sista 3.0.0

Sista is a memory-safe and OS-agnostic library for making terminal videogames and animations

Sista Python C Extension

This directory contains the Python C extension module for the Sista library, which exposes the C API functionality to Python.

Features

• Full access to Sista C API functions
• Enum values exposed for foreground colors, background colors, and text attributes
• Automatic memory management through Python capsules

Building the Extension

Prerequisites

Before building the extension, ensure you have:

1. Python development headers installed
2. C++ compiler (g++, clang++, etc.)
3. The Sista C++ library built and available

Building Process

Option 1: Using setup.py (Recommended)

# Navigate to the project root directory
cd python

# Install required Python packages
pip install setuptools wheel

# Build the extension
python setup.py build_ext --inplace

Installing the Extension

Once built, the extension can be installed in your Python environment:

# Install in development mode
pip install -e .

# Or simply copy the built .so file to your Python site-packages directory

Using the Extension

After successful compilation and installation, you can use the module in Python:

import sista

# Access enum values
print(sista.F_BLACK)    # 30
print(sista.F_RED)      # 31
print(sista.B_WHITE)    # 47
print(sista.A_BRIGHT)     # 1

# Use the API functions
field = sista.create_swappable_field(10, 10)
pawn = sista.create_pawn_in_field(
    field, 'P',
    sista.create_ansi_settings(
        sista.F_RED,
        sista.B_BLACK,
        sista.A_BLINK
    ),
    sista.create_coordinates(0, 0)
)

See the demos in demo/ for more examples.

Testing

You can test the extension with the provided test script:

python demo/test_enums.py

This should output all the enum values that were successfully exposed.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Python.h not found: Install Python development headers

   • Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt-get install python3-dev
   • CentOS/RHEL: sudo yum install python3-devel
   • macOS: brew install python

2. Library linking errors: Make sure the Sista libraries are built and in your library path

3. Permission denied: Run with appropriate permissions or use virtual environments

License

This Python extension is licensed under the same license as the Sista project (GNU General Public License v3.0).