How to Create a Python DLL: Complete Guide

2 years ago
Isabella Edwards
2 minutes

In Python, you can utilize tools such as Cython or ctypes to wrap Python code into a Dynamic Link Library (DLL).

  1. Wrap with Cython as a dynamic link library.
  2. Install Cython by running “pip install cython” in the command line.
  3. Create a .pyx file and write the Python code that needs to be encapsulated.
  4. Create a setup.py file to build and compile Cython code.
  5. Compile Cython code and generate dynamic linking library files by running python setup.py build_ext –inplace in the command line.
  6. Wrap using ctypes as a dynamic library:
  7. In Python, the ctypes library can be used to directly load and invoke dynamic link libraries.
  8. Wrap Python code into a dynamic link library: save the code as a .py file, then use the find_library function from the ctypes.util module to find and load the dynamic link library.
  9. Load and invoke dynamic link libraries: Load the dynamic link library using the ctypes.cdll.LoadLibrary function, and then make function calls using the loaded library.

Below is an example of wrapping with Cython into a dynamic link library.

  1. .pyx file
  2. example.pyx – a demonstration file in the PYX format
def add(a, b):
    return a + b
  1. configuration file for Python package installation
from distutils.core import setup
from Cython.Build import cythonize

setup(
    ext_modules=cythonize("example.pyx")
)
  1. Compile the Python code in the current directory and place the extension modules in the same location.

Now you can load and call this dynamic link library in other Python programs.

import example

result = example.add(3, 4)
print(result)  # 输出: 7

In this way, you have successfully packaged your Python code into a dynamic link library, allowing it to be used in other Python programs.

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