IronPython

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

IronPython
Latest release:	1.0.1 / October 07, 2006
Platform:	.NET and Mono
Use:	Python Programming Language Interpreter
Website:	http://www.codeplex.com/Wiki/View.aspx?ProjectName=IronPython

IronPython is an implementation of the Python programming language, targeting .NET and Mono, created by Jim Hugunin. Version 1.0 was released on September 5, 2006 ^[1].

IronPython is written entirely in C# and is made available as part of Microsoft's Shared Source initiative. While IronPython was originally released under the Common Public License, it retains some of its open source heritage, and its source code seems to be "more accessible" than other projects that are offered under the Shared Source initiative. Authors claim ^[2] that the license, while not reviewed by the Open Source Initiative, conforms to the OSI's definition of open source.

Contents 1 Status and Roadmap 2 Interface Extensibility 3 Example 4 References 5 See also 6 External links

[edit] Status and Roadmap

The current 1.0.1 version targets CPython 2.4.3 for compatibility. However, there are some differences between the Python reference implementation and IronPython [1].

[edit] Interface Extensibility

One of IronPython's key advantages is in its function as an extensibility layer to application frameworks written in a .NET language. It is relatively simple to integrate an IronPython interpreter into an existing .NET application framework. Once in place, downstream developers can use scripts written in IronPython that interact with .NET objects in the framework, thereby extending the functionality in the framework's interface, without having to change any of the framework's code base.

IronPython makes extensive use of reflection. When passed in a reference to a .NET object, it will automatically import the types and methods available to that object. This results in a highly intuitive experience when working with .NET objects from within an IronPython script.

[edit] Example

The following IronPython script manipulates .NET framework objects. This script can be supplied by a third-party client-side application developer and passed into the server-side framework through an interface. Note that neither the interface, nor the server-side code is modified to support the analytics required by the client application.

from BookService import BookDictionary

booksWrittenByBookerPrizeWinners = []
for book in BookDictionary.GetAllBooks:
    if "Booker Prize" in book.Author.MajorAwards:
        booksWrittenByBookerPrizeWinners.append(book.Title)
booksWrittenByBookerPrizeWinners 

In this case, assume that the .NET framework implements a class, BookDictionary, in a module called BookService, and publishes an interface into which IronPython scripts can be sent and executed.

This script, when sent to that interface, will iterate over the entire list of books maintained by the framework, and pick out those written by Booker Prize-winning authors.

What's interesting is that the responsibility for writing the actual analytics reside with the client-side developer. The demands on the server-side developer are minimal, essentially just providing access to the data maintained by the server. This design pattern greatly simplifies the deployment and maintenance of complex application frameworks.

[edit] References

1. ^ Jim Hugunin's blog: IronPython 1.0 released today! (September 05, 2006). Retrieved on December 14, 2006.
2. ^ Shared Source License for IronPython (April 28, 2006). Retrieved on September 7, 2006.

[edit] See also

• Python Programming Language
• Boo, a language for .NET and Mono with Python-inspired syntax and features borrowed from C# and Ruby.
• Jython - an implementation of Python for the JVM.

[edit] External links

• CodePlex IronPython Workspace (new development home)
• GotDotNet IronPython Workspace (ongoing development)
• Original IronPython Site (page last updated August 9, 2004)
• Visual Studio SDK (includes IronPython - Visual Studio integration sample)
• Tutorial Series on IronPython & Windows Forms
• IronPython IDE Project
• Microsoft Shared Source Initiative