Type System Reference

The typesystem is used by a binding generator or any other software using the APIExtractor library to map a C++ library API onto a higher level language.

The typesystem specification is a handwritten XML document listing the types that will be available in the generated target language API; types that are not declared in the specification will be ignored along with everything depending on them. In addition, it is possible to manipulate and modify types and functions. It is even possible to use the typesystem specification to inject arbitrary code into the source files, such as an extra member function.

Below there is a complete reference guide to the various nodes (XML tags) of the typesystem. For usage examples, take a look at the typesystem files used to generate PySide6. These files can be found in the PySide6/<QT_MODULE_NAME> directory of the PySide6 package.

Define types

• Specifying Types
• Built-in Types

Code generation

• Code Generation Terminology

Modifying types

• Function argument modifications
• Code Injection Semantics
• User Defined Type Conversion
• Opaque Containers
• Using Code Templates
• Predefined Templates
• Manipulating Object and Value Types
• Conversion Rule Tag
• Manipulating Documentation
• Type System Variables

Object ownership

• Object ownership

Extra options and Python caveats

• Solving compilation problems
• Special functions
• Type Discovery