924 925 A :term:`named tuple` that holds information about Python's internal 926 representation of integers. The attributes are read only. 927 928 .. tabularcolumns:: |l|L| 929 930 +----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------+ 931 | Attribute | Explanation | 932 +========================================+===============================================+ 933 | :const:`bits_per_digit` | number of bits held in each digit. Python | 934 | | integers are stored internally in base | 935 | | ``2**int_info.bits_per_digit`` | 936 +----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------+ 937 | :const:`sizeof_digit` | size in bytes of the C type used to | 938 | | represent a digit | 939 +----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------+ 940 | :const:`default_max_str_digits` | default value for | 941 | | :func:`sys.get_int_max_str_digits` when it | 942 | | is not otherwise explicitly configured. | 943 +----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------+ 944 | :const:`str_digits_check_threshold` | minimum non-zero value for | 945 | | :func:`sys.set_int_max_str_digits`, | 946 | | :envvar:`PYTHONINTMAXSTRDIGITS`, or | 947 | | :option:`-X int_max_str_digits <-X>`. | 948 +----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------+ 949 950 .. versionadded:: 3.1 951 952 .. versionchanged:: 3.8.2 953 Added ``default_max_str_digits`` and ``str_digits_check_threshold``. 954 955 956.. data:: __interactivehook__ 957 958 When this attribute exists, its value is automatically called (with no 959 arguments) when the interpreter is launched in :ref:`interactive mode 960 <tut-interactive>`. This is done after the :envvar:`PYTHONSTARTUP` file is 961 read, so that you can set this hook there. The :mod:`site` module 962 :ref:`sets this <rlcompleter-config>`. 963 964 .. audit-event:: cpython.run_interactivehook hook sys.__interactivehook__ 965 966 Raises an :ref:`auditing event <auditing>` 967 ``cpython.run_interactivehook`` with the hook object as the argument when 968 the hook is called on startup. 969 970 .. versionadded:: 3.4 971 972 973.. function:: intern(string) 974 975 Enter *string* in the table of "interned" strings and return the interned string 976 -- which is *string* itself or a copy. Interning strings is useful to gain a 977 little performance on dictionary lookup -- if the keys in a dictionary are 978 interned, and the lookup key is interned, the key comparisons (after hashing) 979 can be done by a pointer compare instead of a string compare. Normally, the 980 names used in Python programs are automatically interned, and the dictionaries 981 used to hold module, class or instance attributes have interned keys. 982 983 Interned strings are not immortal; you must keep a reference to the return 984 value of :func:`intern` around to benefit from it. 985 986 987.. function:: is_finalizing() 988 989 Return :const:`True` if the Python interpreter is 990 :term:`shutting down <interpreter shutdown>`, :const:`False` otherwise. 991 992 .. versionadded:: 3.5 993 994 995.. data:: last_type 996 last_value 997 last_traceback 998 999 These three variables are not always defined; they are set when an exception is 1000 not handled and the interpreter prints an error message and a stack traceback. 1001 Their intended use is to allow an interactive user to import a debugger module 1002 and engage in post-mortem debugging without having to re-execute the command 1003 that caused the error. (Typical use is ``import pdb; pdb.pm()`` to enter the 1004 post-mortem debugger; see :mod:`pdb` module for 1005 more information.) 1006 1007 The meaning of the variables is the same as that of the return values from 1008 :func:`exc_info` above. 1009 1010 1011.. data:: maxsize 1012 1013 An integer giving the maximum value a variable of type :c:type:`Py_ssize_t` can 1014 take. It's usually ``2**31 - 1`` on a 32-bit platform and ``2**63 - 1`` on a 1015 64-bit platform. 1016 1017 1018.. data:: maxunicode 1019 1020 An integer giving the value of the largest Unicode code point, 1021 i.e. ``1114111`` (``0x10FFFF`` in hexadecimal). 1022 1023 .. versionchanged:: 3.3 1024 Before :pep:`393`, ``sys.maxunicode`` used to be either ``0xFFFF`` 1025 or ``0x10FFFF``, depending on the configuration option that specified 1026 whether Unicode characters were stored as UCS-2 or UCS-4. 1027 1028 1029.. data:: meta_path 1030 1031 A list of :term:`meta path finder` objects that have their 1032 :meth:`~importlib.abc.MetaPathFinder.find_spec` methods called to see if one 1033 of the objects can find the module to be imported. The 1034 :meth:`~importlib.abc.MetaPathFinder.find_spec` method is called with at 1035 least the absolute name of the module being imported. If the module to be 1036 imported is contained in a package, then the parent package's :attr:`__path__` 1037 attribute is passed in as a second argument. The method returns a 1038 :term:`module spec`, or ``None`` if the module cannot be found. 1039 1040 .. seealso:: 1041 1042 :class:`importlib.abc.MetaPathFinder` 1043 The abstract base class defining the interface of finder objects on 1044 :data:`meta_path`. 1045 :class:`importlib.machinery.ModuleSpec` 1046 The concrete class which 1047 :meth:`~importlib.abc.MetaPathFinder.find_spec` should return 1048 instances of. 1049 1050 .. versionchanged:: 3.4 1051 1052 :term:`Module specs <module spec>` were introduced in Python 3.4, by 1053 :pep:`451`. Earlier versions of Python looked for a method called 1054 :meth:`~importlib.abc.MetaPathFinder.find_module`. 1055 This is still called as a fallback if a :data:`meta_path` entry doesn't 1056 have a :meth:`~importlib.abc.MetaPathFinder.find_spec` method. 1057 1058.. data:: modules 1059 1060 This is a dictionary that maps module names to modules which have already been 1061 loaded. This can be manipulated to force reloading of modules and other tricks. 1062 However, replacing the dictionary will not necessarily work as expected and 1063 deleting essential items from the dictionary may cause Python to fail. 1064 1065 1066.. data:: path 1067 1068 .. index:: triple: module; search; path 1069 1070 A list of strings that specifies the search path for modules. Initialized from 1071 the environment variable :envvar:`PYTHONPATH`, plus an installation-dependent 1072 default. 1073 1074 As initialized upon program startup, the first item of this list, ``path[0]``, 1075 is the directory containing the script that was used to invoke the Python 1076 interpreter. If the script directory is not available (e.g. if the interpreter 1077 is invoked interactively or if the script is read from standard input), 1078 ``path[0]`` is the empty string, which directs Python to search modules in the 1079 current directory first. Notice that the script directory is inserted *before* 1080 the entries inserted as a result of :envvar:`PYTHONPATH`. 1081 1082 A program is free to modify this list for its own purposes. Only strings 1083 and bytes should be added to :data:`sys.path`; all other data types are 1084 ignored during import. 1085 1086 1087 .. seealso:: 1088 Module :mod:`site` This describes how to use .pth files to extend 1089 :data:`sys.path`. 1090 1091 1092.. data:: path_hooks 1093 1094 A list of callables that take a path argument to try to create a 1095 :term:`finder` for the path. If a finder can be created, it is to be 1096 returned by the callable, else raise :exc:`ImportError`. 1097 1098 Originally specified in :pep:`302`. 1099 1100 1101.. data:: path_importer_cache 1102 1103 A dictionary acting as a cache for :term:`finder` objects. The keys are 1104 paths that have been passed to :data:`sys.path_hooks` and the values are 1105 the finders that are found. If a path is a valid file system path but no 1106 finder is found on :data:`sys.path_hooks` then ``None`` is 1107 stored. 1108 1109 Originally specified in :pep:`302`. 1110 1111 .. versionchanged:: 3.3 1112 ``None`` is stored instead of :class:`imp.NullImporter` when no finder 1113 is found. 1114 1115 1116.. data:: platform 1117 1118 This string contains a platform identifier that can be used to append 1119 platform-specific components to :data:`sys.path`, for instance. 1120 1121 For Unix systems, except on Linux and AIX, this is the lowercased OS name as 1122 returned by ``uname -s`` with the first part of the version as returned by 1123 ``uname -r`` appended, e.g. ``'sunos5'`` or ``'freebsd8'``, *at the time 1124 when Python was built*. Unless you want to test for a specific system 1125 version, it is therefore recommended to use the following idiom:: 1126 1127 if sys.platform.startswith('freebsd'): 1128 # FreeBSD-specific code here... 1129 elif sys.platform.startswith('linux'): 1130 # Linux-specific code here... 1131 elif sys.platform.startswith('aix'): 1132 # AIX-specific code here... 1133 1134 For other systems, the values are: 1135 1136 ================ =========================== 1137 System ``platform`` value 1138 ================ =========================== 1139 AIX ``'aix'`` 1140 Linux ``'linux'`` 1141 Windows ``'win32'`` 1142 Windows/Cygwin ``'cygwin'`` 1143 macOS ``'darwin'`` 1144 ================ =========================== 1145 1146 .. versionchanged:: 3.3 1147 On Linux, :attr:`sys.platform` doesn't contain the major version anymore. 1148 It is always ``'linux'``, instead of ``'linux2'`` or ``'linux3'``. Since 1149 older Python versions include the version number, it is recommended to 1150 always use the ``startswith`` idiom presented above. 1151 1152 .. versionchanged:: 3.8 1153 On AIX, :attr:`sys.platform` doesn't contain the major version anymore. 1154 It is always ``'aix'``, instead of ``'aix5'`` or ``'aix7'``. Since 1155 older Python versions include the version number, it is recommended to 1156 always use the ``startswith`` idiom presented above. 1157 1158 .. seealso:: 1159 1160 :attr:`os.name` has a coarser granularity. :func:`os.uname` gives 1161 system-dependent version information. 1162 1163 The :mod:`platform` module provides detailed checks for the 1164 system's identity. 1165 1166 1167.. data:: prefix 1168 1169 A string giving the site-specific directory prefix where the platform 1170 independent Python files are installed; by default, this is the string 1171 ``'/usr/local'``. This can be set at build time with the ``--prefix`` 1172 argument to the :program:`configure` script. The main collection of Python 1173 library modules is installed in the directory :file:`{prefix}/lib/python{X.Y}` 1174 while the platform independent header files (all except :file:`pyconfig.h`) are 1175 stored in :file:`{prefix}/include/python{X.Y}`, where *X.Y* is the version 1176 number of Python, for example ``3.2``. 1177 1178 .. note:: If a :ref:`virtual environment <venv-def>` is in effect, this 1179 value will be changed in ``site.py`` to point to the virtual 1180 environment. The value for the Python installation will still be 1181 available, via :data:`base_prefix`. 1182 1183 1184.. data:: ps1 1185 ps2 1186 1187 .. index:: 1188 single: interpreter prompts 1189 single: prompts, interpreter 1190 single: >>>; interpreter prompt 1191 single: ...; interpreter prompt 1192 1193 Strings specifying the primary and secondary prompt of the interpreter. These 1194 are only defined if the interpreter is in interactive mode. Their initial 1195 values in this case are ``'>>> '`` and ``'... '``. If a non-string object is 1196 assigned to either variable, its :func:`str` is re-evaluated each time the 1197 interpreter prepares to read a new interactive command; this can be used to 1198 implement a dynamic prompt. 1199 1200 1201.. function:: setcheckinterval(interval) 1202 1203 Set the interpreter's "check interval". This integer value determines how often 1204 the interpreter checks for periodic things such as thread switches and signal 1205 handlers. The default is ``100``, meaning the check is performed every 100 1206 Python virtual instructions. Setting it to a larger value may increase 1207 performance for programs using threads. Setting it to a value ``<=`` 0 checks 1208 every virtual instruction, maximizing responsiveness as well as overhead. 1209 1210 .. deprecated:: 3.2 1211 This function doesn't have an effect anymore, as the internal logic for 1212 thread switching and asynchronous tasks has been rewritten. Use 1213 :func:`setswitchinterval` instead. 1214 1215 1216.. function:: setdlopenflags(n) 1217 1218 Set the flags used by the interpreter for :c:func:`dlopen` calls, such as when 1219 the interpreter loads extension modules. Among other things, this will enable a 1220 lazy resolving of symbols when importing a module, if called as 1221 ``sys.setdlopenflags(0)``. To share symbols across extension modules, call as 1222 ``sys.setdlopenflags(os.RTLD_GLOBAL)``. Symbolic names for the flag values 1223 can be found in the :mod:`os` module (``RTLD_xxx`` constants, e.g. 1224 :data:`os.RTLD_LAZY`). 1225 1226 .. availability:: Unix. 1227 1228.. function:: set_int_max_str_digits(n) 1229 1230 Set the :ref:`integer string conversion length limitation 1231 <int_max_str_digits>` used by this interpreter. See also 1232 :func:`get_int_max_str_digits`. 1233 1234 .. versionadded:: 3.8.2 1235 1236.. function:: setprofile(profilefunc) 1237 1238 .. index:: 1239 single: profile function 1240 single: profiler 1241 1242 Set the system's profile function, which allows you to implement a Python source 1243 code profiler in Python. See chapter :ref:`profile` for more information on the 1244 Python profiler. The system's profile function is called similarly to the 1245 system's trace function (see :func:`settrace`), but it is called with different events, 1246 for example it isn't called for each executed line of code (only on call and return, 1247 but the return event is reported even when an exception has been set). The function is 1248 thread-specific, but there is no way for the profiler to know about context switches between 1249 threads, so it does not make sense to use this in the presence of multiple threads. Also, 1250 its return value is not used, so it can simply return ``None``. Error in the profile 1251 function will cause itself unset. 1252 1253 Profile functions should have three arguments: *frame*, *event*, and 1254 *arg*. *frame* is the current stack frame. *event* is a string: ``'call'``, 1255 ``'return'``, ``'c_call'``, ``'c_return'``, or ``'c_exception'``. *arg* depends 1256 on the event type. 1257 1258 .. audit-event:: sys.setprofile "" sys.setprofile 1259 1260 The events have the following meaning: 1261 1262 ``'call'`` 1263 A function is called (or some other code block entered). The 1264 profile function is called; *arg* is ``None``. 1265 1266 ``'return'`` 1267 A function (or other code block) is about to return. The profile 1268 function is called; *arg* is the value that will be returned, or ``None`` 1269 if the event is caused by an exception being raised. 1270 1271 ``'c_call'`` 1272 A C function is about to be called. This may be an extension function or 1273 a built-in. *arg* is the C function object. 1274 1275 ``'c_return'`` 1276 A C function has returned. *arg* is the C function object. 1277 1278 ``'c_exception'`` 1279 A C function has raised an exception. *arg* is the C function object. 1280 1281.. function:: setrecursionlimit(limit) 1282 1283 Set the maximum depth of the Python interpreter stack to *limit*. This limit 1284 prevents infinite recursion from causing an overflow of the C stack and crashing 1285 Python. 1286 1287 The highest possible limit is platform-dependent. A user may need to set the 1288 limit higher when they have a program that requires deep recursion and a platform 1289 that supports a higher limit. This should be done with care, because a too-high 1290 limit can lead to a crash. 1291 1292 If the new limit is too low at the current recursion depth, a 1293 :exc:`RecursionError` exception is raised. 1294 1295 .. versionchanged:: 3.5.1 1296 A :exc:`RecursionError` exception is now raised if the new limit is too 1297 low at the current recursion depth. 1298 1299 1300.. function:: setswitchinterval(interval) 1301 1302 Set the interpreter's thread switch interval (in seconds). This floating-point 1303 value determines the ideal duration of the "timeslices" allocated to 1304 concurrently running Python threads. Please note that the actual value 1305 can be higher, especially if long-running internal functions or methods 1306 are used. Also, which thread becomes scheduled at the end of the interval 1307 is the operating system's decision. The interpreter doesn't have its 1308 own scheduler. 1309 1310 .. versionadded:: 3.2 1311 1312 1313.. function:: settrace(tracefunc) 1314 1315 .. index:: 1316 single: trace function 1317 single: debugger 1318 1319 Set the system's trace function, which allows you to implement a Python 1320 source code debugger in Python. The function is thread-specific; for a 1321 debugger to support multiple threads, it must register a trace function using 1322 :func:`settrace` for each thread being debugged or use :func:`threading.settrace`. 1323 1324 Trace functions should have three arguments: *frame*, *event*, and 1325 *arg*. *frame* is the current stack frame. *event* is a string: ``'call'``, 1326 ``'line'``, ``'return'``, ``'exception'`` or ``'opcode'``. *arg* depends on 1327 the event type. 1328 1329 The trace function is invoked (with *event* set to ``'call'``) whenever a new 1330 local scope is entered; it should return a reference to a local trace 1331 function to be used for the new scope, or ``None`` if the scope shouldn't be 1332 traced. 1333 1334 The local trace function should return a reference to itself (or to another 1335 function for further tracing in that scope), or ``None`` to turn off tracing 1336 in that scope. 1337 1338 If there is any error occurred in the trace function, it will be unset, just 1339 like ``settrace(None)`` is called. 1340 1341 The events have the following meaning: 1342 1343 ``'call'`` 1344 A function is called (or some other code block entered). The 1345 global trace function is called; *arg* is ``None``; the return value 1346 specifies the local trace function. 1347 1348 ``'line'`` 1349 The interpreter is about to execute a new line of code or re-execute the 1350 condition of a loop. The local trace function is called; *arg* is 1351 ``None``; the return value specifies the new local trace function. See 1352 :file:`Objects/lnotab_notes.txt` for a detailed explanation of how this 1353 works. 1354 Per-line events may be disabled for a frame by setting 1355 :attr:`f_trace_lines` to :const:`False` on that frame. 1356 1357 ``'return'`` 1358 A function (or other code block) is about to return. The local trace 1359 function is called; *arg* is the value that will be returned, or ``None`` 1360 if the event is caused by an exception being raised. The trace function's 1361 return value is ignored. 1362 1363 ``'exception'`` 1364 An exception has occurred. The local trace function is called; *arg* is a 1365 tuple ``(exception, value, traceback)``; the return value specifies the 1366 new local trace function. 1367 1368 ``'opcode'`` 1369 The interpreter is about to execute a new opcode (see :mod:`dis` for 1370 opcode details). The local trace function is called; *arg* is 1371 ``None``; the return value specifies the new local trace function. 1372 Per-opcode events are not emitted by default: they must be explicitly 1373 requested by setting :attr:`f_trace_opcodes` to :const:`True` on the 1374 frame. 1375 1376 Note that as an exception is propagated down the chain of callers, an 1377 ``'exception'`` event is generated at each level. 1378 1379 For more fine-grained usage, it's possible to set a trace function by 1380 assigning ``frame.f_trace = tracefunc`` explicitly, rather than relying on 1381 it being set indirectly via the return value from an already installed 1382 trace function. This is also required for activating the trace function on 1383 the current frame, which :func:`settrace` doesn't do. Note that in order 1384 for this to work, a global tracing function must have been installed 1385 with :func:`settrace` in order to enable the runtime tracing machinery, 1386 but it doesn't need to be the same tracing function (e.g. it could be a 1387 low overhead tracing function that simply returns ``None`` to disable 1388 itself immediately on each frame). 1389 1390 For more information on code and frame objects, refer to :ref:`types`. 1391 1392 .. audit-event:: sys.settrace "" sys.settrace 1393 1394 .. impl-detail:: 1395 1396 The :func:`settrace` function is intended only for implementing debuggers, 1397 profilers, coverage tools and the like. Its behavior is part of the 1398 implementation platform, rather than part of the language definition, and 1399 thus may not be available in all Python implementations. 1400 1401 .. versionchanged:: 3.7 1402 1403 ``'opcode'`` event type added; :attr:`f_trace_lines` and 1404 :attr:`f_trace_opcodes` attributes added to frames 1405 1406.. function:: set_asyncgen_hooks(firstiter, finalizer) 1407 1408 Accepts two optional keyword arguments which are callables that accept an 1409 :term:`asynchronous generator iterator` as an argument. The *firstiter* 1410 callable will be called when an asynchronous generator is iterated for the 1411 first time. The *finalizer* will be called when an asynchronous generator 1412 is about to be garbage collected. 1413 1414 .. audit-event:: sys.set_asyncgen_hooks_firstiter "" sys.set_asyncgen_hooks 1415 1416 .. audit-event:: sys.set_asyncgen_hooks_finalizer "" sys.set_asyncgen_hooks 1417 1418 Two auditing events are raised because the underlying API consists of two 1419 calls, each of which must raise its own event. 1420 1421 .. versionadded:: 3.6 1422 See :pep:`525` for more details, and for a reference example of a 1423 *finalizer* method see the implementation of 1424 ``asyncio.Loop.shutdown_asyncgens`` in 1425 :source:`Lib/asyncio/base_events.py` 1426 1427 .. note:: 1428 This function has been added on a provisional basis (see :pep:`411` 1429 for details.) 1430 1431.. function:: set_coroutine_origin_tracking_depth(depth) 1432 1433 Allows enabling or disabling coroutine origin tracking. When 1434 enabled, the ``cr_origin`` attribute on coroutine objects will 1435 contain a tuple of (filename, line number, function name) tuples 1436 describing the traceback where the coroutine object was created, 1437 with the most recent call first. When disabled, ``cr_origin`` will 1438 be None. 1439 1440 To enable, pass a *depth* value greater than zero; this sets the 1441 number of frames whose information will be captured. To disable, 1442 pass set *depth* to zero. 1443 1444 This setting is thread-specific. 1445 1446 .. versionadded:: 3.7 1447 1448 .. note:: 1449 This function has been added on a provisional basis (see :pep:`411` 1450 for details.) Use it only for debugging purposes. 1451 1452.. function:: _enablelegacywindowsfsencoding() 1453 1454 Changes the default filesystem encoding and errors mode to 'mbcs' and 1455 'replace' respectively, for consistency with versions of Python prior to 3.6. 1456 1457 This is equivalent to defining the :envvar:`PYTHONLEGACYWINDOWSFSENCODING` 1458 environment variable before launching Python. 1459 1460 .. availability:: Windows. 1461 1462 .. versionadded:: 3.6 1463 See :pep:`529` for more details. 1464 1465.. data:: stdin 1466 stdout 1467 stderr 1468 1469 :term:`File objects <file object>` used by the interpreter for standard 1470 input, output and errors: 1471 1472 * ``stdin`` is used for all interactive input (including calls to 1473 :func:`input`); 1474 * ``stdout`` is used for the output of :func:`print` and :term:`expression` 1475 statements and for the prompts of :func:`input`; 1476 * The interpreter's own prompts and its error messages go to ``stderr``. 1477 1478 These streams are regular :term:`text files <text file>` like those 1479 returned by the :func:`open` function. Their parameters are chosen as 1480 follows: 1481 1482 * The character encoding is platform-dependent. Non-Windows 1483 platforms use the locale encoding (see 1484 :meth:`locale.getpreferredencoding()`). 1485 1486 On Windows, UTF-8 is used for the console device. Non-character 1487 devices such as disk files and pipes use the system locale 1488 encoding (i.e. the ANSI codepage). Non-console character 1489 devices such as NUL (i.e. where ``isatty()`` returns ``True``) use the 1490 value of the console input and output codepages at startup, 1491 respectively for stdin and stdout/stderr. This defaults to the 1492 system locale encoding if the process is not initially attached 1493 to a console. 1494 1495 The special behaviour of the console can be overridden 1496 by setting the environment variable PYTHONLEGACYWINDOWSSTDIO 1497 before starting Python. In that case, the console codepages are 1498 used as for any other character device. 1499 1500 Under all platforms, you can override the character encoding by 1501 setting the :envvar:`PYTHONIOENCODING` environment variable before 1502 starting Python or by using the new :option:`-X` ``utf8`` command 1503 line option and :envvar:`PYTHONUTF8` environment variable. However, 1504 for the Windows console, this only applies when 1505 :envvar:`PYTHONLEGACYWINDOWSSTDIO` is also set. 1506 1507 * When interactive, ``stdout`` and ``stderr`` streams are line-buffered. 1508 Otherwise, they are block-buffered like regular text files. You can 1509 override this value with the :option:`-u` command-line option. 1510 1511 .. note:: 1512 1513 To write or read binary data from/to the standard streams, use the 1514 underlying binary :data:`~io.TextIOBase.buffer` object. For example, to 1515 write bytes to :data:`stdout`, use ``sys.stdout.buffer.write(b'abc')``. 1516 1517 However, if you are writing a library (and do not control in which 1518 context its code will be executed), be aware that the standard streams 1519 may be replaced with file-like objects like :class:`io.StringIO` which 1520 do not support the :attr:`~io.BufferedIOBase.buffer` attribute. 1521 1522 1523.. data:: __stdin__ 1524 __stdout__ 1525 __stderr__ 1526 1527 These objects contain the original values of ``stdin``, ``stderr`` and 1528 ``stdout`` at the start of the program. They are used during finalization, 1529 and could be useful to print to the actual standard stream no matter if the 1530 ``sys.std*`` object has been redirected. 1531 1532 It can also be used to restore the actual files to known working file objects 1533 in case they have been overwritten with a broken object. However, the 1534 preferred way to do this is to explicitly save the previous stream before 1535 replacing it, and restore the saved object. 1536 1537 .. note:: 1538 Under some conditions ``stdin``, ``stdout`` and ``stderr`` as well as the 1539 original values ``__stdin__``, ``__stdout__`` and ``__stderr__`` can be 1540 ``None``. It is usually the case for Windows GUI apps that aren't connected 1541 to a console and Python apps started with :program:`pythonw`. 1542 1543 1544.. data:: thread_info 1545 1546 A :term:`named tuple` holding information about the thread 1547 implementation. 1548 1549 .. tabularcolumns:: |l|p{0.7\linewidth}| 1550 1551 +------------------+---------------------------------------------------------+ 1552 | Attribute | Explanation | 1553 +==================+=========================================================+ 1554 | :const:`name` | Name of the thread implementation: | 1555 | | | 1556 | | * ``'nt'``: Windows threads | 1557 | | * ``'pthread'``: POSIX threads | 1558 | | * ``'solaris'``: Solaris threads | 1559 +------------------+---------------------------------------------------------+ 1560 | :const:`lock` | Name of the lock implementation: | 1561 | | | 1562 | | * ``'semaphore'``: a lock uses a semaphore | 1563 | | * ``'mutex+cond'``: a lock uses a mutex | 1564 | | and a condition variable | 1565 | | * ``None`` if this information is unknown | 1566 +------------------+---------------------------------------------------------+ 1567 | :const:`version` | Name and version of the thread library. It is a string, | 1568 | | or ``None`` if this information is unknown. | 1569 +------------------+---------------------------------------------------------+ 1570 1571 .. versionadded:: 3.3 1572 1573 1574.. data:: tracebacklimit 1575 1576 When this variable is set to an integer value, it determines the maximum number 1577 of levels of traceback information printed when an unhandled exception occurs. 1578 The default is ``1000``. When set to ``0`` or less, all traceback information 1579 is suppressed and only the exception type and value are printed. 1580 1581 1582.. function:: unraisablehook(unraisable, /) 1583 1584 Handle an unraisable exception. 1585 1586 Called when an exception has occurred but there is no way for Python to 1587 handle it. For example, when a destructor raises an exception or during 1588 garbage collection (:func:`gc.collect`). 1589 1590 The *unraisable* argument has the following attributes: 1591 1592 * *exc_type*: Exception type. 1593 * *exc_value*: Exception value, can be ``None``. 1594 * *exc_traceback*: Exception traceback, can be ``None``. 1595 * *err_msg*: Error message, can be ``None``. 1596 * *object*: Object causing the exception, can be ``None``. 1597 1598 The default hook formats *err_msg* and *object* as: 1599 ``f'{err_msg}: {object!r}'``; use "Exception ignored in" error message 1600 if *err_msg* is ``None``. 1601 1602 :func:`sys.unraisablehook` can be overridden to control how unraisable 1603 exceptions are handled. 1604 1605 Storing *exc_value* using a custom hook can create a reference cycle. It 1606 should be cleared explicitly to break the reference cycle when the 1607 exception is no longer needed. 1608 1609 Storing *object* using a custom hook can resurrect it if it is set to an 1610 object which is being finalized. Avoid storing *object* after the custom 1611 hook completes to avoid resurrecting objects. 1612 1613 See also :func:`excepthook` which handles uncaught exceptions. 1614 1615 .. audit-event:: sys.unraisablehook hook,unraisable sys.unraisablehook 1616 1617 Raise an auditing event ``sys.unraisablehook`` with arguments 1618 ``hook``, ``unraisable`` when an exception that cannot be handled occurs. 1619 The ``unraisable`` object is the same as what will be passed to the hook. 1620 If no hook has been set, ``hook`` may be ``None``. 1621 1622 .. versionadded:: 3.8 1623 1624.. data:: version 1625 1626 A string containing the version number of the Python interpreter plus additional 1627 information on the build number and compiler used. This string is displayed 1628 when the interactive interpreter is started. Do not extract version information 1629 out of it, rather, use :data:`version_info` and the functions provided by the 1630 :mod:`platform` module. 1631 1632 1633.. data:: api_version 1634 1635 The C API version for this interpreter. Programmers may find this useful when 1636 debugging version conflicts between Python and extension modules. 1637 1638 1639.. data:: version_info 1640 1641 A tuple containing the five components of the version number: *major*, *minor*, 1642 *micro*, *releaselevel*, and *serial*. All values except *releaselevel* are 1643 integers; the release level is ``'alpha'``, ``'beta'``, ``'candidate'``, or 1644 ``'final'``. The ``version_info`` value corresponding to the Python version 2.0 1645 is ``(2, 0, 0, 'final', 0)``. The components can also be accessed by name, 1646 so ``sys.version_info[0]`` is equivalent to ``sys.version_info.major`` 1647 and so on. 1648 1649 .. versionchanged:: 3.1 1650 Added named component attributes. 1651 1652.. data:: warnoptions 1653 1654 This is an implementation detail of the warnings framework; do not modify this 1655 value. Refer to the :mod:`warnings` module for more information on the warnings 1656 framework. 1657 1658 1659.. data:: winver 1660 1661 The version number used to form registry keys on Windows platforms. This is 1662 stored as string resource 1000 in the Python DLL. The value is normally the 1663 first three characters of :const:`version`. It is provided in the :mod:`sys` 1664 module for informational purposes; modifying this value has no effect on the 1665 registry keys used by Python. 1666 1667 .. availability:: Windows. 1668 1669 1670.. data:: _xoptions 1671 1672 A dictionary of the various implementation-specific flags passed through 1673 the :option:`-X` command-line option. Option names are either mapped to 1674 their values, if given explicitly, or to :const:`True`. Example: 1675 1676 .. code-block:: shell-session 1677 1678 $ ./python -Xa=b -Xc 1679 Python 3.2a3+ (py3k, Oct 16 2010, 20:14:50) 1680 [GCC 4.4.3] on linux2 1681 Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information. 1682 >>> import sys 1683 >>> sys._xoptions 1684 {'a': 'b', 'c': True} 1685 1686 .. impl-detail:: 1687 1688 This is a CPython-specific way of accessing options passed through 1689 :option:`-X`. Other implementations may export them through other 1690 means, or not at all. 1691 1692 .. versionadded:: 3.2 1693 1694 1695.. rubric:: Citations 1696 1697.. [C99] ISO/IEC 9899:1999. "Programming languages -- C." A public draft of this standard is available at http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg14/www/docs/n1256.pdf\ . 1698