Path: csiph.com!v102.xanadu-bbs.net!xanadu-bbs.net!goblin1!goblin2!goblin.stu.neva.ru!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed4.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!newsgate.cistron.nl!newsgate.news.xs4all.nl!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail Return-Path: X-Original-To: python-list@python.org Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org X-Spam-Status: OK 0.039 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.92; '*S*': 0.00; 'chunk': 0.07; 'parameter': 0.07; 'variable,': 0.07; 'python': 0.09; 'booth': 0.09; 'garbage': 0.09; 'steve': 0.13; 'received:209.85.161.174': 0.16; 'set,': 0.16; 'subject:handling': 0.16; 'wrote:': 0.17; 'working.': 0.17; '(all': 0.22; 'cc:2**0': 0.23; 'cc:no real name:2**0': 0.24; 'header:In-Reply-To:1': 0.25; 'header:User-Agent:1': 0.26; 'looks': 0.26; 'wondering': 0.26; 'objects': 0.29; "i'm": 0.29; 'function': 0.30; 'expect': 0.31; 'code': 0.31; 'url:python': 0.32; 'to:addr:python-list': 0.33; 'languages': 0.33; 'received:google.com': 0.34; 'thanks': 0.34; 'received:209.85': 0.35; 'but': 0.36; 'message-id:@gmail.com': 0.36; 'url:org': 0.36; 'url:library': 0.36; "i'll": 0.36; 'thank': 0.36; 'turn': 0.36; 'why': 0.37; 'previous': 0.37; 'received:209': 0.37; 'subject:: ': 0.38; 'url:docs': 0.38; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.39; 'received:192': 0.39; 'received:192.168': 0.40; 'think': 0.40; 'skip:u 10': 0.60; 'you.': 0.61; 'spending': 0.61; 'love': 0.63; 'header:Reply-To:1': 0.68; 'reply-to:no real name:2**0': 0.72; 'reply-to:addr:gmail.com': 0.79; 'mike,': 0.84; '"it': 0.91; 'ages': 0.91; 'forgotten': 0.91 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20120113; h=x-received:message-id:date:from:reply-to:user-agent:mime-version:to :cc:subject:references:in-reply-to:content-type :content-transfer-encoding; bh=CoxK7L4/i3oBPhC0UkVx0QYWAa2LNWUNUdudXsKqYqk=; b=UDqBukR+/+eOXfKcEK6ly3I9XyixqlzYRyrszogyk4v4Xw3ShG+b9DdZdGRfRwVFkv guq9gVwFPYlZafiRgcuSqNerYPXGyrjTXxn398Y1YqUJ/pXTc+m0N9Z+NRVab9FWtaPz zR1QLfkSfE6BqvNxZt47Le795jhvRLvBlIQi8Zc5ZdqK5ZFQT6hMdApTuQyQa2S9VPpx 5idkdlJJFgBrTmPO/WDdqv+PdvnDLRdNTghcJ7TVSHHWmo4qIh0a85JjARDhXSz58p2P t6ouLkt6ywjim8ZobAZxgYlwNs/gzPud1bGo3r7HBOHxZFIUXx7AY4yJazLkgoVZgV2H FFJQ== X-Received: by 10.236.81.198 with SMTP id m46mr23736598yhe.129.1358841775623; Tue, 22 Jan 2013 00:02:55 -0800 (PST) Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2013 08:02:51 +0000 From: Steve Simmons User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:17.0) Gecko/20130107 Thunderbird/17.0.2 MIME-Version: 1.0 To: python-list@python.org Subject: Re: handling return codes from CTYPES References: In-Reply-To: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Cc: duncan.booth@suttoncourtenay.org.uk X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.15 Precedence: list Reply-To: square.steve@gmail.com List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Message-ID: Lines: 24 NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6 X-Trace: 1358845215 news.xs4all.nl 6958 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:49052 X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:37256 Duncan, Mike, MRAB, Thank you. New technology set, same forgotten lesson - RTFM (all of it!). Thanks also for the clarification on discarding objects and Garbage Collection. Looks like I'll have to turn a large chunk of my previous understanding of (mainframe) languages 'inside out'. I'm just wondering how often I'll have to chant "it isn't a variable, it's a name bound to an object" before I can write a chunk of code without spending ages pondering why it isn't working. I already like Python for its clean design but I think it'll be a while before I love it completely. Steve On 21/01/2013 11:11, Duncan Booth wrote: > Tell the function what type to return before you call it: InitScanLib > = sLib.InitScanLib InitScanLib.restype = c_short See > http://docs.python.org/2/library/ctypes.html#return-types You can also > tell it what parameter types to expect which will make calling it > simpler.